"کسی که قبل از اینکه لازم باشد رنج می‌برد بیشتر از حد لازم رنج می‌برد."

Worrying too much about stuff that hasn't even happened yet is just going to make your life harder than it needs to be. That's really the core of it. Think about it: stressing over what might go wrong tomorrow, next week, or a year from now just piles on extra misery that you don't need—and half the time, those fears never come true anyway.

This idea isn't new. Stoic philosophers like Seneca talked about it ages ago. Back in ancient Rome, life wasn't exactly a walk in the park—wars, plagues, political chaos. People had plenty to worry about. Seneca, though, noticed that folks often burdened themselves with unnecessary suffering by getting worked up about potential future pains. Instead of just dealing with problems as they came, they'd fret endlessly about what might happen, doubling their distress.

Think about athletes preparing for a competition. If they obsess over every possible way they might fail, they're not just dealing with the actual event—they're dealing with all that imagined failure, too. A runner who worries they'll trip and fall, that it'll rain, or that they'll come in last place is carrying a backpack full of unnecessary weight. So when the big day comes, they've exhausted themselves with all those fears. But what if they focused on their training, controlled what they could, and left the rest to unfold naturally? They'd be in a much better place mentally—ready to face whatever comes with a clear head.

So, how can we apply this wisdom? First, keep your worries in check. Ask yourself, "Is there something I can do about this now?" If the answer is no, try setting it aside. It's easier said than done, I know, but practice helps. Meditation, mindfulness, or even just taking a few deep breaths can make a big difference. Also, limit your "what if" scenarios to one or two—don't let them spiral out of control.

Imagine you're prepping for a big presentation at work. You're excited but also a bit nervous. Your mind races with thoughts like, "What if I forget my points? What if the tech fails? What if they don’t like my ideas?" Now, you're not just going through the presentation; you're living out each of those fears, over and over. Instead, you could prepare as best you can—practice your speech, have a backup plan for the tech, and remind yourself that you’ve done the work. Trust in that. You handle the now, the rest will come.

Let me share a little story. My friend Sarah was always anxious about her kids’ future—constantly worrying about what might go wrong. One day, her youngest fell and broke his arm. She realized in that moment that all her past worrying didn’t prepare her or prevent the accident. She could only deal with what was happening right then. After that, she focused more on being present and taking things as they came. The shift made her less stressed and happier, able to enjoy the moments with her kids more fully.

In a nutshell, stressing about future troubles brings them into your present—and that’s an unnecessary load. Handle today’s problems today. Tomorrow can wait its turn.