5 Ancient Tactics That Can Help You Become Calmer Every Day
How to practice mindfulness daily
--
In today’s uber-connected world, calmness is a genuine superpower.
We are always busy with work and trying to juggle our commitments. Seldom are those moments during which we take a step back and become aware of the moment.
In short, mindfulness is rare, and being calm isn’t the norm.
That’s where the following habits come into play. In many ancient cultures, calmness was a virtue. And those age-old techniques are still practicable today.
By prioritizing calmness daily, you can progressively alleviate your stress factors and reduce your worries. In other words, calmness-inducing rituals will help you become more focused, grounded, and attentive.
On this basis, here are five ancient tactics that can help you become calmer every day.
Negative visualization
The first ancient technique that can boost your calmness comes from the Stoics.
The Stoics were famous for their realistic approach to challenges. As such, they didn’t preach optimism but founded a concept called “negative visualization.”
In the words of Marcus Aurelius,
“Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness — all of them due to the offenders’ ignorance of what is good or evil.”
Instead of endlessly repeating positive platitudes, prepare for the worst. You might think that visualizing the worst possible outcome will create a negative atmosphere, but the opposite is the case.
If you set your mind up for the worst that can happen, you don’t run the risk of being disappointed. You’re already mentally prepared for potential challenges, clearing your mind from unrealistic expectations.
If you, for example, go to a job interview and expect to get it, you fight against your own high expectations.
If you, on the other hand, tell yourself that you’ll do your best, but if you don’t get it, you’ll just apply for other jobs, you’ll have lower expectations. And…
