Stoic Mindfulness and Resilience Training

Preliminary Introduction & Overview

NB
:Thisdocumentcontainsaroughcopyoftheonlinelessonforconvenience,sothatitcanbeeasilyread
offlineonmobiledevices,etc.Itmayomitsomecontent,suchashyperlinks,imagesoraudiovideofiles,which
youwillhavetodownloadfromthecoursewebpage.Ifyourereadingthisafterthecoursehasfinished,youwill
notbeabletoparticipateindiscussions,orsubmitthequestionnaires,etc.However,youshouldstillbeableto
benefitfromthecontentsjustignoreanypartsthatrelatetoactivitiesthatarenolongeravailable.Audiofileswill
bemadeavailablefordownloadalongwiththisdocument,sothatyoucanusetheexercisestheycontain.

StoicMindfulnessandResilienceTrainingbytheStoicismTodayteamislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttributionNonCommercialNoDerivatives4.0
InternationalLicense.

Introduction
WelcometoStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining!

Thisshortonlinelessonwillprovideyourintroductiontotherestofthecourse.Youshouldmakesureyou
completeitbeforetheofficialstartdateshownonthemaincoursepage.

Thislessoncanbereadatanytimepriortothestartofthetrainingproper,asitdoesntrequireyoutoundertake
anypracticalexercisesatthisstage.Itcontainssomeinformationtoexplainthecourseandyourroleasa
participant.

Italsocontainslinkstofouronlinequestionnaireforms,whichit'sessentialyoucompletebeforebeginningWeek
Oneofthecourse.

Makeastartnow,andreadthecontentsverycarefully.Trytoprepareyourselfmentallyandphysicallyforthe
fourweeksahead.Beginmakingarrangementssothatyouwillbeabletofollowthecoursethroughtocompletion
andapplythecontentsconsistentlytoyourdailylife.Weaskthatyougive100%andreallyputyourheartand
soulintotheprocess,andinreturnwepromisethatwe'lldoourbesttohelpandsupportyou.

About the Course

Thiscourseispartofalargerprogrammeofresearchcarriedoutbythe"StoicismToday"groupresponsiblefor
theStoicWeekevent.WeareamultidisciplinaryteamofpsychologistsandacademicsledbyChristopherGill,
former(recentlyretired)ProfessorofAncientThoughtatExeterUniversity.Over2,400peoplearoundtheworld
tookpartinStoicWeek2013butthiscourseisintendedtobesmallerinscaleandmorefocused.Youcanfind
outmoreaboutStoicWeekandthepeopleinvolvedattheExeterStoicismTodayblog.

OurpreviousStoicWeek2013Handbookcontainedasevendayprogramoftraining,whichcoveredadifferent
aspectofStoicpracticeeachday.Thiscoursewasdesignedtobemorefocusedingreaterdepthonasmall
handfulofcoreStoicpractices,andtoallowmoretimeforparticipantstotestthemoutindailylife.Soitsnot
intendedasanoverviewofStoicphilosophyorStoicpsychologicalpracticesbutratheranexperimenttotestthe
effectivenessofsomecentralStoicconceptsandtechniques.Thiswasoneofthemainthingspeopleaskedusto
developfollowingonfromStoicWeek2013andotherevents.


We'vechosentofocusonaspectsofStoicism,whichare:

RecognizableasbeingcentraltoancientStoicism
Fairlysimpletolearnandapplytomodernlife,withinthetimeavailable
AgoodfoundationforlearningmoreaboutStoictheoryandpractice
UsablewithoutadetailedpreliminaryknowledgeofStoichistoryorphilosophy
Wehopeyou'llfindthiscourseinterestingandvaluable,butitwilltakesomethoughtandcommitmenton
yourpart,toapplythepracticestoyourownlife.

(ThiscoursewasdevelopedbyDonaldRobertson,withhelpandsupportfromsomeofotherStoicismTodayteam
members.)

What is Stoicism?
StoicismisanancientGraecoRomanphilosophy.ItwasfoundedinAthensbyZenoofCitiumaround301BC.
Thenamecomesfromthepaintedporch(
stoapoikil)
wherehelecturedhisstudents.Stoicismlaterbecame
verypopularinancientRome,whereitcontinuedtoflourishafterthedisappearanceoftheoriginalGreekschool.
LessthanonepercentoftheoriginalliteratureofStoicismnowsurvives,though.Themostsignificantancient
sourceswehaveavailabletodayare:

1. ThemanyLettersandDialoguesoftheRomanstatesmanSeneca,whowasapracticisingStoic,and
advisortotheEmperorNero.
2. FourlengthycollectionsofDiscoursesandoneconciseHandbookofsayingscompiledfromthelecturesof
theRomanslaveEpictetusbyhisstudentArrianEpictetusistheonlyStoicteacherwhoseworksurvives
inanysignificantquantity.
3. TheprivateStoicjournal,theMeditations,oftheRomanEmperorMarcusAurelius,thelastfamousStoic
weknowabout,andfollowedtheteachingsofEpictetus.

TheStoicGoalofLife
Stoicismisacomplexphilosophyinsomerespectsanditsbeyondthescopeofthistrainingtogointoitinmuch
detail.However,thecentralteachingwassummedupfairlyconcisely.Stoicismteachesthatthegoaloflifeis
livinginagreementwithNature.TheStoicstookthattomean,notretreatingtoaquietlifeinthecountryside,but
ratherlivinginaccordwithvirtueorexcellingasahumanbeing.Livinginagreementwithourownnaturemeans
flourishingandfulfillingourpotential,bycultivatingreasonandtherebyachievingstrengthofcharacterand
practicalwisdom.Theoutcomeofouractions,whetherweachieveexternalsuccessorfailure,istherefore
lessimportantthanthenatureofourowncharacter.

