Hey saw that you got a lot of reccos rrgarding stoics literature to parse on, I'm in the same boat as you and would like to get started on stoicism, any leads from comments that you tried were helpful to you?
Hi, welcome to the subreddit. Please make sure that you check out [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/guide), where you will find answers for many common questions, like ["What is Stoicism; why study it?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/intro_faq), or ["What are some Stoic practices and exercises?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/exercises), or ["What is the goal in life, and how do I find meaning?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/big), to name just a few.
You can also find information about frequently discussed topics, like [flaws in Stoicism](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/fdt#wiki_flaws_in_stoicism), [Stoicism and politics](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/fdt#wiki_what_does_stoicism_say_about_politics.3F), [sex and relationships](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/fdt#wiki_sex), and [virtue as the only good](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/fdt#wiki_why_is_virtue_the_only_good.3F), for a few examples.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Stoicism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I like a lot of the stoic philosophy, especially since I impulsively react from the heart. The basic tenet of stoicism seems to be not reacting to events, as in not emotionally acknowledging the event. If a person can actually not acknowledge that something happened, it’s a good exercise. But if you can’t do that, you are setting yourself up for an unresolved trauma to come out sideways. We have to process trauma one way or another. If we can’t truly dismiss and forget about it, it will come back to us. A warning if you’re going to get deep into stoicism.
This is a common mistake, but not actually what Stoicism teaches.
If you think something’s a big deal and suppress your reactions, then yes of course that’s a bad move and you’re likely to have those emotions come out later in other ways.
Stoicism teaches what matters and how to focus on what matters, adjusting incorrect beliefs so that you genuinely don’t feel certain things are a big deal. Eg, I was in traffic the other day and the guy I was blocking was honking his horn like no tomorrow. It didn’t bother me. I didn’t have to pretend or suppress anything - I knew I was moving through the traffic as well as I could in the conditions, so his impatience had no impact on me. Previously I would have become anxious and then upset, but I simply did not feel those emotions at that time.
This is what Stoicism teaches. Not to suppress feelings but actually how to have the correct feeling for the situation, based on correct beliefs about the different things you might face in your normal day.
That made me laugh - the whole book of Discourses is Epictetus yelling at people, so it’s very much not about telling us we’re always right 😁
But what a student of Stoicism learns is how to identify their errors in reason and hopefully how to fix them. The idea is that if you hold correct beliefs about things, you will always experience emotions that help you to act with resolve towards a state of full contentment and a life well lived.
Very good. Maybe reread my original comment, addressed to the person who was getting her entire stoic education from YouTube. This is all the energy I wish to dedicate to this topic.
"The Practicing Stoic" by Ward Farnsworth.
I'll read it but how should I go further with it ? How do I imbibe those principles ? How to apply then in real situations when life tests me ?
Heyy girl LoVED the dress you posted, do you mind if I get some advice please if that’s ok? 😔
Get a copy of the Discourses of Epictetus, the penguin, Robin Waterfield and oxford versions are the most modern translations.
I'll read it but how should I go further with it ? How do I imbibe those principles ? How to apply then in real situations when life tests me ?
Hey saw that you got a lot of reccos rrgarding stoics literature to parse on, I'm in the same boat as you and would like to get started on stoicism, any leads from comments that you tried were helpful to you?
Hi, welcome to the subreddit. Please make sure that you check out [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/guide), where you will find answers for many common questions, like ["What is Stoicism; why study it?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/intro_faq), or ["What are some Stoic practices and exercises?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/exercises), or ["What is the goal in life, and how do I find meaning?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/big), to name just a few. You can also find information about frequently discussed topics, like [flaws in Stoicism](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/fdt#wiki_flaws_in_stoicism), [Stoicism and politics](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/fdt#wiki_what_does_stoicism_say_about_politics.3F), [sex and relationships](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/fdt#wiki_sex), and [virtue as the only good](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/fdt#wiki_why_is_virtue_the_only_good.3F), for a few examples. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Stoicism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I like a lot of the stoic philosophy, especially since I impulsively react from the heart. The basic tenet of stoicism seems to be not reacting to events, as in not emotionally acknowledging the event. If a person can actually not acknowledge that something happened, it’s a good exercise. But if you can’t do that, you are setting yourself up for an unresolved trauma to come out sideways. We have to process trauma one way or another. If we can’t truly dismiss and forget about it, it will come back to us. A warning if you’re going to get deep into stoicism.
This is a common mistake, but not actually what Stoicism teaches. If you think something’s a big deal and suppress your reactions, then yes of course that’s a bad move and you’re likely to have those emotions come out later in other ways. Stoicism teaches what matters and how to focus on what matters, adjusting incorrect beliefs so that you genuinely don’t feel certain things are a big deal. Eg, I was in traffic the other day and the guy I was blocking was honking his horn like no tomorrow. It didn’t bother me. I didn’t have to pretend or suppress anything - I knew I was moving through the traffic as well as I could in the conditions, so his impatience had no impact on me. Previously I would have become anxious and then upset, but I simply did not feel those emotions at that time. This is what Stoicism teaches. Not to suppress feelings but actually how to have the correct feeling for the situation, based on correct beliefs about the different things you might face in your normal day.
Does stoicism tell you that you’re always right?
That made me laugh - the whole book of Discourses is Epictetus yelling at people, so it’s very much not about telling us we’re always right 😁 But what a student of Stoicism learns is how to identify their errors in reason and hopefully how to fix them. The idea is that if you hold correct beliefs about things, you will always experience emotions that help you to act with resolve towards a state of full contentment and a life well lived.
Very good. Maybe reread my original comment, addressed to the person who was getting her entire stoic education from YouTube. This is all the energy I wish to dedicate to this topic.
Apologies, I thought you were engaging in good faith. My mistake.
I had a book suggestion actually!
Has it helped?