Three Simple Ways that Stoicism can Change your Mindset
The Meditations of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius is one of the most cherished and widely-read self-help classics of all time. His personal reflections contain a lot of good advice based on the ancient Stoic philosophy that he followed.
Below, I’ve outlined three of the most simple and practical Stoic exercises that you’ll find within the pages of The Meditations.
I’ve been researching Stoicism for nearly a quarter of a century, from my early days as a student of academic philosophy to my later career as a cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist deeply engaged with psychological-resilience training. I’m the author of several books…
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Just got an email from Medium saying that I was one of their top 1,000 writers in April:
You made it here because the stories you published in April received the most member reads, claps, and follows. So, nice work! It’s writers like you that make Medium and the Partner Program a living network of insightful thinking. Keep the good ideas coming.
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Hi everyone,
We’ve just held the Marcus Aurelius anniversary virtual conference and it was our biggest Stoicism event to date with over 1,850 people registered. Our next virtual event is Stoicon-x Military, which everyone is welcome to attend. We have a fantastic program of speakers, including Ryan Holiday interviewing former US National Security Advisor LTG H.R. McMaster about Stoicism.
I did an unusual interview for Kasey Pierce, which took a unique angle by looking at ways of getting unstuck using concepts from Stoicism and CBT. It allowed me to really get into some practical hints and tips. What do you…
Hi everyone,
Just a quick reminder that the Marcus Aurelius anniversary event organized by Modern Stoicism will take place on Sunday. See the EventBrite listing for details or to book your ticket, free of charge. There’s still time to register if you’re interested in joining us, and over 1,200 other participants. Can’t make it on time? Book now and, for a small donation, you’ll be granted access to videos of the presentations afterwards.
Please help spread the word by sharing the link below with anyone you think may be interested in learning more about Stoic philosophy. Thanks!
Moral self-examination can lead to self-improvement
Journaling for self-improvement is nothing new. Daily reflection as moral self-examination goes all the back to ancient Greece and Rome. It was first described in a poem called The Golden Verses of Pythagoras, based on the doctrines of the famous sixth century BCE philosopher. The famous Stoic thinker Seneca wrote:
I make use of this privilege, and daily plead my cause before myself. When the lamp is taken out of my sight, and my wife, who knows my habit, has ceased to talk, I pass the whole day in review before myself, and repeat all that I have said and…
Great article! I enjoyed reading your personal reflections on emotional resiliency. Well done!
Time projection can be an easy way to use cognitive therapy at home.
I began practicing as a psychotherapist in the mid-1990s. I studied many different approaches. I used to train other therapists and became known as a psychological “techniques guy” because I was fascinated by the variety of psychological strategies and tactics we can learn.
You’ll find psychological techniques in books on psychotherapy, as well as in self-help books and even spiritual and philosophical classics. Each individual technique can be classified in different ways. For instance, is it broadly visual, meditative, cognitive, verbal, written, or behavioral in nature? Some are quite complex. …
What did Marcus Aurelius say about our reasons to be cheerful?
Live your whole life through free from all constraint and with utmost joy in your heart… — Meditations, 7.68
Many people assume that ancient Stoic philosophers such as the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius were a grave and joyless lot. However, that’s a misconception. In fact, the Historia Augusta tells us that, despite his “serious and dignified” bearing as emperor, Marcus was “without gloom” and known for his pleasant and genial nature.
We can actually see direct evidence of the warmth of Marcus’ affection for his friends. It truly shines forth in the private letters which survive between Marcus and his…
The Story of Demosthenes, Master of Oratory
In the fourth century BC, a giant was born among Athenian orators. When he spoke, it’s said his words struck listeners like the blazing thunderbolts of Zeus. And his name was… The Anus.
Or rather, as a youth, the other children called him this, Batalus in Greek, because of his speech impediment, as Batalus could also mean “The Stammerer”. His rivals continued to taunt him with that rude nickname for the rest of his life. However, there’s an inspirational story about how he overcame his vocal problems through the most rigorous, focused, and determined training. …
Contemplating love, loss, and mortality
If you are kissing your child or wife, say that it is a human being [a mortal] whom you are kissing, for thus when they die, you will not be disturbed. — Epictetus
This is of the most notorious passages in the ancient Stoic literature. It comes from the famous Encheiridion or Handbook (§ 3). Epictetus intended his advice to be taken literally, as basic psychological training for the students of Stoicism he was addressing.
He means that we should silently remind ourselves of the fact, when kissing our loved ones, that they are mortal. …