TheStoicConceptofVirtue
Theconceptof"virtue"(aret)isabsolutelycentraltoStoicismbutit'simportanttorealisethismeanssomething
quitedifferentfromwhatmanypeopletodaymighttakethewordtoimply.VirtueintheStoicsensedenotes
somethingmorelike"excelling"andflourishingasahumanbeing,byfulfillingone'struepotential.Itimplies
havingwhatwesometimestodaycall"positivequalities"or"strengths"ofcharacter.Theclassic"cardinalvirtues"
ofStoicismwerewisdom,justice,courage,andselfdiscipline.Wisdom,particularlypracticalwisdom,wasthe
mostimportant.Indeed,thewordphilosophymeans"loveofwisdom"andtheStoicstookthatquiteliterally.We
don'tassumetodaythatvirtueissynonymouswithwisdom,soit'sworthbearingthisinmindwhenreadingabout
Stoicismtoavoidconfusion.

Learning More about Stoicism

Thisisn'tacourseonthehistoryortheoryofStoicphilosophyorageneralintroductiontothesubject.Itassumes
nopriorknowledgebutitfocusesonaspecifichandfulofkeyStoicpractices.Youdon'tneedtoknowanything
elseaboutStoicismtotakepart.However,itwillprobablyhelpifyoudowanttofindoutmore.

OneofthemostcommonmisconceptionsaboutStoicismisthatitrequiresustobecompletelyunemotional.
That'snotreallywhattheStoicsmeant,butrathertheovercomingofirrational,unhealthy,orexcessivefearsand
desires,etc.Infact,MarcusAureliuswentsofarastodescribethegoalofStoicismasbeing"freefromirrational
passionsandyetfulloflove"ornatural(philanthropic)affectionfortherestofmankind.Althoughit'snotessential,
doingsomeadditionalreadingaboutStoicismmayhelpyoutobetterunderstandtheirphilosophyandpractices
andtogetmorebenefitoutofthistraining.

Therearemanygoodbooksavailable.Wedencourageyoutobeginwithamodernintroductionandthenread
someoftheclassictextsthemselves.

The
StoicWeek2013Handbook
providesamoredetailsintroductiontoStoicpractice.
BookslikeWilliamIrvines
AGuidetotheGoodLife
ormyown
TeachYourself:StoicismandtheArtof
Happiness
areintendedtobeeasytoreadintroductionstoStoictheoryandpracticefornonacademics.
ThemostpopularStoictextthatsurvivesfromancienttimesisthe
Meditations
ofMarcusAurelius,soyou
maywanttoreadthatbeforelookingatotherancientsources.
The
Handbook
ofEpictetusisalsoagoodstartingpoint,asitprovidesaconcisesummaryofthekey
sayingsofafamousStoicteacher.

Ifyou'reabletodoso,we'dlikeyoutopostaquickreviewofyourfavouritebookonStoicismtotheDiscussion
Forum,assoonasyougetachance.Itdoesn'tneedtobelongerthanacoupleofparagraphs.

Poem

TheOldStoic
RichesIholdinlightesteem,
AndloveIlaughtoscorn,
Andlustoffamewasbutadream
Thatvanishedwiththemorn.

AndifIpray,theonlyprayer
Thatmovesmylipsforme
Is,LeavetheheartthatnowIbear,
Andgivemeliberty!

Yes,asmyswiftdaysneartheirgoal,
TisallthatIimplore
Inlifeanddeath,achainlesssoul,
Withcouragetoendure.

FromPoemsofSolitudebyEmilyBront

Course Goals
Whendoingacourse,it'simportanttobeclearfromtheoutsethowthegoalsarebeingdefined.

Youroverallgoalinthisfourweektrainingprogramistolearntolivemoreconsistentlyinaccordwith
traditionalStoicvalues,orwithvirtueandpracticalwisdom,andtoevaluatetheresultsforyourqualityof
life.Themostimportantaspectofthiswillbetrainingyourselftoconsistentlyplacemoreimportanceon
yourowncharacterandactionsthanuponexternalevents.You'llalsobetrainingyourselftocultivate
mindfulnesssothatyouavoidgoingalongwithanythoughts,actions,orfeelings,thatmayinterferewith
thatgoal.

Ifyou'reunclearaboutanythingorhaveanyquestionsaboutthecoursegoals,feelfreetocontactyourcourse
facilitator.

TheaspectofStoicpracticewevechosentofocusuponistheadvicetodistinguishcarefullybetweenwhatisup
tousandwhatisnot,inanygivensituation,particularlywhendistressingemotionsarise.Thisisthefoundational
StoicpracticedescribedintheopeningsentencesofEpictetusfamousHandbook(Enchiridion)anditsthe
dominantthemethatrecursthroughouthisDiscourses.Sotheresnodoubtthatitsacentralfeatureofancient
StoicismandsomethingmostpeoplewouldrecogniseascharacteristicofthesurvivingStoicliterature.Epictetus
consistentlyrecommendsthisasastartingpointtonovicestudentsofStoicismanditcanbeseenasthebasisof
moreadvancedpractices.Itsalsoaverysimpleandversatilewayofcopingwithsituationsandonethatmodern
studentsofStoicismreportfindingbeneficialandeasytoputintopractice.Sowedlikeyoutoreflectonwaysthat
youcanexpandonthisbasicstrategyandgainmorebenefitfromitoverthenextfourweeks.

FocusingonlivingwithvirtuemightseemlikeadifferentthingfrommindfulnesstobeginwithbutfortheStoics
theywereintimatelyconnected.ThecentralpremiseofStoicismisthatvirtueistheonlytruegood,themost
importantthinginlife.Whenweviewitthiswaywenaturallycometopaymoreattentiontoourowncharacterand
actions,whichtakeplaceinthepresentmoment.

