The basic question for the Stoics is: How does someone live a good life? They have a practical orientation, they choose frugality and virtue, which they consider the aim of life. Stoicism and CBT interpret emotions as being mainly due to our beliefs and patterns of thinking. Some stoic techniques are: Stoic mindfulness, retrospective evening meditation, the view from above.

What matters is virtue, and virtue consists in living according with the of divinely ordered universe.

Studying Philosophy for the stoics is a matter of learning to give an overall shape and purpose to your life and of using your understanding to enlighten all aspects of your actions, attitudes, and relationships. To give a life an overall structure and a sense of priorities in line with the Stoic view of happiness. This will affect our system of beliefs, our emotions, personal relationships, and activities.

Therefore, stoics are serene and confident in the force of anything you can throw at them, Wolf ‘98

They achieve that by living according to Nature, Reason and Soul.

Emotions – When emotions dominates you, you did not plan your disappointment and failures: you see or hear something and all of a sudden you go on autopilot and end up saying, thinking and doing the worst things.

Relationships – It does not have to be all about you – when you are able to empathize with other people and see yourself in other people. A direct consequence of the control over your emotions and your own perception of the reality. “great biographies of people who have hit the peak only to fall from grace often involves scenes where they let their emotions take over.”[1]

Rational decisions – Impulsive decisions often lead to a worse situation. You can lose a job on an impulse without rationality. Stoicism helps you to build a reason-based decision attitude – you consciously choose your values and make decisions on that.

Your place in the world – helps to overcome greediness.

Overcoming procrastination – stoicism enables you to live in the present and appreciate your power in the present moment. Since it re-canters your mind to your ability to focus and devote your physical, mental and psychological resources to what’s in front of you, it trains you to procrastinate less. It trains you to take care of what can be taken care of right here, right now.[2]

Do not be a victim of social pressure – Unhappiness often is due to the feeling that we are not pleasing other people and this is linked also to the resentment against the people that we must please. Stoicism opens the way to a life lived for yourself and obtain respect from the others.

Prioritize – Think more efficiently as you learn to live in the present, looking at what you are focusing on. By doing this you will get more done with less effort.

Honesty – Be honest with yourself. This is based on fundamental rule: focus on the things you can control . When you are delusional, nothing will happens according to you. So, you are looking at reality, you look at the foundations of your life. You can only build on what you really are and not on a fantasised story you tell yourself.

Resilience –

Thinking – feeling – acting

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[1] Mayor, Nicholas. Practical Stoicism: 10 Practical Steps to Embrace Ancient Stoic Philosophy in Today’s Modern World & Design a Life of Wisdom, Perseverance and Joy! (p. 12). Kindle Edition.

[2] ibidem