How to Adopt a Stoic View for the Modern World

If you ever feel overwhelmed, or it seems that you can’t handle things coming at you in life, looking at the landscape with a stoic view may provide you some relief. This ancient philosophy is more than just a description for a quiet person, it’s a mindset that deals with viewing the realism of life on a large scale.

Awhile back, we did an article on Stoicism that provided some help on how you can “roll with the punches” when confronted with issues. Particularly with what’s happened in the last couple years, it’s more important than ever to be able to put things into perspective and understand that you can only control your reaction to things; not the things themselves. Now don’t go thinking that having a stoic view removes emotions or just means that you don’t care. It’s very much the opposite and simply means that you take stock of what you can and can’t control; making a decision from that point.

To Journal or Not to Journal?

One of the best ways to start thinking differently is to begin to journal. Whether it’s weekly, daily or just when a big event happens to you, it’s beneficial to put things down on paper and periodically review them. This can help you identify the real issues vs. the knee jerk emotional responses you might be tempted to default to. In most cases, things that seemed like a huge deal will be much smaller with some time in between and is why reviewing your past entries can help you better understand and plan reactions to future events.

Even if you don’t plan on taking a stoic view, it’s worth doing some reading on, especially the writings of the historic Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. You’ll find words and phrases written thousands of years ago that can feel extremely applicable to your daily life.

If you’re interested in more, check out our full article on the Benefits of Stoicism.