Consider the worst-case scenario. Rather than repeating hollow affirmations that everything will work out while you actually feel terrified, Burkeman suggests facing the possibility of a bad outcome head-on. “The ancient philosophical tradition called Stoicism, along with Buddhism and other traditions, suggests thinking about out how badly it could go, and realizing that in almost every case, it would still not be fatal,” he says. “It may actually be more empowering to realize that you could cope with a bad outcome — even a very bad outcome like a death or loss of a relationship — than to constantly tell yourself that everything will be great.”