Stoicism

[+Sherapy]

15 minutes ago, Crazy Horse said:

Ones journey HOME.

CH, this response does little to clarify what it is that you are advancing.

‘What is ones journey home?

[+Sherapy]

32 minutes ago, Cookie Monster said:

Karma is very real but doesn`t work the way many think.

You need to start by setting out a list of behaviours which are constructive to you in your life. A good moral compass, doing what is right, professionalism, helping people, being compassionate. Basically, putting aside that religion is religion you can get a good list of such behaviours from it. Make that list the pattern of your own actual behaviour in life.

As you try to keep yourself focused on your pattern, you will encounter many circumstances (mostly with people) that try to drag you away from it. It is absolute key that you must not get sucked away from your pattern of behaviour. Or you set a new one where undesirable behaviours are included.

Set your pattern up, maintain it, stick to it like your life depended on it.

Now, the magical voodoo. I dont know what is actually going on, I dont know if I have the best way of explaining it, but I will give an example. I went on a diet (a pattern of behaviour) which I absolutely stuck too for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks I ordered a pig out session from a takeaway. They sent the wrong order. 

Now, I have many examples which I could spend hours listing, but the key is once you get the affect and get it with all the other patterns you set too, you realise it is not a coincidence. Patterns that you set, that you firmly engrain into reality, the universe tries to keep going when you try to stop. Its like a weird kind of inertia or momentum. In the example I gave it stopped me breaking my diet (the universe trying to keep the pattern going) by sending me food I didn`t want to eat.

Set your pattern up, engrain it into reality through repetition, do not let yourself get sucked out of it, and the universe will try to keep it going for you. The challenges to your pattern which arise will start disappearing. If thats an annoying person (as an example) events will conspire to remove them from your environment.

It sounds like being consistent is something you are exploring and have not yet worked it out. 
 

All the best.
 

 

 

[Wistman]

Get a copy of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations.  I keep mine close to my bed, and read a couple at night before I go to sleep, a tiny volume.  Each meditation is very short, mostly just a few lines, little Stoic wisdoms, that he composed as a journal while on campaign.  Learning to control your passions, to see things clearly as they are, to adjust your perspective away from perpetual desires, articulated beautifully by this extraordinary man.  Self mastery, moral strength, duty to oneself and to others, detachment, and acceptance of the will of God(s) and the way of Nature - in Stoicism these are the modalities that will lead to a happy life.

[Crazy Horse]

51 minutes ago, Crazy Horse said:

."Always look on the Brightside of life, dee da, dee da dee da dee da.."

And so I can only assume, that Stoism is a part of the British culture.

 

GOD Bless YOU.

Everybody.

 

 

 

[+Sherapy]

57 minutes ago, Crazy Horse said:

 

GOD Bless YOU.

Everybody.

 

 

 

All the best to you too, CH.

[Crazy Horse]

2 hours ago, Sherapy said:

CH, this response does little to clarify what it is that you are advancing.

‘What is ones journey home?

So...

I am advancing, nothing.

I Just want to love.

 

 

[+Sherapy]

7 minutes ago, Crazy Horse said:

So...

I am advancing, nothing.

I Just want to love.

 

 

No, I didn’t get that you just “want to love” from your post.

Thank you for clarifying and “being” vulnerable.  

CH, what a wonderful and beautiful intrinsic goal you have set for yourself. 
 

I wish you every success and know you will find the love you seek. You are looking in the right direction too which is within your own self.

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Sherapy

[Tatetopa]

15 hours ago, Sherapy said:

Complaining a lot may be providing one with a way to release stress or trauma it can give one a way to work through something, or an opportunity to expel accumulated negativity. I don’t see complaint as always a bad thing. It can lead to new approaches. It depends on many things.

Good point by Sherapy., it helps with internal processing. That is a pretty good use.

I can suggest another reason for complaint. It is a method of securing community support or assistance.  We have some inbuilt sense of fairness.  If a community member complains, other members assess that complaint.  If a wrong has been done, something others deem unfair, some redress might be made.  An injustice by another community member might be corrected.  An unusual amount of ill fortune might garner enough empathy from community members to offer aid.  In addition to internal processing, complaint can be useful in some situations where others can render aid or change the situation.   We evolve with community and that sense of fairness, it becomes  part of our view of the larger universe.

