Stoic Practices - The Tools You Can Use to Live a Better Life
In the previous article, I gave an introductory lesson into Stoic Philosophy. I covered some of the core principles that Philosophy teaches - the overarching values that a Stoic should pursue.
But now it’s time to get more practical. After all, Stoic Philosophy is nothing like modern-day philosophy. It’s meant to be useful in day-to-day life.
With that in mind, let’s run through some Stoic practices or exercises that you can use to help you engage with and defeat the challenges that life sends your way.
These are the tools in your toolbox. Let’s jump right in.
Tool #1 - Negative Visualisation
Negative Visualisation is a great place to start for several reasons. Firstly, it’s powerful and can have an immediate impact. And secondly, it’s simple which makes it easy to get started.
All you have to do is close your eyes and contemplate how your life could be worse. Think about all the things that could go wrong or could have already gone wrong. Think about what your life would be like and how you’d respond to these things.
Could you lose someone you love?
Could you lose your job?
Could you lose a limb or your eyesight?
What about the worst case scenario - could you not live to see tomorrow?
For many people, this exercise seems counterintuitive. After all, usually when people speak about visualisation, they tell you to do the opposite. They tell you to picture everything going right; the perfect job, the mansion, the beautiful woman. Negative visualisation is the opposite, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
Negative Visualisation is beneficial in two very important ways:
It reminds you that things could always be worse and makes you grateful for the things you have.
It prepares you for things going wrong.
Gratitude is incredible, but the second benefit shouldn’t be understated.
When you’ve visualised losing your job, it won’t be such a shock if and when it actually happens. You’ll be able to push past the emotional turmoil more quickly and start doing something productive. On top of that, you’ll probably have already thought about what you should do if that thing happens, so you don’t need to waste time looking for your next steps.
The Ancient Stoics loved negative visualisation so much that they took it all the way to the extremes.
One of the most famous Stoic lines, Memento Mori, translates to “Remember you must die.”
For many people, this is a morbid thing to think about but spending time contemplating your own death can be a powerful reminder to act while you still can.
You might have less time than you think.
“The diagnosis is terminal for all of us. A death sentence has been decreed. Each second, probability is eating away at the chances that we’ll be alive tomorrow; something is coming and you’ll never be able to stop it. Be ready for when that day comes.”
Tool #2 - Circles of Control
The Circles of Control are something that have been talked about for years in the self-help industry, namely in Stephen Covey’s famous book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
However, it seems they can be traced back thousands of years, all the way to the Ancient Stoics. The fact that it’s a consistent theme throughout history should be evidence enough for how important this Stoic practice is.
It’s a simple exercise - get into the habit of categorising everything into your life into 1 of 3 categories:
The things you can completely control
The things you have some influence over
The things you have no control over
Once you’ve built this habit, you should then practice putting most of your effort into the things you have complete control over. In contrast, aim to spend very little energy on the things you have zero control over.
You’ll probably be surprised how much happier you are in the long-term when you ignore the things that don’t give you agency.
Tool #3 - Voluntary Discomfort
Next up, the Stoics recommend deliberately putting yourself in uncomfortable situations so that you become familiar with the difficulty.
I think it’s especially powerful because it gives you the opportunity to practise staying in control of yourself even when under fire. Most of us have no difficulty being kind and patient when we’re comfortable and content. It becomes an entirely different story when enduring hardship.
Because of that, voluntary discomfort provides a predictable training ground for self-mastery.
And remember - when you’re pushing through that discomfort, DO NOT complain. Complaining makes you weak in the eyes of both yourself and the people around you.
“Everything that happens is either endurable or not. If it’s endurable, then endure it. Stop complaining.”
In case you’re in need of some inspiration, here are a few ideas for ways you can make yourself voluntarily uncomfortable:
Physical training (weightlifting, running, cycling, martial arts, etc.)
Cold/heat exposure (cold showers, sauna, no aircon, etc.)
Fasting (e.g no food for 48 hours)
Abstaining from the good shit (no sex, video games, music, junk food, TV, etc.)
Tool #4 - Modelling
Finally, the Stoics recommend modelling other people to point yourself in the right direction.
It doesn’t have to be complicated - just pick somebody you look up to, admire, or aspire to be more like. They could be somebody in your life, somebody famous, or even a fictional character - one of my personal favourites is Ragar Lothbrok from the Vikings TV series.
If you have trouble thinking of someone, go back to your values. Is there anyone out there who exemplifies your most important values?
Once you have somebody in mind, get into the habit of asking yourself how they would act in given situations. What advice would they give you?
Aim to get to the point where you do it habitually throughout the day, and whenever you’re in uncomfortable situations.
Of course, this Stoic practice is only powerful if you actually follow it. If you ask what your person would do and come up with an answer, you need to listen. You need to act.
There we go. Start using these Ancient Stoic practices in your life as often as possible. Even a few weeks of them could be enough to see substantial changes in your life.
If four is too many, start with Negative Visualisation and practise that until it feels normal. Then you can add the rest 1-by-1.
So, what are you waiting for?