There are lots of things you should be doing today. Your journaling. Your reading. Taking care of your work, of your children or family. Following the instructions of the authorities (to stay inside, to eliminate unnecessary travel, to make sure you have food and supplies on hand). All this is good. Most of it takes work.

But the thing you should be working hardest at? Being calm. At steadying your nerves. At slowing down those racing thoughts. Because emotional and uncontrolled responses only ever make things worse. 

Remember what Marcus Aurelius said: That we have to concentrate like a Roman, that we have to face the tasks in front of us like they are the last thing we are doing with our life. We have to address and solve what’s in front of us, action by action. We cannot be crushed by life as a whole, we have to tackle the present moment calmly, rationally, courageously. 

Yes, there is a scary pandemic out there. Yes, there is real risk to life and limb (if not to you, then to the more vulnerable parts of the population, and certainly the economic instability that has already been triggered is no fun). But the only way we’ll get through this, the only way you can help yourself and others is by getting a handle on yourself. No one does well while panicking. In fact, that’s a great way to make things worse—to make mistakes or act rashly. 

So keep calm and carry on. Do your journaling and your reading so you can get your head right. Take a walk in the woods so you can get your head right. Step away from the endless feed of the news so you can focus on what matters. Do your work—because the economy and your family depends on it. But work hardest at being calm. We depend on that too.

P.S. This was originally sent on September 16, 2020. Sign up today for the Daily Stoic’s email and get our popular free 7-day course on Stoicism.