Stress is what we’re all dealing with.
Our ancestors, who lived thousands of years ago, experienced vast levels of stress as an essential part of their survival.
However, our natural response mechanisms have not significantly evolved, despite the dramatic change in the nature of our stressors.
No longer are we under the constant threat of enormous predatory lions and bears, our lives hanging in the balance — instead, the root of our modern anxiety can often be traced back to something as innocuous as a phone call.
Stoicism helps.
Originating from Greece in the 3rd century BC, Stoicism instructs us on rationality and emotional fortitude.
In this article, I’ll try to share 5 of the best daily Stoic practices to unstress your life.
1 — Practise the worst-case scenario
One way to reduce our fear of the unknown is to practice the worst-case scenario.
This means imagining the worst thing that could happen in a given situation, and then asking ourselves if we can actually cope with it.
For example, if you’re feeling stressed about a job interview, you could imagine the worst-case scenario: you could bomb the interview, not get the job, and be out of work.
But then ask yourself, can you actually cope with that? Can you find another job? Can you survive on savings for a while?