Yesterday I opened up my calendar and hit delete on every project, event, and class I had scheduled for the next two months. Everything had been canceled because of COVID-19. It was a frustrating moment. Nevertheless, I had also known it was coming for a few days. Deep down, I had prepared myself for this loss. And I knew more may come. But, I knew I could move-on. In this time of spreading infection, it may be scary to consider the worst-case scenario. But this counterintuitive practice can be our best tool.

The ancient Stoic philosophers knew that almost nothing was within their control, only how they reacted to situations. Armed with this understanding, they lead with the practice of Premeditatio Malorum — or the premeditation of potential evils and troubles. Knowing they could only control their reactions, they sought to prepare themselves for the things they feared most. To do this, they considered the worst-case scenario. They visualized the negative outcomes of their decisions and the future. By taking the time to expose themselves to the idea of these losses, they sought to quell their fears and temper their reactions. If they were prepared for the worst-case, then they were also ready with the best response — and in turn, muted their fear.

Seneca The Younger, a pillar of stoicism, took this idea even further. Despite being one of the wealthiest and most respected men in Rome, he regularly practiced poverty. Every month, Seneca would take days at a time to live as if he were poor. He would wear the cheapest clothes, eat only the crusts of bread, and sleep on the floor. He experienced what it would be like if he lost everything. A fear we all have. While it may seem masochistic, this practice kept Seneca in control. By exposing himself to the worst-case, he also revealed that he could survive, and even be happy despite his loss. In practice, he exposed the irrationality of his fear and prepared himself for its arrival. As he wrote in his letters:

“We should project our thoughts ahead of us at every turn and have in mind every possible eventuality instead of only the usual course of events…Rehearse them in your mind: exile, torture, war, shipwreck. All the terms of our human lot should be before our eyes.“

It may be depressing or anxiety-ridden to consider the worst-case scenario — what and who we might lose. But taking the time to reflect on these fears gives us the power to arm ourselves for the outcome. If and when our fears do come true, we will be all the more prepared to react as our best selves.