The Little Book of Stoicism

Practice 7

Negative Visualization: Foreseeing Bad Stuff

“It is precisely in times of immunity from care that the soul should toughen itself beforehand for occasions of greater stress, and it is while Fortune is kind that it should fortify itself against her violence. In days of peace the soldier performs maneuvers, throws up earthworks with no enemy in sight, and wearies himself by unnecessary toil, in order that he may be equal when it is necessary. If you would not have a man flinch when the crisis comes, train him before it comes.” – Seneca

Do you take precautions to prevent bad stuff from happening?

Most certainly you do. I do, too. But no matter how hard we try, some bad things will happen anyway. That’s where this powerful Stoic tool comes in handy. Negative visualization is an imagination exercise in which you foresee bad stuff. It prepares you to stay calm and deal effectively with whatever life will throw at you.

One important goal of the Stoics is to be able to remain calm and reflected even in the face of adversity. So that you can live by your values and express your highest version of yourself—rather than panic and go crazy.

This requires training. The Stoics used negative visualization to train themselves to maintain equanimity and cope well even in challenging situations. They prepared to soften the shock of reality and achieve greater tranquility, but also to rehearse the philosophy’s core principles. To deepen their values.

Think of this thought training as foresight. Before you go out and do something, ask yourself:

What could go wrong?

What obstacle could pop up?

Where could I face difficulties?

That’s emotional resilience training. You prepare yourself to face tough situations beforehand, when things are good, so that you’ll be ready when things turn bad. That’s how you avoid devastation, as Ryan Holiday expressed beautifully: “Devastation—that feeling that we’re absolutely crushed and shocked by an event—is a factor of how unlikely we considered that event in the first place.”

By considering challenging situations to pop you, you prepare yourself so that you won’t feel crushed and shocked by them if they happen. And you’ll be able to be your best.

Basically, you visualize possible bad future scenarios in your head. Ask what could go wrong in advance, before you start a trip, launch a product, or go on a date. You imagine those negative things as if happening right now. As you see that bad stuff happening right now in your head, you try to stay calm and respond in the best way possible.

Attention: The term “negative visualization” can be misleading. As learned in the second corner of the Stoic Happiness Triangle, external things are neither good nor bad, but indifferent. That’s actually the basis of this Stoic practice—no external misfortune can truly be bad because it’s outside our control. Only our reaction to it can be good or bad, and that’s what we train for, to be able to react well, with virtue.

One more thing: You might be wondering if negative visualization is similar to the previous exercises. And you’re totally right. Reminding yourself of the impermanence of things, of your own mortality, and that everything you have is only borrowed, are all forms of negative visualization.

Now, let Seneca remind you that, “Fortune falls heavily on those for whom she’s unexpected. The one always on the lookout easily endures.”