Stoicism: How to Make Your Emotions Stronger Than Stone

Today's culture teaches us the importance of mental toughness, emotional resilience, and overall grit. The ability to persevere in the midst of challenging circumstances can mean the difference between a person being successful in life and living a life full of pain and struggle. Regardless of how t [...]
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Today's culture teaches us the importance of mental toughness, emotional resilience, and overall grit. The ability to persevere in the midst of challenging circumstances can mean the difference between a person being successful in life and living a life full of pain and struggle. Regardless of how talented, intelligent, socially well-adjusted and capable someone is, he or she is powerless without having honed the ability to endure hardship and adversity. No one knows more about how to achieve these strengths than the Stoics of Ancient Greece and Rome. In fact, cognitive behavioral therapy - thought to be the most effective way to treat emotional and mental disorders - is based on the beliefs of Stoicism. Psychotherapy is above all a philosophical pursuit rooted in traditions both ancient and modern. It uses rational thought exercises to overcome emotionally overwhelming situations. The same logical thought processes used in cognitive behavioral therapy to treat debilitating mental conditions can be used to fortify your emotions on a day to day basis. Most people are held down by the passionate emotions that rule their lives, and they allow these emotions to dictate their behavior. When you rely on emotions such as anger, lust, and envy to hold the reins of your decision making, you create an endless cycle of insatiable desire which leads you down a path of dissatisfaction and emptiness. The truth is that the thing which is distressing you when you feel emotional or physical pain and discomfort is your perception of that pain rather than the external occurrence itself. By applying this truth to everyday life, you can free yourself from whatever cycle of pain you find yourself in at any point. Many people have adopted the preconception that Stoics are like robots devoid of emotion. The word "Stoic," which literally means a person who is capable of enduring hardship and pain without complaint or retaliation, seems to have a serious and suppressive connotation that is decidedly not fun. However, Stoicism means much more than just the ability to "grin and bear it." On the contrary, Stoics have found access to boundless joy which is largely unavailable to most of the population. The ways of Stoicism offer a freedom of spirit that opens the door to a life of peace and eternal happiness. If "eternal happiness" sounds familiar, that's because there are many religions which operate on the same core tenets of Stoicism. The practices of mindfulness and renouncing desire are seen in both Stoicism and Buddhism. The value of vigilance, discipline, and contemplation are all demonstrated by the teachings of Stoicism and are also found in the ancient teachings of Christianity. The advent of Buddhism occurred a couple of hundred years prior, and thousands of miles from the birthplace of Stoicism, but Christianity has strong roots in the philosophy. Many Stoic ideals are kept alive in the Christian teachings of our time. By learning the values of Stoicism and practicing them in your daily life, you can teach yourself to strengthen your emotional fortitude so that you can take on any challenge you may find yourself facing in life. Even great losses contain lessons within them. By practicing the virtues and coping methods of the Stoic philosophy, you will become skilled in seeing and benefiting from those lessons rather than allowing loss and adversity to consume you.