Practices
Objectification
Strip the story off a thing and describe only what is literally there.
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Stoic Practices
Thirty guided exercises for bringing Stoic philosophy into one real moment.
Built from public-domain primary texts. No modern author or book is used as an authority.
Practices
Cognitive Distancing
Separate the event from the judgment added to it.
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Depreciation by Analysis
Break the overwhelming whole into the exact piece present now.
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The Dichotomy of Control
Sort what is yours from what no choice can command.
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The Reserve Clause
Act wholeheartedly while leaving the result to circumstance.
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Working With Pain
Examine discomfort by sensation, place, time, and chosen response.
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Facing a Fear
Stay with one everyday feared scene and watch the rating change.
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Anger: The Ten Gifts
Run Marcus’s ten reminders before or after anger—not while obeying it.
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Postponement / Time-Out
Let the involuntary first flash pass before you act.
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Premeditation of Adversity
Rehearse a plausible setback and the virtue you will bring to it.
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Contemplating Virtue
Name the resource of character this hardship asks you to use.
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The Inner Citadel
Return to the judgment and intention that remain yours anywhere.
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Functional Analysis of a Habit
Compare the immediate pull of a habit with the roads it opens.
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Catch the Urge
Catch an urge early, wait, and choose a substitute.
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The Choice of Hercules
Picture the easy road and the demanding road before choosing.
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Gratitude by Imagined Loss
See what is present as something entrusted, not guaranteed.
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Pleasure vs. Joy
Turn from chasing a sensation toward choosing a worthy action.
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The View From Above
Widen space and time, then return with one deliberate action.
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Memento Mori
Face mortality plainly and let finite time clarify attention.
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Contemplating Impermanence
Picture the current of time and loosen your grip on what passes.
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Grief: Loving the Mortal
Allow the natural grief without adding a verdict against reality.
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Indifference to Reputation
Release the demand to govern another person’s opinion.
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Morning Meditation
Meet the coming day before it carries you away.
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Evening Meditation
Retrace the day honestly, then set it down.
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Contemplating the Sage
Rehearse the conduct of someone whose character you admire.
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Values Clarification
Compare what you desire with the qualities you admire.
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Journaling like the Meditations
Write as your own exacting, humane mentor.
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Making All People Your Teachers
Remove the sting from criticism and examine what is useful.
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Welcoming Your Fate
Begin from what is and ask what worthy action it invites.
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Imagining the Sage Observes You
Borrow the attention of a wise observer for one honest check-in.
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