Overview of Course Contents

CourseSections(Weeks)
TheStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraininglastsfourweeksandisthereforedividedintofourcorresponding
sectionsorchapters.Youshouldreadeachsectioninfullatthestartofthecorrespondingweek,i.e.,onthe
Monday,andthenapplytheconceptsandtechniquesthroughoutthefollowingweek.

1. OrientationandPreparation.ThissectionislooselybasedontheStoicapproachtoancientPhysicsor
naturalphilosophy,andencouragesyoutobecomemoremindfulofthepresentmomentandtoview
yourexperiencesobjectively,fromadetachedscientificperspective,asawayoflivingmorein
agreementwiththenatureoftheworld.
2. StoicVirtues.ThissectionislooselybasedonStoicEthics,andtheimportanceofactinginaccordwith
certainvaluesorvirtues.
3. StoicMindfulness.ThissectiondealswithsubjectsrelatedtoStoicLogic,andtheoryofknowledge,and
involveslearningtoliveinharmonywithreasonbysuspendingvaluejudgementswhentheyariseand
viewingautomaticimpressionswithgreaterpsychologicaldistance.
4. StoicResilience.Thischapterfocusesonwaystomaintainyourwellbeinginthelongtermbyanticipating
futureadversityandpotentialsetbacksandpreparingyourselftocopewiththemresiliently.

Eachsectioncontainsseveralmajorcomponents.Wevesummarisedthembelowsothatyoucaneasilyseethe
progressionfromoneweektothenext,undereachheading.

SpecificDailyExercises
Duringeachweek,therewillbeoneshortmeditationexercisethatyouwillpracticeforatleastafewminuteseach
day:

1. MindfulnessofthePresentMoment.Thisexerciseisdesignedtohelpyougroundyourawarenessinthe
hereandnowandviewyourexperiencesfromadetachedandobjectiveperspective,astheancient
Stoicsdescribed.
2. ContemplationoftheGood.Thisexercisewillhelpyouconnectwithyourfundamentalvaluesby
contemplatingthenatureofvirtue,intheStoicsense.Youwillalsoprepareforthedayaheadbyplanning
howyoucanactmoreconsistentlywithyourcorevaluesinlife.
3. CognitiveDistancing.Thisexerciseisdesignedtoimproveyourabilitytonoticeautomaticthoughts
(impressions)andletgoofthem,ratherthangoingalongwiththem,andbeingsweptawaybyunhealthy
feelingsordesires.
4. RapidFrequentMindfulness.Thisexercisediffersfromtheothersinthatitsintendedtobepracticed
repeatedlyandfrequentlythroughouttheday,applyingyourskillsacrossawiderangeofdifferent
situationsandactivities.ThisisdesignedtohelpyoumaintainamoregeneralStoicattitudetowardlife
andbuildlongertermemotionalresilience.

ContinualSelfMonitoring
Throughouteachweek,therewillalsobeadifferentformofselfmonitoringorselfassessment,whichyouwill
completeeachday:

1. Keepingatallyofunhealthyemotionsanddesires.Youregoingtobeginselfmonitoringsimplyby
keepingatallyorcountofhowfrequentlyyoufindyourselfdoingthingsyoudliketostop,suchasdwelling
onunhealthythoughts,feelings,ordesires,etc.
2. Ratingconsistencyofactionswithvalues.Settinggoalsandratingconsistencywithvalues(Stoicvirtues)
attheendofeachdayisapowerfulwayofremainingconnectedwithasenseofvalueandpurposeinlife,
aswellasidentifyingareasforimprovement.
3. Worrypostponement.Youregoingtonowkeeparecordoftheamountoftimeyouspendruminating
aboutthingsbeyondyourcontrol,andtrytoreducethedurationoftheseepisodes,bypostponingthinking
aboutthemuntillater.
4. BlueprintforStoicresilience.Inthefinalweek,youregoingtodevelopablueprintorcopingplanfor
maintainingyourresilienceinthefuture,andreviewthiseachdaytomakesureyoureabletofollowit
satisfactorily.

AudioRecordings
Finally,tohelpyourpractice,we'vedesignedfourshortMP3recordings,oneofwhichyouwilllistentoeachday
throughoutthecourse:

1. RehearsalofStoicAttitudes(15min.).Thisrecordingcontainssomesimplerelaxationfollowedbyascript
describingbasicStoicvaluesandattitudes,whichyoushouldcontemplateandmentallyrehearseeach
day.
2. MorningMeditation(4min.).Thisshortrecordingencouragesyoutoprepareforthedayaheadby
planningactionsandgoalsconsistentwithyourcorevalues,andpreparingtoacceptsetbackswithStoic
equanimity.

3. EveningMeditation(6min.).Thisrecordingwillencourageyoutoreflectattheendofeachdayonyour
actionsandtoconsiderhowtheyserveyourfundamentalvalues,orthevirtuesyouseektocultivate.
4. MindfulnessandPremeditationofAdversity(15min.).Thisrecordingencouragesyouto
mentallyrehearsecopingwithanupsettingsituation,usingmindfulnessandyourStoicprinciplesto
prepareinadvanceforarangeofanticipatedchallengesinlife.

Group Discussions & Social Media

Wealsowanttohelpparticipantstofeelmoredeeplyengagedwiththetrainingbyencouragingyoutotakepartin
discussionsasanonlinecommunity,usingforumsontheelearningsiteandsocialnetworks,ifpossible.We
believethatyoullbeabletobenefitbycollaboratingwithandsupportingeachotheronline,andlearningfrom
otherpeoplesexperiences.

Youcanreceiveupdatesandgetintouchwithotherstudentsusingsocialnetworkingasfollows:

JoinourGoogle+Stoicismcommunityandturnonthenotifications(amount:more).
Followour@StoicWeekTwitteraccount,andswitchonmobilenotifications.