In situations where no help can be provided by the community, external complaint doesn't do much good. I am not a believer in karma or GOD as an arbiter of universal fairness or justice. Right action on my part should be done because I feel it is right, not because I expect a reward to pop out of the scales of justice.  I don't  believe the universe is inimical either.  Sometimes I suffer random or unexpected misfortune.  If I think of it as a punishment for my own actions, putting myself in the center of creation,  I might find it unjust.    Circumstances are not always personal or a punishment, justice is not always an applicable principle.  It is one less burden if I don't have to contend with guilt or a feeling of mistreatment in every situation of unpleasantness or misfortune.  Less to process, quicker to leave behind. 

Seems like karma or no karma, God or no God, people can  find a number of beneficial ways to live their internal lives. What works for me is not tailored to your needs.  Best of luck @Guyver in your growth.

 

 

 

 

[+Sherapy]

1 hour ago, Tatetopa said:

Good point by Sherapy., it helps with internal processing. That is a pretty good use.

I can suggest another reason for complaint. It is a method of securing community support or assistance.  We have some inbuilt sense of fairness.  If a community member complains, other members assess that complaint.  If a wrong has been done, something others deem unfair, some redress might be made.  An injustice by another community member might be corrected.  An unusual amount of ill fortune might garner enough empathy from community members to offer aid.  In addition to internal processing, complaint can be useful in some situations where others can render aid or change the situation.   We evolve with community and that sense of fairness, it becomes  part of our view of the larger universe.

In situations where no help can be provided by the community, external complaint doesn't do much good. I am not a believer in karma or GOD as an arbiter of universal fairness or justice. Right action on my part should be done because I feel it is right, not because I expect a reward to pop out of the scales of justice.  I don't  believe the universe is inimical either.  Sometimes I suffer random or unexpected misfortune.  If I think of it as a punishment for my own actions, putting myself in the center of creation,  I might find it unjust.    Circumstances are not always personal or a punishment, justice is not always an applicable principle.  It is one less burden if I don't have to contend with guilt or a feeling of mistreatment in every situation of unpleasantness or misfortune.  Less to process, quicker to leave behind. 

Seems like karma or no karma, God or no God, people can  find a number of beneficial ways to live their internal lives. What works for me is not tailored to your needs.  Best of luck @Guyver in your growth.

 

 

 

 

Excellent add too. I have expanded my understanding even more on complaint and its  value.

Thank you for taking the time to share.

[XenoFish]

18 hours ago, Guyver said:

is Stoicism an intentional practice based on faith, or is it a purely secular notion based on pride and the notion of “dying a good death?”  In other words, is it secular or religious?

Stoicism mostly revolves around self mastery. You are only in control of yourself, not the external world. Basically you can't make people do what you want, change the weather, etc. It isn't about being cold and apathetic. Mostly it comes down to taking this As Is. 

https://dailystoic.com/what-is-stoicism-a-definition-3-stoic-exercises-to-get-you-started/

Edited December 4, 2021 by XenoFish

[jmccr8]

25 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

Stoicism mostly revolves around self mastery. You are only in control of yourself, not the external world. Basically you can't make people do what you want, change the weather, etc. It isn't about being cold and apathetic. Mostly it comes down to taking this As Is. 

https://dailystoic.com/what-is-stoicism-a-definition-3-stoic-exercises-to-get-you-started/

Hi Xeno

Good to see you back.

[Mr Walker]

23 hours ago, Guyver said:

Greetings!  I would like to know your thoughts on Stoicism, and I admit I am ignorant on the subject and how deep it actually goes, or whether it currently be practiced.  I do believe my Grandmother practiced it, as have many devout Catholics, but of course it goes back to the Greeks, yet the Romans (especially the Roman Elite) at least some, how many IDK.  
 

