EMBRACING DISCOMFORT Stoics believed that discomfort is inevitable, so it is wiser to prepare for it than to fear it. Prepare rather than Despair Voluntary Discomfort (Askesis): SENECA, recommended setting aside days to live on rationed food, wear rough clothing, and sleep on the ground. Will help you build up resilience for a sense of lack, build self-reliance and reduce the fear of losing comforts. Negative Visualization (Premeditatio Malorum): This means visualizing wor

How the Stoics perceived what we can and cannot control in our lives

Stoics have 2500 years of strategies for mastering our emotions. EPICTETUS (c. 50–135 CE) Epictetus, a former slave who became a teacher, emphasized the distinction between what is within our control and what is not. He taught that our judgments about events, rather than the events themselves, determine our emotional responses. Sound familiar - yep...it's CBT. How we can learn to see and challenge our negative belief systems. SENECA (c. 4 BCE–65 CE) Seneca, a Roman statesman