How Negative Visualisation Can Make You Stronger Mentally
Your mental toughness determines your character
I’m not mentally strong. I mask my insecurities — so others don’t see them. I worry too much about what others think of me.
I fear regret, failure — rejection and being judged.
I’ve let my anxiety controlled my decisions — leading to bad choices and missing opportunities for personal growth.
I’ve believed I’ve not good enough and felt hopeless. Until I came across an ancient stoic practice called negative visualisation — imagining worst-case scenarios in life.
It completed changed my perspective and mindset.
Over time, I’ve learned the importance of appreciating and enjoying the important things in life. As the saying goes,
“We should love all our dear ones . . ., but always with the thought that we have no promise that we may keep them forever — nay, no promise even that we may keep them for long.” — Seneca
We have to learn that everything is temporary in life, nothing is promised or guaranteed. Always contemplate what you have and visual your life without it. Appreciate everything that happens to you, good or bad — it strengthens your character.
1. Think of everything you have as borrowed
Do you ever just stop and think — do I really own the stuff that I have? Sure, that car is mine but is it really? It may break down or get stolen. Most things that you have are temporary.
Your wife, boyfriend or mum — you think you have them, but they’re not forever. The enjoyment to have these loved people is only temporary. People die. Things break. Possessions get destroyed. Bodies fall apart. The stoics believed that everything you have is only borrowed.
It’s on loan from fortune, which can reclaim it without your permission — without advance notice.
- Don’t take things for granted.
- Tell the people around you that you love and appreciate them.
- Don’t let material things control you.
2. Negative visualisation helps you to be prepared rather than sorry
We know that misfortune can happen to us at any moment. If misfortune comes, it’s important to be prepared than unprepared. Envision what could go wrong — will go wrong. For me, this means — visualising everything that could go wrong.
For example, going to a job interview. Try to visualise yourself:
- Being late.
- Birds shitting on your head while walking.
- Car breaking down and having no ride to the interview.
Point is, difficulties will arise. Obstacles will pop up. Either they will catch you prepared or unprepared. When you prepared — you’re more likely to respond in a smart way. We never want to get caught by surprise.
Seneca said it best:
“Nothing happens to the wise man against his expectation”
3. Imagining your worse fears coming true
Many fears we have are worse in imagination than in reality. Most of the time, things turn out to be not that bad. Are you letting your fears control your decisions in life?
When you confront your fears in your imagination often enough — they will diminish.
I used to be afraid of injections…until I faced that fear. I learned there was nothing to be afraid of — I discovered whenever I think about injections, I get jittery. That’s why I won’t think about it.
It makes me feel bad.
The solution is to confront your fears head-on — real or imagined. Through action fear decreases. When you look at what you once feared with detachment, it becomes normal.
The Bottom Line
If we have prepared ourselves for the obstacles that are inevitable on their way, we can rest assured that it’s other people who have not. We often learn the hard way that our world is ruled by external factors.
We don’t always get what is rightfully ours, even if we’ve earned it.
