Worrying, particularly imagining the worst case scenario, seems to be a natural part of being human and comes easily to a lot of us. It’s awful, perhaps even dangerous, when we do it. But, there is an ancient wisdom that can help. It involves reframing this attitude for the better, and it comes from Stoicism
Practical Stoicism
Stoicism is the philosophy of choosing your judgments
- Our minds color the things we encounter as being “good” or “bad,” and given that we control our minds, we therefore have control over all of our negative feelings
- There’s a gap between our experience of an event and our judgment of it
- We have power over which thoughts we entertain and the final say on our actions
What could possibly go wrong?
Seneca suggests a Stoic technique called “premeditatio malorum” or “premeditation.”
- At the start of every day, we ought to take time to indulge our anxious and catastrophizing mind.
- We should “rehearse in the mind” the worst things that could happen: exile, torture, war, shipwreck etc.
Catastrophizing as a method of mental inoculation
In times of peace, the soldier carries out maneuvers
- This is also true of premeditation, which acts as a war room or training ground
- The agonizing cut of the unexpected is blunted by preparedness
- Prepare the mind for whatever trials may come, in just the same way we can prepare the body for some endurance activity
- With a frown over breakfast, try to spend five minutes of your day deliberately catastrophizing
