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stoic philosophy


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  • 7 months later...

Stoicism is helpful not only in Benzo Withdrawal but all facets of life.  I'm a big believer in its merits. i would love to see the article.

 

Thanks,

Blue Lion

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Sure thing Blue Lion. Thanks for your interest in something I wrote. You will know this stuff already but many others won't. They should teach in school like in France. It was part of a longer article including other foolosophies for helping mental health. Let me know if you want to read the rest.

 

Conflict resolution (Stoicism)

 

Stoicism goes back 2000 years to the time of Marcus Aurelius, the last 'good' Roman emperor. His teachings are particularly useful for many everyday situations.

 

 

We should start by accepting that we are surrounded by difficult people, so we need to take them for what they are instead of wishing they could behave differently. Our expectations will influence our emotions, so we should expect conflict and be mentally prepared for it.

 

That barsteward colleague giving us trouble will without doubt have his own problems with which he is failing to cope, and responding to hate with hate will only drag you down to their level. Just like external events, we cannot control what people say.

 

When somebody insults us, our reaction to the insult harms us more than the insult itself. A good way to deal with it is to recognize that it really does not matter. Let it go. We should not act impulsively but can just refuse to engage. The best revenge is no revenge at all. If we choose to respond to insults, we can use self-deprecating humour, or look at the offender with an expression of compassion.

 

Silence is a virtue, and we should refrain from talking too much, gossiping or judging others.  'Actions speak louder than words' is not only true, but can inspire those around us to behave better. Helping others, even those who hate us, is one of the greatest virtues, and we should not expect praise or anything  back in return.

 

The grass is always greener. We can live happily anywhere if we cut out the negatives. You need to 'count your blessings' and be grateful for what little you have. We must eliminate envy and realize that happiness lies within ourselves, not trying to achieve what others have already done. They could lose everything tomorrow  -  I know I did. Instead of comparing yourself to others, whose success you may covet, compare yourself to how you were last week and how much you may have improved since then.

 

Finally, we all have the choice to endure far more hardship than we think we can. It can only make us stronger.

 

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