<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p>---</p> <p>What ancient Greeks and Romans figured out about stress reduction.</p> <p>You may have heard about stoicism, in the common parlance, as having a stiff upper lip, sucking it up, grinning and bearing it, suppressing your emotions, etcetera. Or you may have heard of Stoicism, the ancient Greco/Roman philosophy, that has become the <em>de rigeur</em> set of life hacks among millennial self-optimizers. </p> <p>In this episode, guest <a href="https://www.nancysherman.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nancy Sherman</a> argues that Stoicism is way deeper than any of that. She will argue that, in fact, Stoicism is kind of the opposite of all the above. It's a way to truly know your patterns of thought and emotion. </p> <p>Nancy Sherman is a Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University. She is an expert in ethics, the history of moral philosophy, moral psychology, military ethics, and emotions. Her most recent book is called <em>Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience.</em></p> <p>This episode is a rebroadcast from 2021: it's one of our most-listened episodes, and we thought it might be particularly useful in this time of election-related stress. </p> <p>In this conversation, we:</p> <ul> <li>cover the basics of Stoicism, </li> <li>how and why capital "S" Stoicism is often misinterpreted, </li> <li>a meditation practice called "premeditation of evils," which is far more practical than it may sound, </li> <li>and another practice designed to make you feel "at home in the world".</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><em>Content Warning: There is a brief reference to suicide.</em></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/ryan-holiday" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ancient Strategies for Managing Stress & Anxiety | Ryan Holiday</a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3QtGRqJ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/kaira-jewel-lingo-390" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/nancy-sherman-rerun</a></p> <p><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Download the Happier app today: <a href="https://my.happierapp.com/link/download" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://my.happierapp.com/link/download</a></li> </ul> <p><br /></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Monitor Impulsive Impressions & Biases
Monitor your impulsive impressions and biases by practicing not assenting to them immediately; instead, press a ‘pause button’ to create space for slow, reflective thinking and change maladaptive interpretations.
2. Daily Reflection on Ego Bruises
At the end of the day, reflect on instances where your ego was bruised or emotions like anger or fear got the better of you, to temper expectations and let go of ‘sticky attachments’.
3. Pre-rehearse Worst-Case Scenarios
Practice ‘pre-rehearsal of evils’ or ‘fear setting’ by dwelling on and anticipating dreaded future outcomes to mentally prepare and cushion against being blindsided.
4. Practice Mental Reservation/Agility
Practice ‘mental reservation’ by adding ‘if’ or ‘unless’ clauses to your plans and intentions, anticipating that things might not work out as desired, to foster mental agility and adaptability.
5. Cultivate Social Support Networks
Cultivate strong friendships, family, and community attachments as essential social supports for resilience, recognizing that you cannot overcome everything alone.
6. Visualize Global Cosmic Connection
Practice ‘becoming at home in the world’ by visualizing concentric circles with yourself at the center, then using vivid imagination to bring people from the outermost circles closer to your center, fostering global connection and diminishing ego.
7. Focus on Striving, Not Outcomes
Reorient your focus from outcome optimization to the process of ‘doing’ and ‘striving,’ asking if you did your best and acted ethically, rather than solely dwelling on consequences.
8. Temper, Don’t Suppress Emotions
Temper your emotions rather than suppressing them entirely, recognizing that Stoicism is about understanding and managing feelings, not eliminating them.
Regularly perform ‘value checks’ to assess if you are investing in and valuing the right things, such as being a good person and contributing to a good community, rather than solely pursuing material gain or personal strength.
10. Challenge Invincibility Beliefs
Challenge beliefs of invincibility or anti-fragility, recognizing that everyone is vulnerable, and focus on dealing with vulnerability rather than striving for invulnerability.
11. Distance from Uncontrollable Outcomes
Practice distancing yourself from outcomes not within your control, such as health or the actions of others, to avoid over-investment and facilitate adjustment to unforeseen events.
12. Approach Warily, Avoid Clinging
Approach desired things and avoid undesirable ones with caution, but do not cling to outcomes so intensely that you cannot let go if circumstances change.
13. Change World Via Interpretations
Recognize that you interpret and interact with the world through your own ’lenses,’ and actively work to change those lenses if they are distorting reality or leading to mis-evaluations, thereby influencing the world around you.
14. Cultivate Lightness and Humor
Cultivate a sense of lightness and humor, even when facing difficult topics like mortality, to foster social bonds and avoid taking yourself too seriously.