A Reader recently wrote:

What is the buddhist way to overcome fear and anxiety in life? I understand it is by controlling the mind: but the question is what are some of the key techniques used to tame the mind in a more positive way?

My Response:

Meditation will generally lead to a calmer, more thoughtful approach to most things, and that would be my main recommendation; get started meditating and learn to control your anxieties.

Another thing to consider is that fear is generally a result of attachment. Buddhists consider attachment (“grasping”) a bad thing. Everything changes, and that’s something we have to learn and accept. That’s a whole lot easier to say than do, but that really is it in a nutshell. Think for a bit on what causes your fear. What are you afraid of losing? Is that something (or someone) that you are going to lose eventually anyway? Most things and people are going to be lost someday, no matter what we do; it is important to understand and accept that.

That sounds somewhat negative, but once those bonds of grasping can be broken, you will have real freedom, and the fearlessness that accompanies it.

Buy “No Death, No Fear” by Thich Nhat Hanh
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1573223336/?tag=askdrarca-20