Proper preparation for the future consists of forming good personal habits. - Epictetus

Remind yourself, “What upsets this person is their opinion of what has happened. Another in the same circumstance, taking a different perspective, would react quite differently.” Do not share these thoughts with the grieving person. Sympathize with them — even cry with them. Your tears will be outward, not inward.

Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of things. Thus death is nothing terrible, else it would have appeared so to Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death, that it is terrible. When, therefore, we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved let us never impute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own views. It is the action of an uninstructed person to reproach others for his own misfortunes; of one entering upon instruction, to reproach himself; and of one perfectly instructed, to reproach neither others or himself.

The people before whom you bow and tremble – when I meet them, I treat them as if they were slaves.