National Face Your Fears Day 2026: Stoic Courage and a 94th-Floor Challenge
National Face Your Fears Day returns on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, and in Chicago the observation deck at 360 CHICAGO is turning the 94th floor into a controlled encounter with fear. The event pairs height, performance and fortune-telling with a broader question: what does it mean to act with courage when the outcome is uncertain? A psychologist and several Stoicism-focused groups offer frameworks for that question.
A 94th-floor test in Chicago
On October 13, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 360 CHICAGO at 875 N Michigan Avenue on the former John Hancock Center's 94th floor hosts a National Face Your Fears Day program. General admission is $30, and registration is required. The scheduled activities include encounters with creepy creatures, a scary clown, tarot card readings, a taste of a famously bitter local spirit, and TILT, the observation deck's thrill ride that extends guests outward and tilts them 30 degrees over Michigan Avenue. All activities except TILT are included in the general admission ticket.
For readers who want to understand how built environments can be designed to produce thrill and manage risk, the modern casino resort design coverage at US Casino Insider offers a related perspective.
Courage as worthwhile risk
Cynthia Pury, PhD, a professor of psychology at Clemson University, describes courage as taking a worthwhile risk. In an American Psychological Association podcast episode titled "Courage is taking a worthwhile risk," she discusses physical, moral and psychological courage, whether courage requires overcoming fear, and how cultural and social viewpoints shape what we count as brave. The conversation stresses that courage appears not only in dramatic rescues but also in everyday choices such as speaking up, performing, or trying something unfamiliar.
A different, industry-focused way to examine risk appears in the casino industry analysis at US Casino Journal, which can be useful for readers who prefer to think about uncertainty in decision-making terms.
Stoic exercises for fear and uncertainty
Modern Stoicism, a nonprofit whose contributors include philosophers, psychologists and CBT practitioners, has published data from more than 40,000 Stoic Week participants. In the 2024 cohort, average self-reports showed an 18 percent reduction in sadness, anger and fear, and increases in joy, contentment, life satisfaction and flourishing. One participant described the effect this way: "I am calmer and accept many disagreeable things with good spirits. I'm not so easily hurt."
The group also ran a Stoic Arts Conference on April 25, 2026 at Tufts University's Granoff Music Center in Medford, Massachusetts, with workshops including journaling like Marcus Aurelius and a small-group discussion led by Phil Yanov. Registration for that conference was free.
A low-stakes way to rehearse decisions
If you want a concrete, play-money exercise in choosing under uncertainty before facing a bigger fear, the free Criss Cross Poker trainer lets you practise every bet, see how two hands are built from shared community cards, and get live strategy tips. The tool requires no sign-up and uses play money only, so the risk is contained to the decision itself.
What to do on October 13 and after
If you are in Chicago on Tuesday, October 13, the 360 CHICAGO event runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; registration is required, and TILT costs extra beyond the $30 general admission. If you cannot attend in person, the Stoic Week handbook, video introductions and journaling prompts from Modern Stoicism offer a self-paced way to work with fear, uncertainty and courage. For a longer in-person option, watch for Stoic Arts Conference recordings and local philosophy discussion groups.