Just finished watching Inside Out 2 at the theater with my kids . . . great movie! I chuckled at the end (no spoilers here) when Joy uses a technique from Stoicism to control Anxiety, one of Riley’s new emotions.
In the movie, Anxiety is getting overwhelmed by thinking about all of the bad stuff that might happen to Riley in the future. Joy gives Anxiety a cup of tea and reminds her that “none of those things are happening right now.”
I’m paraphrasing, but Joy says something along the lines of “What are the things we can control? Let’s focus on those, instead.”
Rather than continuing to worry, Anxiety decides to influence Riley to study for the next day’s school exam . . . which is something that’s actually in her power to do.
It’s a great lesson pulled right from Stoic philosophy: anxiety is completely natural for us to have, and the best way to overcome it is by focusing on stuff in the present that we can actually control (preparing ourselves to face challenges, practicing, organizing, creating things, etcetera).