Seneca's best advice for dealing with pain and suffering

Seneca wrote hundreds of pages about how to grief and fear in difficult times. Modern readers can benefit from Seneca’s wise recommendations for dealing with pain and suffering. I am going to summarise those recommendations to the extent that we can still apply them today.Emotional overreaction should be avoided because it’s a sure recipe for disaster. In his essay “On the Constancy of the Wise,” Seneca calls for moral strength in the face of trouble.In this context, I equate “moral strength” to “equanimity,” that is, the capacity to keep an equal temper in good and bad times. If we face severe problems, we should strive to keep a cool head, so that we can identify the best solution.Panic reactions tend to prove counterproductive. Without sufficient serenity, it is simply not possible to assess the facts and weigh the alternatives correctly.Since few problems are really life-threatening, we should take time to reflect. Seneca regards it as particularly foolish to react heavily to insults or moral injuries. We should refrain from reacting in a manner that makes problems worse.Risk prevention and diversification, in modern terms, can provide us with solid protection against life’s misfortunes. Seneca does not employ a modern set of terms concerning risk management, but uses “self-sufficiency” and “self-discipline.”Those words are not equivalent. They are pointing to two strategies that are complementary. In the 66th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca gives a wide meaning to the term “self-sufficiency.” In our century, I find the words “self-reliant” and “independent” better aligned with the ancient meaning.When Seneca speaks about how to protect ourselves against the ups and downs of life, he is calling for serenity as much as he is calling for risk prevention. If we do not get into troubled waters, we do not need to fear shipwreck and drowning.Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/senecas-best-advice-for-dealing-with-pain-and-suffering/