Ifyouchoosetodoso,youcanreceivenotificationsofannouncementsandgroupactivityviayourmobiledevice,
whichcanhelpactasareminderofyourcommitmenttoStoicpractice,throughouttheday.

Indeed,theancientStoicschoolwasitselfacommunityoflikemindedstudentsofphilosophy,andthissocial
dimensioncanbeapowerfulaspectoftraining.Talkingtootherscanhelpgenerateinsights,overcomeproblems,
andboostyourconfidenceormotivationiftheyareflagging.Sopleasedoyourbesttocontributeyourown
thoughtstothediscussionforumasregularlyaspossible,andtocommentsupportivelyandconstructivelyon
otherpeople'spoststhere.

Herearesomeexamplesofthesortofquestionswe'dlikeyoutoreflectinguponanddiscussintheforum:

1. Whatdoyouthinkwouldbetheprosandconsoflivingalifeinwhichyoutakevirtueorexcellenceof
charactertobetheonlythingthat'sintrinsicallygood?
2. Whatis"virtue"intheancientsensemeaningexcellenceofcharacter?Whatdoyouthinkmakesaperson
exceptional?Whatqualitiesdefinesomeone'scharacterastrulygoodorbad?
3. Whatarethebenefitsofrecallingwhat'sunderyourcontrolandwhatisn'tindifficultsituations?Howdo
youdistinguishbetweenthingsunderyourcontrolandthingsnot?AretheStoicsrighttosaythatonlyour
ownactions,inanutshell,aretrulyunderourcontrol?
4. Whatwouldbetheconsequencesofcontinuallyremembering,whenstartingtofeeldistressedabouta
situationorevent,thatit'snotthingsthatupsetusbutourjudgementsaboutthings?

Attheendofthisintroduction,you'llbeaskedtobrieflyintroduceyourselftothecoursefacilitatorandother
studentsviathediscussionforum.Startthinkingnowaboutanyinitialquestionsyoumaywanttoask,though.

The Research Project

Thefirsttimethiscourserunswe'llbecollectingdatafromallparticipantsforthepurposesofresearchonStoic
practice.Byenrollingonthecourse,therefore,yougrantuspermissiontocollectandanalyseyourdataandyou
agreetoprovideavalidemailcontactaddressandyourrealname.Wealsorequireyoutouseyourrealname

becauseit'sbetterforcollaborationwithotherstudentsifpeoplearen'tusingpseudonyms.Wewanttocreatea
safeandtransparentatmosphereforonlinelearningandpeersupport.

It'sessentialthatyoucompleteallfourquestionnairesbeforebeginningWeekOneofthecourse.You'llbeableto
dothatusingembeddedformsonthenextfewpages.

It'salsoextremelyimportantthatyoucompletethesameformsafteryou'vefinishedthecourse.Weneedyour
dataevenifyoudonotmanagetocompletethecourse.Everyonewhohasenrolledshouldthereforecomplete
twosetsofquestionnaires,beforeandafterthecourse.

We'reverygratefulforthetimeyoutakeincompletingtheseforms.You'llbehelpingotherpeoplebydoingit.
We'vealsofoundthatmanyparticipantsinthepasthavetoldustheyfoundtheformsinterestingandhelpfultodo,
especiallytheStoicAttitudesandBehavioursscale,whichwillalsogiveyouakindofrapidoverviewofcertain
aspectsofStoictheoryandpractice.

You'llreceiveemailconfirmationsautomaticallywhenyoucompleteeachonlineform,containinginformationon
yourscores.Soit'sessentialthatyouprovideavalidemailaddress.Checkyouremailwithinafewhours.Ifyou
haven'treceivedaconfirmationthencheckit'snotbeenblockedbyyourspamfilter.(Addour
modernstoicism.comdomainandtheemailaddressesusedtoyouremailclient's"safesender"list,ifpossible.)
It'salsoessentialthatyouuseexactlythesameemailandnameineveryformyoucomplete,includingtheonesat
theendofthecourse.Otherwise,wecan'tmatchupyourscoresforanalysis.

Completing the Questionnaires

Itsabsolutelyessentialthatyoucompleteallofthemeasuresprovided,beforeandafterthetraining,ifyouwishto
takepart.Thepercentageofpeoplewhocompletetheformsattheendofthestudycanhaveanimpactonthe
validityofthestatisticalconclusionsdrawn.Themorethebetter,basically.Soevenifyoudofindyourself
strugglingtocompletethetraining,itsstillextremelyimportantthatyoucompletetheendofstudyquestionnaires.
Wellcontacteveryonewhotakesparttoremindthemtodotheseformsagainwhenthetimescomes.

Pleasecompletethefirstsetofquestionnairesbeforeproceedingitshouldonlytakeabouttenminutes.Theres
onelongscale,theStoicAttitudesandBehaviorsScale(SABS),whichpeopleoftenfindveryinterestingto
completeasitcontainsasummaryofmanyStoic(ornotablynonStoic)attitudesandbehaviours.Soitgives
someinsightintothenatureofStoictheoryandpractice.Theotherthreescalesareverybriefandwereusing
themmainlybecausetheyallowustomakecomparisonswithothertypesofresearch.Clickoneachlinkbelowin
turntoopentheforminanewbrowserwindow.Pleaseremembertouseexactlythesamenameandemail
addressforallquestionnairesandtoclick"submit"whenyou'veenteredyourresponses.Youshouldreceivean
emailconfirmingyourresponsesforeachform,withinthenextweek.Thiswillalsoincludesomeinterestingnotes
onyourscoresandcomparisonswithpreviousstudentaveragesfortheSABS.

