Seneca says people are troubled more due their own imaginative creations than due to reality. Think better. Here is how:

Thinking is work. It is true that we do not always choose our thoughts and some negative thoughts would pop up out of nowhere to trouble our tranquil minds. Yet, it is also true that we can create our own thoughts. But very few people actually practice this act of creating your own thoughts. Most people simply follow their stream of consciousness to the extent of wasting a lot of their time on things that matter very little.

Think better means to inject fresh new thoughts into your mind yourself. It is this act of creating your own favorite thoughts when you realize your mind is cluttered with negativity. It requires visualization and some powerful words that immediately put you at ease.

Marcus Aurelius says that every day you must dip into thoughts that put you at immediate and complete ease. You must always have at your disposal few fundamental thoughts that wash away all your pain and renew you for action. Whenever negativity gets hold of you, immediately return to these few fundamental thoughts and renew yourself.

I started practicing it recently and I’m way happier than I used to be. Earlier, I would fall into the trap of my own thoughts telling me that life is meaningless and there is no point in trying to accomplish anything because death equals it all. Basically, I would think myself into nihilism & would chuckle at it, thereby WASTING a lot of time.

I still get some such thoughts. But now I tackle them better. As soon as I acknowledge that I’m going down the nihilistic spiral, I deliberately inject some very powerful words and images into my mind that puts me at immediate ease. These images are usually pulled up from my past achievements: moments of sheer joy & excitement. I also tell myself that I’m no more the same person who used to self sabotage my capabilities. Instead, I’m someone who is growing to be a very strong & powerful.

Such thoughts fuel me for more productive action and I stay elated almost 100% of the time.

You can do the same. Always remember that you can always choose what to think. Why not think better?