Stoic Training · Part 2

Emotions

I am not my emotions. I choose my response.

Stoicism does not ask you to stop feeling. It asks you to stop being carried away. This training walks through five steps that turn an emotional wave into a moment of clarity and deliberate choice.

The training

1. Observe. An emotion is a wave. See it, acknowledge it, but don't get carried away by it.
2. Understand. Ask yourself: what is the cause? What can I control?
3. Separate. Separate facts from interpretations. The event is one thing; your judgment of it is another.
4. Choose consciously. You always have a choice. Respond with reason, not impulse.
5. Stay steady. Inner calm is strength. He who masters himself is truly free.

Mantra

Emotions come and go. Character remains. It is not weakness to feel. It is strength to choose.

Go deeper

• What is the dichotomy of control?
• Examine an emotion with the guide Epictetus

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