Achieving a Stoic Mind

It is easy to hate life, to be careless, to decide to be sad, to feel regretful and uneasy, and essentially to blame life for being unfair. It takes balls however, to decide to change it for the better.

“Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions; it is governed by our mental attitude.”

The truth is that it all comes down to your mental state of mind. Anything can actually be fixed simply by changing the way we perceive the world. Recently I’ve realized that I’m getting easily irritated. I often question myself: is there something wrong with me? There are times during the day where I feel extremely cold, and other times were I feel extremely hot. I struggle to decide which I hate more, the feeling of my bones absolutely shivering from the unwavering cold, or the feeling of suffocating with burning heat running inside my body.

I have lately stumbled across the Stoic mindset, which is a philosophy on the importance of perception in relation to one’s well-being. Sometimes, we think we have it, but learning it ensures us that knowing of it is not enough. That is why, I have decided to change my life around, and take action, simply by practicing the stoic approach to life.

Usually, when people talk to us about being positive, we want to tell them to shut the hell up, and be more realistic. However, since Marcus Aurelius is not here, we don’t have the chance to shut him up, but rather, we have the great opportunity of practicing his ways.

The stoic mentality tells you this:

Responsibility over blame

This happened often, losing my mind over little things, and for a long time I struggled to accept my situation for what it is. I soon realized how easily I could fix the issue. That is when I had to look to see what is in my control, and what is not. The solution was in deciding to take action, to take care of my surroundings, as they are what keep my mind at peace. To organize my surroundings, is to organize my place of thought.

It may not all be my fault, but the wrong is in the way I react, in my response to the situation in it of itself.

In accepting this, you are free of worry, your emotions are valid, and you are human.