How Stoicism could help you Sail through Life
By Shelley Murphy
When I first got into my ‘self-help’ era, and started reading different books, there was one book I always avoided: The Daily Stoic. For some reason, I had this preconceived idea that Stoicism was some sort of ‘I am man so I am best’ kind of philosophy and that it was just an ancient concept that I didn't need to know. But when I actually looked into it, I realized that I was completely wrong – Stoicism is a philosophy that is prevalent in today’s society and can be leveraged to maximize all sorts of positive benefits into your life.
Stoicism is defined as ‘A school of philosophy that […] maximizes positive emotions, reduces negative emotions and helps individuals to hone their virtues of character.’ So what does this mean to the modern day stressed student, bombarded with the negative effects of media and growing up in perhaps in an Irish society, that seeks to maximize negative emotions like shame and guilt?
It means that, by application of this philosophy in our daily lives, we can reclaim control of our emotions- maybe even as an alternative (or indeed supplement) to what we know as emotional self-regulation in therapy.
The main belief of stoicism is that our wealth, status, power, possession and stature are neither good nor bad; that basically put, we are all equals and can maximize our positive emotions to live a happy and mindful life. It is a taxonomy of virtue, whereby it holds a magnifying glass up to wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation.
This is all explained in depth in the book but in a simpler manner: The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art of Living. It essentially translates ancient wisdom into modern day understanding, so we, just as Seneca and Epictetus did, can maximize the positivity in our lives.
I am a big fan of positive psychology, and I am always searching for new ways to engage with it. The Daily Stoic offers an achievable proposal - one reading a day, or more if you like. Each reading is a little less than a page, and it is a great way to start your day. For journal lovers, it is a brilliant prompt, or just quotes to live by when you fall into difficult circumstances, or are feeling down.
One issue I feel is very prevalent for students right now is perfectionism and procrastination. Students punish themselves when they haven't finished everything on their to-do list, and completely give up when we run out of time to achieve what we need to. To this I answer with the reading of September 19th - entitled ‘The Flexibility of the Will.’ The reading - included in the ‘Fortitude and Resilience’ section of the book - can be best paraphrased as follows: Conditions change. New facts come in. Circumstances arise. If you simply proceed onward, unable to adjust, you are no better than a robot. The point is not to have an iron will, but an adaptable will.
So, if you are struggling with keeping up with the rollercoaster of life itself - maybe look at stoicism. It will magnify your strengths and weaknesses, and how you can leverage them to feel amazing.
