5-Minute Stoic Practice to Overcome Fear and Reclaim Control
Read Time: 5 Mins
Quick Summary: When fear stops you from starting that habit, trying that tool, or making that change, this 5-minute Stoic-inspired practice can help you overcome fear and reclaim control. By blending ancient wisdom with modern psychology, you can build confidence one small step at a time.
Quick Summary: The 5-Minute Stoic Method to Overcome Fear
Name your specific fear (not just “change”)
Do the Control Audit (two columns)
Take one micro-action (2-5 minutes)
Observe without judgment (it’s data)
Repeat tomorrow (builds familiarity)
The 5-Minute Stoic Method to Overcome Fear
Step 1: Name Your Specific Fear
Don’t say “I’m scared of change.” Instead, get precise. Are you scared of looking foolish? Wasting time? Falling behind? Write down the exact fear in one sentence.
Example: Instead of “I’m scared of AI,” write “I’m scared that if I don’t learn AI, I’ll become irrelevant at work, but I don’t know where to start.”
Step 2: Do the Control Audit to Overcome Fear
This step comes directly from Stoic philosophy, specifically Epictetus’s teaching about the dichotomy of control. As Epictetus wrote in the Enchiridion: “Some things are within our power, while others are not.” The Stoics believed that peace comes from focusing only on what’s within your power.
Draw two columns. Left: what you control. Right: what you don’t. Be ruthless, most worries go on the right.
✅ What You Control
❌ What You Don’t Control
Opening ChatGPT and typing one question today
How fast things are changing
Asking one question to someone who’s already doing it
Other people’s comfort levels
Your pace of learning
Media headlines and hype
How you talk to yourself while learning
Whether change feels comfortable on day one
Focus 100% of your energy on the left column. Then, let the right column exist without trying to manage it.
Step 3: Take One Micro-Action to Overcome Fear
Choose something so small it feels almost ridiculous. You’re not committing to anything—you’re just gathering information for 2-5 minutes.
This micro-action approach helps you work with fear through experimentation, not elimination.
Not: “I’m going to master this” Instead: “I’m going to try this once and see what happens”
Examples:
Ask ChatGPT one question
Do 5 push-ups right now
Add one vegetable to lunch today
Watch one 3-minute tutorial
Your brain stops resisting when you stop asking it to commit to forever.
Step 4: Observe Without Judgment
After your micro-action, pause. Don’t judge what happened, just notice it. You’re a scientist observing an experiment, not a critic grading performance.
Ask yourself:
What surprised me?
Anything Feel easier than expected?
What felt harder?
Did I learn anything new?
This is how curiosity grows, not from pretending things are easy, but from staying present with what’s actually true.
Step 5: Repeat Tomorrow
Repeat the micro-action daily. By day seven, it’s just “something you do.” By day fourteen, that initial fear often feels distant, almost like it belonged to someone else.
Not because the thing got easier, but because you got more familiar with it.
The science backs this up:Research on exposure therapy demonstrates that gradual, repeated exposure to feared situations can significantly reduce anxiety when practiced consistently.
You won’t become fearless. What you can do is train yourself to get curious faster than you get scared.
That’s often what separates getting stuck from making progress.
The confidence you build handling fear in one area can transfer elsewhere.
Suddenly you’re trying things, asking questions, taking small steps, because you proved to yourself that discomfort isn’t dangerous. It’s just temporary.
Common Questions About How to Overcome Fear
What if I don’t know what I’m actually afraid of?
Start by noticing when you feel resistance. That tightness in your chest, the urge to scroll instead of act, the “I’ll do it tomorrow” thought, that’s fear disguised as procrastination. Write down what you were about to do when the feeling appeared.
How long does it really take to overcome fear using this method?
Most people notice some shift within the first few weeks of daily micro-actions. You’re not “curing” fear—you’re building familiarity. The timeline varies by person, but consistent practice can help what once felt threatening become more manageable.
Can I use this method to overcome fear related to serious anxiety?
This method works for everyday fears about change and growth. However, if anxiety feels unmanageable or interferes with daily life, please reach out to your GP or a qualified mental health professional. Professional support makes a real difference.
This is the exact tool I used when my daughter said “AI is scary”—and it works for any fear, not just technology.
This is your permission slip to start messy. We don’t chase perfect here, we practise progress, because that’s Everyday Mastery.
About Everyday Mastery Everyday Mastery blends science, mindfulness, and small daily actions to help you build habits that last. If you enjoy these posts and want to support the writing, you can buy me a coffee — it keeps the kettle (and the ideas) warm.
Disclaimer
I’m a coach, not a clinician. What I share comes from real practice and personal growth, not therapy. If you’re finding things hard, it’s okay to get professional support—it makes a difference.
Kel is the writer behind Everyday Mastery, where she shares the real, messy, and meaningful process of building habits, resilience, and self-belief from the ground up. Her writing blends ancient philosophy with modern science, always focused on small, practical steps that lead to lasting
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