Hi there,
I’ll admit - I was hesitating what to share this month. "Everything's fine" / "business as usual" content just felt inappropriate right now. A lot of people are struggling with uncertainty and anxiety, and I didn't want to ignore that.
So today I'm sharing a tool that helps with overthinking and catastrophising. Hope it helps.
A Stoic tool for anxious times
This tool is rooted in Stoic philosophy and speaks to the concept of premeditatio malorum (premeditation of evils) - a deliberate visualisation of potential negative outcomes. Even though it’s an uncomfortable one, this practice aims to build mental resilience, reduce anxiety, and prepare for life’s inevitable setbacks.
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” Seneca
I often use this tool with coaching clients who experience layoff anxiety. They fear that bad news will come “any day now”. That level of worrying obviously impacts their wellbeing and significantly reduces their productivity. If you have a tendency to spiral, you know that this rarely leads anywhere.
How to make your worrying productive
Step 1: Write down or tell a trusted person about the worst case scenario / your biggest fear. Don’t spare any details.
Step 2: Then brainstorm: If the worst case scenario actually does happen, what can you do NOW to prepare for that? Be as specific as possible. (Who could help? What resources do you need? What can you do today to get started?)
Tim Ferriss talks about a version of this tool in his TED Talk and calls it fear-setting, if you want to learn about his take on this.
For those of us who tend to internalise anxiety rather than talk about it, this exercise can feel particularly exposing - which is also why it works.
When one exercise isn't enough
This tool works well for situational anxiety - the kind that comes from a specific fear or uncertainty. But sometimes what we're carrying is heavier than a single exercise can address. If that's where you are, remember that there’s help.
I’m not a therapist, but in my coaching practice, I often signpost clients to therapy if we both agree that this might be a better type of support for them at that particular moment in time.
Therapy or coaching — which one do you need?
Here's a distinction I find myself explaining a lot:
Therapy is about the past. It’s to help you address trauma or mental health diagnosis. It helps you heal and come back to stability. So, if you feel like you’re stuck in the past - you keep revisiting certain events, feel hopeless and unable to move forward - then I’d signpost you to therapy first.
Coaching, on the other hand, is focused on the future. Sure, we will be looking at uncomfortable, sometimes even painful reality, but we will always ask ourselves “right, but what can I do about this?”. If you’re struggling with your challenges but are mentally robust and motivated to take action, then coaching might be a better fit to get you to your goals. I’ve shared more resources about this on my website.
This is all for today.
I wish you all well 💛
Know someone who needs to read this? Share away.
Speak soon,
Karolina