What Stoicism Is And Why You Need It In Your Life
Stoicism is an ancient school of philosophy that has transformed and due to that become very popular in our modern life.
A little bit of history
Back then Stoics took life as it is and focused on reducing negative emotions, maximizing the level of happiness. They tried to live a virtuous life, which for them consisted of wisdom, temperance, justice and courage. Now, although Stoicism has changed into something new, the main concepts remain the same.
Five key principals that reveal Stoic philosophy
Manage your expectations and judgments
Do not expect anything from anyone and never judge people, you do not know what a person is going through and why he or she is doing something that doesn’t fit in your mindset.
Be realistic what you can or cannot change
There’re things you can keep under control and there’re things that never will be, it’s important to understand and accept it.
Practice impartiality
Many good and bad things happen to us throughout our lives, if we learn to remain emotionally stable, we won’t end up having an existential crisis or a burn out.
Learn to determine your emotions and feelings
If you know what it is that you’re feeling right now, you can easily manage it.
Live in harmony with human nature
There’re no perfect people in this world and probably never will be. Simply because we all have different criteria for perfection. However, if you determine what perfection is specifically for you, it will help you to step by step become a perfect version of yourself.
What to do if you want to become more Stoic
- Make a habit to meditate.
- Think about things that can possibly go wrong today (it will subconsciously make you avoid them).
- Try to accept bad things and react less emotionally.
- Be more empathetic to others.
- Practice discipline by physical training.
- Accept the impermanence of things.
- Dedicate time to take care of yourself and relax.
Text by
Daria Smirnova