I think some people just do it by instinct, but I don’t really know.  So, my understanding of Stoicism is that it is the practice of enduring hardship without complaining, at its most basic meaning….so, by definition.  It seems that in the culture I was raised in people make a habit of doing the opposite.  I’ve heard so many people, especially some old people just complaining about everything all the time.  In my mind, that doesn’t seem like the best way to go.  What good does complaining about a thing do?  It doesn’t change it whether you praise it or curse it as I see it.  
 

Anyway, my question is…..is Stoicism an intentional practice based on faith, or is it a purely secular notion based on pride and the notion of “dying a good death?”  In other words, is it secular or religious?

Interesting that i listened to a short  interview on this a couple of days ago on the ABC  (Australia) with a modern American advocate 

There are many elements and forms to stoicism One is the concept  of not worrying about things you can't change but putting all your efforts into those you can.  Thus one should not endure pain if one can prevent it, but where it is unpreventable, one can learn  means (mental skills  and disciplines)  to lessen or eliminate it 

The answer to your last question is that, like so many human constructs, it can be both/either.

A secular humanist can apply it, as can a dedicated believer 

 

[Mr Walker]

22 hours ago, Guyver said:

Question.  Let’s say you’re a Stoic and you are trying to take a nap on a Saturday afternoon, but there’s so much continual traffic noice coming by your place it keeps you awake and you can’t enjoy a nap.  Do you curse those people driving by, or do you just brush it off as if nothing and make yourself some tea (in my case coffee) and go about your merry way as if nothing had ever happened and forget about it, or do you feel privileged because you had the chance to suffer, even if on what must be considered a very low level. ?  Let’s face it missing a nap is not like getting your leg chopped off.

You take an action to change your circumstances, or you change your pov /mindset 

eg you realise  you cant get any peace, so you find another productive use for your time, and rest when its quiet, OR you see the noise as (for example)  a positive celebration of life You embrace it, stop getting annoyed, and fall off to sleep ( Because its   not the noise keeping you awke. it is your frustration AT the noise. ) If its actually so loud and disruptive that you physically can't sleep then take an action to reduce it, like soundproofing your house (or buying some  good earplugs) because it will happen   regularly    

[Mr Walker]

14 hours ago, eight bits said:

This is interesting. Ancient stoicism was pretty much assimilated (to use the Borg term) into ancient Christianity. It still pokes out from under the Christian covers sometimes (the Serenity prayer is 120 proof Stoic, and responsive to 3ye's observation that most other modern uses of stoic ideas and language accentuate the negative ... in contrast the Prayer is the very model of seeking psychological equilibrium, which is more in line with actual ancient stoic writing).

Now comes Sherapy, who's articulating a mindfulness perspective being applied to a nuisance which flesh is heir to. That makes me wonder, how stoicism would have evolved and developed over two millennia had it remained independent of (even adversarial against) organized Christianity. I think evolving stoics would have discovered and embraced  what we today classify as mindfulness exercises (or whatever the right word is for applied mindfulness).

And that may be the answer to what the OP is seeking.  Not so much the "museum piece" stoic writings, but the modern ideas that resonate with it ... that might have been it had it survived as a living model of a path to living the best life possible.

I know this seems a bit crazy (even for me), but if somebody wanted to find out about a hypothetical modern stoicism, I suggest Tom Wolfe's novel, A Man in Full. There are many strands to that novel, but one of those strands is about a modern ordinary person discovering Epictetus while in prison. Ironically, in light of your post, one reason why the character is receptive to Epictetus is that he has trouble sleeping with all the nighttime commotion he hears from his prison bunk.

Indeed mindfulness is one of the steps within modern stoic practice and theory Until you are mindful you cant recognise and identify triggers, or do anything to eliminate or circumvent them.   

 

quote

’ The advice Marcus Aurelius gives himself will resonate with the Buddhist practitioner:

‘Every hour focus your mind attentively…on the performance of the task in hand, with dignity, human sympathy, benevolence and freedom, and leave aside all other thoughts. You will achieve this, if you perform each action as if it were your last…’ [2.5].