1. StoicAttitudesandBehavioursScale(SABS).Thisscalewasdevelopedbyourresearchteamandhas
gonethroughvariousrevisions.Theitemshavebeencheckedwithacademicsfortheirrelevanceto
Stoicismandrevisedbasedonfeedbackfromhundredsofpreviousparticipants.
2. TheFlourishingScale(FS).Thisbriefscaleprovidesameasureofgeneralpsychologicalwellbeing,such
asyoursenseofhavingameaningfullife.
3. ScaleofPositiveandNegativeExperiences(SPANE).Thisbriefscalemeasurearangeofdifferent
emotions,likejoy,contentment,anger,sadness,etc.

4. SatisfactionwithLifeScale(SWLS).Thisisanotherbriefscale,designedtomeasureyouroveralllevelof
contentmentwithlife.

Thankyouverymuchfortakingthetimetodothis!Justpress"continue"againwhenyou'vefinished...

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Yourresponsibilityandcommitmentasaparticipantinthiscourseistocompletetherequiredquestionnaires,
interactpolitelyandconstructivelywiththefacilitatorandotherstudentsatalltimes,andtodoyourbestto
completethewholetrainingasdescribed.

BelowarethetermsandconditionsofuseforStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining.It'sessentialthatyou
readthembeforetakingpartinthistraining.

Terms&ConditionsofUse

1.Terms

Byaccessingthisonlinecourse,youareagreeingtobeboundbytheseTermsandConditionsofUse,all
applicablelawsandregulations,andagreethatyouareresponsibleforcompliancewithanyapplicablelocallaws.
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4.Participation

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6.PrivacyPolicy

Byaccessingthisonlinecourse,youareagreeingtoallowustocollectpersonalinformationforuseinthecourse
andassociatedresearchprojects.Wewillnotuseyourdataforotherpurposesorsellittootherparties.

Troubleshooting
OneoftheintegralfeaturesofStoicismistheemphasisitplacesonbeingpreparedforfuturesetbacks.Wewant
tomakesurethateveryonewhoenrollsonthiscoursemanagestocompleteit,insofarasthat'srealistically
possible.Itsthereforeimportanttoconsiderpotentialproblems,andhowtoovercomethem,fromtheveryoutset
ifyouwanttobesureyoullseethetrainingrightthroughtotheend.

Usethecoursediscussionforumtopostyourreflectionsonpossiblesetbacksyoumightencounteroverthenext
fewweeks.

Whatcouldpossiblypreventyoufromcompletingthewholecourse?
Whatcouldyoudotoavoidthathappening?
Whatstrengthsandresourcesdoyouhave,whichmighthelpyoutoovercomeanyobstaclesthatyoumay
encounter?

Trytoanticipatetheobvioussetbacksorobstaclesthatmayoccurduringatrainingcourseofthisnature,anddo
yourbestrightnowtoreducetheirpotentialimpact.

Ifproblemsariseduringthecourse,pleasecontactyourcoursefacilitatorimmediately.We'llgetbacktoyouas
soonaspossibleandtrytoofferasmuchhelpandsupportaswecan.Usethecoursefacilitatorandyourfellow
studentsasresourcestohelpyougetpastanypracticalorpsychologicalbarriersthatmightotherwisestandin
yourwayduringthecourse.

TimeManagement
Oneofthemostcommonreasonsforpeopledroppingoutofatrainingcourseisthattheyfelttheydidn'thave
enoughtimeorenergytoparticipate.Thinkcarefullybeforeproceedingaboutwhetherornotyouarephysically
abletoundertakeafourweektrainingcourserightnowandifyou'reabletomakeacommitmenttoseeitthrough
tocompletion.

Thegoodnewsisthat,donecorrectly,thistrainingpotentiallytakesnotimeatall!Thatmightseemparadoxical.
However,itsbecausealotofthechangesyoullbemakinginvolvedoinglessofcertainthingsandgenerally
makingbetteruseofyourtime.Sooverallyoushouldactuallyfindyourselfsavingtimeinyourdailyroutine.
"Selfhelp"canconsistindoingfewerunhelpfulthingsinlifeaswellasdoingmoreofthehelpfulones.
Sometimeslessismore,andtheStoicsdefinitelyrealisedthat.Wevedeliberatelydesignedthetrainingsothatit
takesverylittletimeindeedtodothekeyexercises,andsothatoveralltheyshouldfreeupmoretimeduringyour
day.However,therearealsosomeoptionalexercisesincludedthatyoumaywanttouseifyouhavesome
additionaltimeavailable.

Ifyoucatchyourselfworryingaboutwhetheryouhavethetimetoparticipate,pausetoconsiderhowmuchtime
you'repotentiallygoingtosavebystickingwiththetrainingprogramandlearningtoreduceunnecessaryor
unhelpfultrainsofthought,andpatternsofbehaviour,etc.Someoftheaudiorecordingsdotakeaboutfifteen
minuteseachdaybutyoucanpotentiallylistentotheseatnightasyou'refallingasleep,aslongasyoufeelyou're
stillmanagingtotakeonboardsomeofthecontent,andsothatmeanstheytakenotimeatallfromyourday.

What Next?
Nowthatyou'vecompletedtheintroductorylesson,youshouldhaveaclearideawhatthecourseentails.Thekey
pointstorememberfromthislessonare:

ThiscourseisabouttestingoutspecificaspectsofStoicpracticeit'snotaboutStoicphilosophicaltheory.
Thecourseisfourweekslong,andeachweekcoversadifferentaspectofStoicpractice.
It'sextremelyimportantthatyoucompleteallofthequestionnairesbeforeandaftertakingpart,evenifyou
don'tmanagetocompletethecourse.
Wewantyoutocollaboratewiththeotherstudentsandtohelpandsupporteachotherasmuchas
possible.

YournextstepshouldbetovisitthecourseDiscussionForumandintroduceyourselftothecoursefacilitatorand
theotherstudents.

