Don't suffer imagined troubles
Worry is a waste of time. It doesn't help you solve any problems and it doesn't change anything—it just wears you out and makes you miserable.
There are more things … likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.
This is a quote from Seneca, an ancient Roman philosopher and playwright who lived around 2 BC. He wrote this line in an essay he titled On Tranquility of Mind.
This might seem like a simple concept, but it's actually quite difficult to practice. Our brains are wired for worry—it's how we've survived as a species for thousands of years. We're programmed to scan for potential dangers so that we can avoid them or protect ourselves from them if necessary.
Imagined fear can take over your life if you let it. Imagination can be a powerful tool, but when it gets out of control, it can lead to anxiety and stress. This can cause physical problems like headaches, muscle tension, high blood pressure, heartburn and even digestive problems.
Imagined fear is also a distraction from what we need to focus on. Wasting brain power and time. (Turn off To Turn Pro)
“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinions than our own.”- Marcus Aurelius
We can't control everything around us, but we can control how we respond to things
First, stop watching the news. Don’t spend time on twitter, aftonbladet or any other news site. It gives you nothing other then fear
Instead, you can focus on what matters: yourself and your loved ones.
Don’t let imagined troubles dictate your life
But if you can just stop for a second and take a step back, keep in mind that these worries are likely to be exaggerated and often entirely imagined. Even if they did happen, most of the time they wouldn't be as bad as we think they would be.
This kind of thinking is called catastrophizing. It's one of the most destructive forms of negative thinking.
Ask yourself these questions.
- Is this within my control? if so, how can I prepare myself to the point where I no longer have control over it.
- If it happens, what then? The sun will rise tomorrow and set tomorrow. The earth still rotates on its axis and goes around the sun. Your human life is a drop in the bucket.
- Is my worrying going to solve this?
- Last but not least - do I even have to worry about this shit? Is this worry an invention of society or groupthink? Sometimes you just have to distance yourself