In this context, it is not surprising that, within Stoicism, something strongly akin to ‘mindfulness’ holds a central place. Epictetus, the ex-slave whose teachings survive in four volumes (the Discourses) and a condensed Handbook (Encheiridion), calls it prosoche, which can be translated as ‘attention’ [Discourses 4.12]. He reminds his students that prosoche is essential for living an ethical life, and that even less obviously important acts, such as singing or playing, can be done with prosoche. Indeed, its applications are unlimited. ‘Is there any part of life,’ he says, ‘to which prosoche does not extend?’ Maintaining prosoche is a vital part of Stoicism:

 

https://modernstoicism.com/features-the-philosophy-of-stoic-mindfulness-by-patrick-ussher/

 

quote

The famous Daoist scripture Dao de Jing said that the wise man is “cautious like someone crossing a wintry stream”. Epictetus likewise says in the Encheiridion that just as someone walks very cautiously when he has to take care not to step on a sharp object or sprain his foot, the Stoic is always mindful, in his every act, not to harm the ruling faculty of his own mind by lapsing into folly or vice. Epictetus’ own Stoic teacher, Musonius Rufus, likewise said very bluntly that we should never relax our attention because “to let one’s mind go lax is, in effect, to lose it” (Sayings, 52). To abandon mindfulness is, in a sense, to become mindless.

https://medium.com/stoicism-philosophy-as-a-way-of-life/stoic-mindfulness-a0622669705b

As secular humanist children we were taught  two basic precepts relevant to this,  from  infancy.

First, mindfulness  in every moment; and second, concentration on the things you have control  over , without concern/  worry/  waste of energy  for those you cannot control

[+Sherapy]

12 hours ago, Mr Walker said:

Indeed mindfulness is one of the steps within modern stoic practice and theory Until you are mindful you cant recognise and identify triggers, or do anything to eliminate or circumvent them.   

 

quote

’ The advice Marcus Aurelius gives himself will resonate with the Buddhist practitioner:

‘Every hour focus your mind attentively…on the performance of the task in hand, with dignity, human sympathy, benevolence and freedom, and leave aside all other thoughts. You will achieve this, if you perform each action as if it were your last…’ [2.5].

In this context, it is not surprising that, within Stoicism, something strongly akin to ‘mindfulness’ holds a central place. Epictetus, the ex-slave whose teachings survive in four volumes (the Discourses) and a condensed Handbook (Encheiridion), calls it prosoche, which can be translated as ‘attention’ [Discourses 4.12]. He reminds his students that prosoche is essential for living an ethical life, and that even less obviously important acts, such as singing or playing, can be done with prosoche. Indeed, its applications are unlimited. ‘Is there any part of life,’ he says, ‘to which prosoche does not extend?’ Maintaining prosoche is a vital part of Stoicism:

 

https://modernstoicism.com/features-the-philosophy-of-stoic-mindfulness-by-patrick-ussher/

 

quote

The famous Daoist scripture Dao de Jing said that the wise man is “cautious like someone crossing a wintry stream”. Epictetus likewise says in the Encheiridion that just as someone walks very cautiously when he has to take care not to step on a sharp object or sprain his foot, the Stoic is always mindful, in his every act, not to harm the ruling faculty of his own mind by lapsing into folly or vice. Epictetus’ own Stoic teacher, Musonius Rufus, likewise said very bluntly that we should never relax our attention because “to let one’s mind go lax is, in effect, to lose it” (Sayings, 52). To abandon mindfulness is, in a sense, to become mindless.

https://medium.com/stoicism-philosophy-as-a-way-of-life/stoic-mindfulness-a0622669705b

As secular humanist children we were taught  two basic precepts relevant to this,  from  infancy.

(2) First, mindfulness  in every moment; and second, concentration on the things you have control  over , without concern/  worry/  waste of energy  for those you cannot control

This is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy’s domain, triggers whether they are emotional, mental or physical do not “need’ mindfulness to be able to recognize them, let alone deal with them (even a person with little emotional quotient will to some degree try and manage their triggers) regardless, whether the outcome is good or bad. A good thing to remember and understand is that everyone finds a way to cope (just some ways are more health focused and geared towards well being then others). CBT is a specific approach which uses the brains neuroplasticity to loosen the grip of mindsets and conditioning and habitual patterns of thinking that are troublesome. 
 