DiscussionForum
Justpostamessagesayingyournameand,ifpossible,alittlebitaboutwhatbroughtyoutothecourseandwhat
youhopetoachievebycompletingit.Ifyouhaveanyinitialquestionsaboutthecoursemakesureyouusethis
opportunitytoaskthem.Ifyou'reabletodoso,we'dlikeyoutopostbriefreviewsofbooksorarticlesonStoicism
you'veread,justafewparagraphs,tohelpotherstobecomefamiliarwiththeliteratureavailableonthesubject.

Thanksforyourparticipation!Welookforwardtohearingfromyouoverthenextfewweeks.Feelfreetogetin
touchwiththefacilitatorifyouhaveanyquestionsorneedhelp.

Oyewho'velearntthedoctrinesoftheStoa
Andhavecommittedtoyourbooksdivine
Thebestofhumanlearning,teachingmen
Thatthemindsvirtueistheonlygood!

Sheonlyitiswhokeepsthelivesofmen
Andcitiessaferthanhighgatesandwalls.
Butthosewhoplacetheirhappinessinpleasure
AreledbytheleastworthyoftheMuses.

AthenaeustheEpigrammatist

Week One: Orientation & Basics

Introduction
WelcometoWeekOneofStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining!

YoushouldreadthislessonthroughcompletelyontheMonday,andapplytheexercisesthroughoutthefollowing
week.

Ifyou'vemadeitthisfar,youshouldalreadyhavereadthroughthePreliminarySectionandcompletedallfourof
theinitialintakequestionnaires.Ifforanyreasonyouhaven't,thenpleasegobackandsubmitthembefore
proceedinganyfurtherit'sessentialyousubmitthemallbeforestartingthecourse.

DuringWeekOneyou'llbetrainingyourselftobecomemoremindfulofthepresentmomentandtoviewyour
experiencesobjectively,fromadetached"philosophical"perspective,asawayoflivingmoreinagreementwith
thenatureoftheworld.

Itwon'ttakeyoulongtoreadthisshortlesson.Youcanseethetableofcontentsonthe"lessonmenu"totheleft.
We'vekeptitquitebriefandfocusedonthepracticalandinteractivecomponents.Ifyouwantmorereading,etc.,
you'llfindaplethoraofoptionalextrasonthemaincoursepageforthisweek,belowthecurrentactivity.

Solet'sgetstarted...

Course Structure
Firstaquickrecap,toputthingsincontext...Thistrainingcourselastsfourweeksintotal.Eachweekhasthe
sameformat,asdescribedinthePreliminarySection,whereyousawanoverviewofthewholething.Sothe
structurelookslikethis:

1. Lesson
.There'sashortonlinelessonorreading(likethisone),whichyoushouldcompleteonthe
Monday,asitexplainswhatyou'llbedoingthroughouttherestofthefollowingweek.
2. Dailyexercise.
You'llreadadescriptionofabriefpsychologicalexerciseormeditationthatwe'dlikeyou
topracticeatleastonceeachday,whichshouldonlytakeafewminutes.
3. Audiorecording
.Foreachweek,there'sadifferentaudiorecording,containingaguidedcontemplative
exercise,whichyoushouldlistentoatleastonceeachday.Theserangefromabout515minutesin
lengthbutyoucanlistentosomeoftheminbedatnight.
4. Selfmonitoring.
There'sasimpleselfmonitoringcomponenttoeachweek,whichwillhelpyouto
developgreatermindfulnessofyourownthoughts,feelings,andactionsthesearen'tjustaboutgathering
information,though,aspeopleoftenreporttheyalsoleadtobeneficialchanges.
5. Discussionquestions.
Therewillbeone"bigquestion"forgroupdiscussioneachweek,whichwe'dlike
everyonetocontemplate,reflectupon,andpostacommentabouttothecourseforum,tohelpgenerate
collaborationandasenseofcommunity.
6. Optionalextras!
Weknowmanyofyouwantthingssimpleandconcisewealsoknowsomeofyouwill
haveathirstformore.Sowe'veincludedatreasuretroveofoptionalextrasforeachweek.Ignoretheseif
youdon'thavetimeforthembutifyoudothenwethinkyou'llfindtheyenrichyourexperienceofthe
course.

Theideaisthatthewholetrainingshouldtakeaprettynegligibleamountoftimetofolloweachday.Oneofyour
goalsthroughoutthenextfourweeksshouldbetosaveyourselftimeeachday,bysimplifyinglifewherepossible,
andreducingthefrequencyanddurationofunproductivetrainsofthoughtoractivity.Ingeneral,we'llbefocusing
onthreeoverarchingpracticalthemesthroughoutthetraining:

Developinggreatermindfulnessofyourown(mentalandphysical)actions,particularlyyourvalue
judgements,andtherelationshipbetweenyourthoughts,actions,andfeelings.
Distinguishingveryclearlybetweenthingsunderyourdirectcontrol,andthingsnot,i.e.,betweenyourown
activityandeverythingelsethathappenstoyou.
Placinggreaterimportanceonthequalityofyourowncharacterand(voluntary)actionsinlife,whichthe
Stoicscalled"virtue".

Nowlet'slookmorecloselyatwhatyou'llbedoingthisweek

Overview of Week One

Sothat'sthegeneralformat.ThisiswhatitlookslikeforWeekOne...

