Don't Suffer Imagined Troubles

I’m a fan of the Stoics and follow @dailystoic on IG. Often, there are nuggets that really resonate with me, a recent gem was “Don’t suffer imagined troubles”. This one hits home because I’m totally guilty of this myself.

When I work with clients, we do a lot of mindset work. Learning how to challenge thoughts, get out of their heads, be aware of the stories their mind weaves. These 4 little words- don’t suffer imagined troubles - could save so much suffering - stress, anxiety, negativity, lack of confidence, lack of self worth, looping stories. We are in our heads a LOT, like a TON. We get worked up about things that have no basis in reality, but are definitely alive and well in our inner chatter. The thing is, almost all of it is made up. We’re living in a construct of our own creation shaped by our beliefs and perception of the world. Seneca, another Stoic, says “we dye events with our own color”. Another gem.

Think about when you text someone and they don’t text back. If your mind starts to spin tales (are they mad at me, are they ok, did I do something to upset them, how rude they’re not responding, etc.) you might benefit from reminding yourself that you’re creating troubles that most likely don’t exist. Instead, accept what is. You have no idea why they’re not texting back, they could be driving, in a no cell zone, have their phone silenced. Don’t create a story that isn’t reality.

Learning to master your mindset can help prevent you from suffering imagined troubles. When your inner voice won’t STFU, question the thoughts that pop up- do you know with 100% certainty that’s true? Pausing creates a pattern interrupt helping to stop your looping stories, think about what’s actually happening and save yourself from suffering imagined troubles.