Seneca suggested setting aside days now and then to live on little, plain food, rough clothes, then asking, is this what I was so afraid of? The point isn't punishment. It's discovering that you're sturdier than your fears suggest, and that much of your comfort is a bonus rather than a need. When you've practiced being okay with less, you stop being ruled by the dread of losing what you have. You hold your good things more lightly, and enjoy them more freely. Today, you might choose one small comfort to skip, just to feel how little it actually costs you to do without it.

Inspired by the old idea of voluntary discomfort. Written by Ugo Charles.