1. Lesson
.You'redoingitnow!You'regoingtobereadingsomemoreaboutthebasicStoicconceptswe're
employing,though,overthenextfewpages.
2. Dailyexercise.
Thisexerciseisdesignedtohelpyougroundyourawarenessinthehereandnowand
viewyourexperiencesfromadetachedandobjectiveperspective,astheancientStoicsdescribed.
3. Audiorecording.
Thisrecordingcontainssomesimplerelaxationfollowedbyascriptdescribingbasic
Stoicvaluesandattitudes,whichyoushouldcontemplateandmentallyrehearseeachday.Listenwith
headphonesusinganMP3playerorcomputerorburnittoaCD.
4. Selfmonitoring.
Youregoingtobeginselfmonitoringsimplybykeepingacarefultallyorcountofhow
frequentlyyoufindyourselfdoingthingsyoudliketostop,suchasdwellingonunhealthythoughts,
feelings,ordesires,etc.
5. Discussionquestions.
"Whatdoyouthinkwouldbetheprosandconsoflivingalifeinwhichyoutake
excellenceofcharacter(Stoic'virtue')tobetheonlythingthat'sintrinsicallygood?"
6. Optionalextras!
You'llfindavarietyofadditionalmaterialsinWeekOne,belowthislesson.

Thisweekisveryimportantbecauseitprovidesasolidfoundationfortheconceptsandpracticestofollow.Ifyou
reallyreflectonthequestionswe'reraising,observeyourselfveryclosely,andstickwiththeseinitialdaily
exercises,you'reboundtogetmuchmoreoutoftheweeksthatfollow.

Ifthere'sanythingyoudon'tunderstandorgetstuckwith,letusknowimmediately,bypostingontheCourse
DiscussionForumoremailingthecoursefacilitator,andwe'lldoourverybesttohelpyou.

Stoic Mindfulness

Whatthing,outofallthosethatgotomakeupourlives,isdonebetterbythosewhoareinattentive?[...]
Doyounotrealizethatwhenonceyouletyourmindgowandering,itisnolongerwithinyourpowerto
recallit?Epictetus,
Discourses
4.12

Thiscoursewillrequireyoutopayattentiontoyourselfmorecarefullythannormal,andtothewayyouactually
liveyourlifeeachday.AsSocratessaid:"Theunexaminedlifeisnotworthliving."Youshouldaspireto"know
yourself"byusingthisopportunitytostudyyourowndailyroutine,andtrainofthought,fromthedetached
perspectiveofanaturalphilosopher.Learntopatientlyexamineyourwayoflivingeachdayasifyouwerean
ethnographerstudyinganexotictribe,anddocumentingtheircultureandrituals,oranaturaliststudyingthe
behaviourofsomenewlydiscoveredspeciesofmammal.

There'saspecialformofcontinualselfawarenessthatancientStoicstrainedthemselvestodevelop,whichwe
canreasonablydescribeas"mindfulness",althoughitdiffersinsomerespectsfromsimilarideasinBuddhist
meditationpractice.ForStoics,weshouldnaturallybemindful,frommomenttomoment,ofthemostimportant
thinginlife:thecharacterofourownthoughtsandactions.TheyevenusedatechnicalterminGreek,
prosoch,

todescribethismindfulattentiontooneself.TheeminentFrenchscholarPierreHadot,hasprobablydonemore
thananyoneelsetodocumenttheextenttowhichpsychologicalexercisescanbefoundintheliteratureofancient
philosophy,particularlyStoicism.Hewrote:

Attention(
prosoch
)isthefundamentalStoicspiritualattitude.Itisacontinuousvigilanceandpresenceof
mind,selfconsciousnesswhichneversleeps,andaconstanttensionofthespirit.Thankstothisattitude,
thephilosopherisfullyawareofwhathedoesateachinstant,andhewillshisactionfully.Hadot,
PhilosophyasaWayofLife

ForStoics,mindfulnessofbreathing,forexample,wouldn'tnecessarilybeaparticularlyhelpfulexercise.
(Although,maybetherearewaysitcouldbemadeappropriate.)It'sattentiontoourjudgementsthatreally
matters,especiallyourvaluejudgementsandwhetherwelapseintoplacingtoomuchimportanceonthings
outsideofourdirectcontrolornot.Indoingthis,don'ttrytoforceyourselftochange.Youmayfindthatmany
thingschangejustbybeingobserved.However,youmayalsofindthatyoucansimplystepbackfromcertain
trainsofthoughtoractions,fromtheoutset,andchoosenottogoalongwiththemorwasteyourtimeonthem.
Sometimes,lessismore.Thisstrategymayhelpyousavetimeandenergythroughouttheday,byreducingthe
frequencyanddurationofunnecessaryactivitiesand,inasense,simplifyingyourlife.Itstartswith
selfobservation,though,andnoticingwhatyou'reactuallydoing,frommomenttomoment,asyou'redoingit.

That'sthethemethatrunsthroughthiscourse.Itmightseemabitchallengingorparadoxicalatfirstbutwe're
confidentitwillcometomakemoresensetoyouifyouperseverewiththepracticalexerciseseachdayand,
perhapsmoreimportantly,ifyouengageindiscussionwiththeotherparticipantsaboutthe"bigquestions"we've
preparedforeachweek.

The Basic Concept

Therearelotsofcomponentstothiscoursebutwewanttokeepthefocusononeortwokeythings.Sothemain
questionwedlikeyoutokeepaskingyourselfandreflectinguponthroughoutthefirstweek,andbeyondifyou
like,isthis:

Whataspectsofthissituationareundermydirectcontrol?

OneofthecentralrecurringthemesofStoicismistheimportanceofcontinuallydistinguishingbetweenwhatisup
tous,inthesenseofbeingunderourdirectcontrolandwhatisnot.Wemightcallthisfundamentaldichotomy
the"Stoicfork".

