I love the phrase "lean into"!
I've encountered some dogmatic Buddhists too (kind of an oxymoron). I'm not any kind of expert, on purpose. So far, I've only had an interest in a small amount of the history of Buddhism. I'm much more interested in the teachings that I can apply right now.
I've lived in and been driven by fear for the better part of my life. The idea that I could sit with fear, even invite it in, blew my mind. Being closer to my fear, not father away from it, has made me more fearless. The harder I tried to get away from it, the more afraid I was all the time.
I was one of those people who said "I can't meditate". I have learned that I can. And I have learned that I can take a step back and slow things down at any given moment. No cushion necessary. In line at Walmart, at a stop light, while cleaning, at work, cooking, while running, whatever...I can bring my mind to the moment. I can focus on my breath, I can focus on how different parts of my body feel, I can focus solely on the task at hand and enjoy it exactly for what it is, without my mind thinking back or thinking ahead.
One of the most helpful things to me when I'm calming my mind is to visualize these racing thoughts in little bubbles. I can see myself popping them and they dissipate softly. They go by in minds eye and I touch them...pop...pop...pop. I don't even think about what the thought is...I just release it out to go on its way.