Mindfulness as a lifestyle nurtures compassion, kindness and empathy as tools towards human connection and towards ourselves. The thing is with consistent practice one will observe for themselves within their own lives whether it is serving them and others or not and then they will go from there. 

Using Guyv’ s example undergirded by mindfulness one would honor their experience whatever that is in the present moment in other words observe what is actually happening on all levels, and navigate from there. One wouldn’t elicit the same pat solution for every single experience they have. Ones approach to any given experience is dependent on many many things, this becomes apparent in a mindfulness approach.

 

(2) This sounds like paying attention or (prosoche) is more typical of paying attention in a general sense meaning it is geared towards a specific set of behaviors and outcomes is the Stoic application and already pointed out by 8bits this sounds like the Christian expression adopted it too, but it isn’t mindfulness as advanced by MBT even though mindfulness uses focused attention as a tool too. My hunch is that paying attention has been an important element to teaching and learning things across the span of humanity. 

In the following excerpt, according to Epictetus’ teachings, in Discourses 4.12 (“On Attention”). , he outlines what a practicing Stoic “should’ pay attention to:

“To what things should I pay attention, then?
In the first place to those general principles that you should always have at hand, so as not to go to sleep, or get up, or drink or eat, or converse with others, without them, namely, that no one is master over another person’s choice, and that it is in choice alone that our good and evil lie. …
And next, we must remember who we are, and what name we bear, and strive to direct our appropriate actions according to the demands of our social relationships, remembering what is the proper time to sing, the proper time to play, and in whose company, and what will be out of place, and how we may make sure that our companions don’t despise us, and that we don’t despise ourselves; when we should joke, and whom we should laugh at, and to what end we should associate with others, and with whom, and finally, how we should preserve our proper character when doing so.”

The subtle distinction IMHO between prosoche and mindfulness is that one is a way of doing, where as mindfulness includes a way of being too.
 

. 

 

Edited December 5, 2021 by Sherapy

[quiXilver]

Stoicism and Zen share many similarities and commonalities

[+Sherapy]

12 hours ago, Mr Walker said:

You take an action to change your circumstances, or you change your pov /mindset 

eg you realise  you cant get any peace, so you find another productive use for your time, and rest when its quiet, OR you see the noise as (for example)  a positive celebration of life You embrace it, stop getting annoyed, and fall off to sleep ( Because its   not the noise keeping you awke. it is your frustration AT the noise. ) If its actually so loud and disruptive that you physically can't sleep then take an action to reduce it, like soundproofing your house (or buying some  good earplugs) because it will happen   regularly    

An add too; cultivating mindfulness provides one with the ability to live in the present, by paying attention or giving ones full attention to the (situation/issue/circumstance) so one can than act with awareness (which means ones efforts are not geared towards blocking out any aspect of an experience but accepting it as is and going from there). Mindfulness also involves non-judgment (which is a way of paying attention to ones thoughts/ feelings with the attitude of an impartial witness) without believing them or taking them personally, one doesn’t act on their judgements, not that they don’t have them  this is the actual meaning of non judgement in mindfulness. The minds base nature includes an ability to judge, be scattered, to be all over the place, it entertains itself with endless narratives of past and future. It believes its thought constructs and in doing so this can lend to a lot of suffering. The point is to get to know how the human mind and being operates on every level and go from there, Or formally, one observes the observer or creates space ( objectivity) between oneself and ones thoughts. Not to be confused with denying or ignoring anything, or assigning a new narrative, there is a gradual letting go of a need for anything to manifest in a desired way and just accept what unfolds and work from there this doesn’t mean one eliminates desire either it means one acknowledges things as they are in the current moment, goes from there. 
 

 

A mindfulness approach is a practice that has excellent support for improving the function of some areas of the brain too: the anterior cingulate cortex this is the part of the brain that deals self perception, regulation of attention, emotions, impulses, cognitive flexibility; (an ability to change problem solving strategies as needed). The hippocampus: the area of the brain that is associated with resilience and the corpus callosum the area that links to interoception ( the bodies ability to sense itself from the Inside) emotional, and non verbal responses. This and more can all easily be found with a Google search. 
 

All the best.
 

