Stoic practice · 5–7 min

Working With Pain

Examine discomfort by sensation, place, time, and chosen response.

Use when: pain, illness, physical discomfort, limitation

How the practice works

1. Notice the intensity How strong is the discomfort right now?
2. Examine each lens Move through each lens. Select the ones you have considered.
3. Notice the intensity Rate the sensation again—not as a test, only as an observation.
4. Record what you notice What did you notice about the sensation and the judgment around it?

“The pain which is intolerable carries us off; but that which lasts a long time is tolerable.”

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.33