Stoava / Guides / Stoic exercises: seven practices
Stoic exercises: seven practices
The Stoics treated philosophy as training, not theory. Their writings contain a set of short exercises, and each one can be tried in a few minutes.
The seven practices
- The dichotomy of control. List what is up to you and what is not, and put your effort in the first list (Epictetus, Enchiridion 1).
- Examining impressions. When a harsh thought arrives, do not accept it at once. Ask whether it is a fact or a judgment, the discipline Epictetus calls testing your impressions.
- Premeditation of adversity. Think through a setback in advance and decide what you would do. Seneca recommends meeting misfortune in thought before it arrives.
- The view from above. Picture your situation from high above the earth to restore proportion. Marcus Aurelius uses this view.
- The evening review. Ask what you did well, what you did badly and what you will change. Seneca describes Sextius doing this each night (On Anger 3.36).
- Voluntary discomfort. Practise doing without a small comfort so that losing it holds less fear (Seneca, Letters 18).
- Remembering death. Keep in mind that life is short, so that you use today well (Epictetus, Enchiridion 21).
“Let death and exile, and all other things which appear terrible, be daily before your eyes, but death chiefly; and you will never entertain an abject thought, nor too eagerly covet anything.”
Epictetus, Enchiridion 21 (Elizabeth Carter translation)
Which one first?
If you only start one, start the evening review. It takes five minutes, needs no equipment and teaches you what the other six are for.
A note on safety
The mental exercises are safe for most people. Never push the physical ones into anything that risks your health. If thinking about death or loss feels overwhelming, skip those exercises and talk to a doctor or counsellor.
Put it into practice
Describe what you are carrying and receive a reflection from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca or Epictetus, applied to your situation. Three free consultations a day. Members get up to 30 a day, an Oracle that remembers, and a weekly pattern note.
Ask the OracleFrequently asked questions
Which Stoic exercise should I start with?
The evening review is the easiest and most useful first step. Five minutes a day is enough.
Are these exercises safe?
The mental ones are safe for most people. Keep any physical discomfort mild, and stop if anything affects your health.
Is premeditation of adversity the same as worrying?
No. It is short, deliberate and ends with a plan, whereas worry loops without resolving.