 

 

 

[+Sherapy]

50 minutes ago, quiXilver said:

Stoicism and Zen share many similarities and commonalities

How so? Interested in your thoughts. 

Edited December 5, 2021 by Sherapy

[+Sherapy]

On 12/4/2021 at 8:27 AM, Crazy Horse said:

."Always look on the Brightside of life, dee da, dee da dee da dee da.."

And so I can only assume, that Stoism is a part of the British culture.

“Looking to the bright side” is a quick inexpensive fix used to reduce anxiety, religious belief can be and is used much in the same way. It is called Cognitive Reappraisal. Indicating limited resources: ones time, no money, availability, maybe no medical insurance, maybe innocent ignorance  etc etc. yet a person needs to cope, it is certainly better than suppression, it turns down anxiety temporarily but it is like a dog chasing its tail it doesn’t address the root causes of the anxiety. This is not to dismiss CR as useful in a pinch at times, but as a coping style there are much better. IMHO

 

Mindfulness Based Stress Management Therapy is an excellent tool for getting to the root of anxiety one will literally get to the bottom of the anxiety once and for all. 
 

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2014.00175/full

Edited December 5, 2021 by Sherapy

[Mr Walker]

12 hours ago, Sherapy said:

An add too; cultivating mindfulness provides one with the ability to live in the present, by paying attention or giving ones full attention to the (situation/issue/circumstance) so one can than act with awareness (which means ones efforts are not geared towards blocking out any aspect of an experience but accepting it as is and going from there). Mindfulness also involves non-judgment (which is a way of paying attention to ones thoughts/ feelings with the attitude of an impartial witness) without believing them or taking them personally, one doesn’t act on their judgements, not that they don’t have them  this is the actual meaning of non judgement in mindfulness. The minds base nature includes an ability to judge, be scattered, to be all over the place, it entertains itself with endless narratives of past and future. It believes its thought constructs and in doing so this can lend to a lot of suffering. The point is to get to know how the human mind and being operates on every level and go from there, Or formally, one observes the observer or creates space ( objectivity) between oneself and ones thoughts. Not to be confused with denying or ignoring anything, or assigning a new narrative, there is a gradual letting go of a need for anything to manifest in a desired way and just accept what unfolds and work from there this doesn’t mean one eliminates desire either it means one acknowledges things as they are in the current moment, goes from there. 
 

 

A mindfulness approach is a practice that has excellent support for improving the function of some areas of the brain too: the anterior cingulate cortex this is the part of the brain that deals self perception, regulation of attention, emotions, impulses, cognitive flexibility; (an ability to change problem solving strategies as needed). The hippocampus: the area of the brain that is associated with resilience and the corpus callosum the area that links to interoception ( the bodies ability to sense itself from the Inside) emotional, and non verbal responses. This and more can all easily be found with a Google search. 
 

All the best.
 

 

 

 

True These are mental  disciplines and skills which should be taught to every infant and child, but rarely are, because there is no one around with the skills to teach them. 

while we live "in the present,"  this involves using knowledge  and skills learned in the past, plus looking to the future to see the effect of today's thoughts and actions on one's future.

One does need to judge critically the different effects of one's thoughts and deeds and to choose wisely from  among many possible  thoughts and behaviours, in anyone instant of time

This does not involve judging self or behaviours morally ,  but using logic to judge  practical outcomes  

eg you have had enough to drink to impair your driving.

You need to use past knowledge and experience to make a wise choice.

  You also need to look into the future to see different probabilities flowing  from  different choices, before you  choose 

If you are "in the moment",  and "mindful", you will be doing this constantly, not JUST living in, and experiencing, that moment of time. 

[Mr Walker]

12 hours ago, Sherapy said:

“Looking to the bright side” is a quick inexpensive fix used to reduce anxiety, religious belief can be and is used much in the same way. It is called Cognitive Reappraisal. Indicating limited resources: ones time, no money, availability, maybe no medical insurance, maybe innocent ignorance  etc etc. yet a person needs to cope, it is certainly better than suppression, it turns down anxiety temporarily but it is like a dog chasing its tail it doesn’t address the root causes of the anxiety. This is not to dismiss CR as useful in a pinch at times, but as a coping style there are much better. IMHO

 

Mindfulness Based Stress Management Therapy is an excellent tool for getting to the root of anxiety one will literally get to the bottom of the anxiety once and for all. 
 

