“While doing something about a future terrible event, the stoics expects the worst case scenario and embrace it. Always remember , ‘memento mori’ “

I think one of the things that I constantly doing wrong in several years is that when I worry something in the future  such as health issue, financial difficulties etc. is that I don’t have the “so be it” attitude. I even make it worse by either suppresing  or  forcefully changing my negative thoughts by replacing it with a positive one – “Think Positive” as they say it. What I fail to realize is that the when you try to resist a negative thought or change it a positive one, the negative thought still keeps coming back and might just get even worse by producing a chain of another negative  thoughts.

The stoics way of dealing anxiety is not to adopt the “Everything will be okay.” type of mentality. Its a way of trying to suppress of a negative thought. For stoics, dealing with anxious feeling involves: (1) Understanding that you are feeling anxious and its okay to feel that way (2) Expecting the worst case that could happen and then fully embracing it even if it means your own death. (3) Planning for the worst case scenarios but having that mentality that if it doesn’t work then so be it. (4) Embrace fully the consequences.

Example:

Old way :

Condition: I have a cough, fever, and rapid shallow breathing.

Anxiety: I tried to google it and found out that its highly probable pneumonia. 

Action: Keep getting anxious. Might die young.

New Way:

Condition : I have a cough, fever, and rapid shallow breathing.

Anxiety: I tried to google it and found out that its highly probable pneumonia. 

Action: There is nothing I could not possibly overcome. If I got it, so be it. Everybody gets sick anyway. Part of life