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2014.00175/full

A stoic would take action to eliminate  the causes of anxiety, and/ or to appreciate that one does not have to be anxious over something you have no control over

Eg you are diagnosed with cancer.

Rather than be anxious (which serves no purpose, and may make your health worse)  do all you can to have it 'fixed, " and simultaneously  accept it's presence but don.t worry about it.     This requires  an adjustment  of mind/attitude,  which is hard to learn, but easy to practice, once learned 

[+Sherapy]

16 hours ago, Mr Walker said:

A stoic would take action to eliminate  the causes of anxiety, and/ or to appreciate that one does not have to be anxious over something you have no control over

Eg you are diagnosed with cancer.

Rather than be anxious (which serves no purpose, and may make your health worse)  do all you can to have it 'fixed, " and simultaneously  accept it's presence but don.t worry about it.     This requires  an adjustment  of mind/attitude,  which is hard to learn, but easy to practice, once learned 

I offer what medical science offered to me when I started on my caregiving journey. I share with the disclaimer take it or leave it.
 

In the mindfulness approach, one would be spring boarding off the perspective (conditioning) that human beings that are practicing some measure of self care are wired to have some capacity to cope and handle life’s stressors ( anxieties), they also can handle experiencing the emotions that come with the rough times and do. The brain  and body and emotions are amazing. Secondly a healthy body or ones best under the circumstances is an asset, it buffers stress by making one resilient and the more one faces their hardships and scary moments and honors the accompanying emotions resilience only grows. exercise benefits stress by reducing the over all impact of stress it does this by producing neurotransmitters. Another fact for you is having good sleep hygiene is a great tool during high stress situations. It is common sense after a good nights sleep one wakes up fresh. Eating healthy, being hydrated are all part of stress mgt. Also knowing when to ask for help is imperative too, meaning if one comes up against something that is to much they seek help. 

 

Chronic stress is where one runs the risk of harming their own health due to ineffective coping skills and lack of application of the tools, one can see the signs, for example: when professionals assess for a family members ability to cope with the stress in a situation where they are the primary caregiver 24/7 and they are noticeably overweight, they are not exercising at all, not sleeping 8 hours plus a night, have existing health issues, are using some form of distraction such as hoarding, drugs, alcohol abuse, online gambling, easily scared, easily frightened, deeply in debt all of the sudden, can’t face reality as it presents itself, can’t handle anything negative, can’t stay consistent, can’t focus to stay consistent, they seem to be lost in some kind of alternate reality to escape or are missing as much as they can be from the patient (who is left to fend for themself) have no way to be reached, have very little to no affection or love or empathy being extended to them by those that are around, I know I will be caregiving and teaching caregiving skills to the whole house and this includes the pets. I have a very stressed dog on one of my jobs as I post. @eight bitsif you have any suggestions for my furry friend much gratitude in advance.

 

With the greatest respect, I would throw the Stoic anxiety advice in the trash and use medical science.

 

All that is required is consistency and application of the tools, of course, how hard or how easy is dependent on practice, and consistency the brain and body do most of the work. 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by Sherapy

[jmccr8]

16 hours ago, Mr Walker said:

eg you have had enough to drink to impair your driving.

Hi Walker

I only once decided to not drink and drive and that has lasted for decades, I don't have to make that choice every time if I have a drink, if I have 1 drink I don't drive

Edited December 6, 2021 by jmccr8

[+Sherapy]

16 minutes ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Walker

I only once decided to not drink and drive and that has lasted for decades, I don't have to make that choice every time if I have a drink, if I have 1 drink I don't drive

Exactly. That is what I did too. 
 

Other options: Call an uber, bring a designated driver, walk home, crawl home

 

I have seen a few crawlers in my lifetime .

Edited December 6, 2021 by Sherapy

[jmccr8]

1 minute ago, Sherapy said:

Exactly.

Hi Sherapy

If a person continuously has to make the same choice then they have not made a commitment