The Stoic "Manual"

Ifyou'renewtoStoicism,itmaycomeasabitofsurprisetodiscoverthatthere'sliterallyamanual,datingfromthe
RomanImperialperiod,designedtoteachStoicismasawayoflifetonovicestudents.It'scalledtheHandbook
(
Encheiridion
)andconsistsofthekeysayingsofthefamousStoicteacherEpictetus,compiledbyhisstudent,
Arrian.IfyouwanttolearnmoreaboutStoicism,it'soneofthefirstthingsyoushouldconsiderreading.We're
justgoingtogetyoustarted,though,byfocusingonwhattheinitialpassagessay,becausethey'rearguablythe
foundationofeverythingthatfollows.TheveryfirstsentencemakesitprettyclearwhereStoicstudentsshould
begintheirtraining:

Somethingsare"uptous",orunderourdirectcontrol,whereasothersarenotuptous.
Encheiridion
,1

Inthenextsentence,EpictetusexplainedthatStoicsmeanwhatisuptousinthesenseofbeingcompletely
voluntaryandwithinoursphereofcontrol.Inaword,asheputsit,thismeansouractions.Thatincludesour
externalbehaviourbutalsocertainmentalacts,suchasvoluntarilyjudgingsomethingtobedesirableor
undesirable.Everythingelseisonlyunderourcontrolindirectly,asaconsequenceofouractions,whichmeans
thatotherfactorscanalwaysintervenetothwartourintentions.Thosethings,whicharenotouractions,are
referredtoas"externals"or"indifferent"things.TheStoicsoftensumupthemostsignificantandproblematic
externalsas:health,wealth,andreputation.Painandpleasurearealso"indifferent"inthesenseofbeingthings
thathappentous,ratherthanthingswedo.Whenourvoluntaryactionsaregood,that'scalled"virtue",andwhen
they'rebad,that'scalled"vice".Soactingwithvirtueratherthanvice,inthissense,isthemainthingthatis"upto
us".Indeed,we'retoldtheStoicssometimesdefinedthefundamentalgoaloflifeas"livinginaccordwithvirtue".

Epictetusgoesontosaythattherootcauseofmostemotionalsufferingisplacingtoomuchvalueonthese
externalthings,onthingsbeyondourdirectcontrol.Becomingoverlyattachedtoexternalsmakesusallthe
"slaves"ofourpassions,hesays.That'sdefinitelysomethingworththinkingabout,isn'tit?TheStoicstherefore
repeatedlyadvisedtheirstudentstonoticewhentheywereexperiencingunhealthyemotionsordesires,feelings
theymightwanttochange.Whenthishappenswe'retopauseforamomentandtrytograspveryclearlywhat
aspectsofthesituationareentirelywithinoursphereofcontrol.

Theiradviceseemslikeitmust,ultimately,havebeentheinspirationforthefamous
SerenityPrayer
usedby
AlcoholicsAnonymousandmanymoderncounsellorsandtherapists:

God,grantmetheserenitytoacceptthethingsIcannotchange
ThecouragetochangethethingsIcan
Andwisdomtoknowthedifference.

TheStoicssimilarlyadviseusthat"wisdom"consistsinmakingacleardistinctionbetweenthingsunderour
controlandthingsnot.However,theymakeitmoreexplicitthattheonlythingswecantrulychangeinlifeareour
ownthoughtsandactions.Whenwedoinfluenceotherthings,includingotherpeople,it'salwaysindirectly,asa
resultofourownaction.Placingabsoluteimportanceonthenatureofourowncharacterandvoluntaryactions
encouragesustofocusattentionontheverycentreofoursphereofresponsibility,thepointfromwhichtheyarise.

Doingsoobviouslyrequirespayingcloseattentiontoyourownjudgementsandactions,throughouttheday,
whichisthesubjectwe'llturntoshortly,afterabriefpracticalexerciseandexample...

TwoColumn Exercise
Takemomentrightnowtothinkofasituationthatseemstomakeyouupsetorirritated...Practicedistinguishing
betweentheaspectsunderyourdirectcontrol,andthosenot.Youcoulddrawtwocolumnsonapieceofpaper
headed"control"and"notcontrol",orusetheHTMLformonthewebsite.

Firstconsiderhowmuchcontrolyouhaveoverthesituation,whilethinkingaboutitrightnow.Probablynotmuch
becauseit'sinthepast,right?Butrememberthatyoudostillhavesomecontroloverthewayyouthinkaboutit
andrespond,andthat,inturn,mayaffecthowyoufeelaboutit.

1.What'stheproblemyouwanttoevaluate?
Trytodescribethetroublingscenarioyou'reimaginingasconciselyandobjectivelyaspossible.

2.Howmuchcontroldoyouhaveoverthesituation?
Rateyourcontroloverthesituationasawhole,includingyourreactions,from0100%.

3.Whydon'tyouhavezerocontrol?
Ifyourateditabovezero,thenwhataspectsareactuallyunderyourdirectcontrol?Trytodrawupashortlist.

4.Whydon'tyouhavecompletecontrol?
Ifyourateditbelowten,thenwhataspectsarenotunderyourdirectcontrol?Trytodrawupashortlist.

5.Whatwouldhappenifyouadoptedamore"philosophical"(Stoic)attitudetowardthethingsbeyond
yourcontrol?
Considerhowitmightchangethings,overthelongerterm,ifyouweretoconsistentlyfocusondoingthethings
thatareuptoyoutothebestofyourabilitywhilecompletelyacceptingthatotheraspectsaresimplybeyondyour
directcontrol.

Daily Exercise
Thisexerciseisdesignedtohelpyougroundyourawarenessinthehereandnowandviewyourexperiences
fromadetachedandobjectiveperspective,astheancientStoicsdescribed.

Yourmaingoalduringthefirstweekistodevelopmoreselfawarenessandinsightintoyourownthoughts,
actions,andfeelings,andhowtheyrerelatedtoeachother.Youllbetryingtodothismoreorlesscontinually,
frommomenttomoment,throughouteachday.Thatwillmeandevelopinggreatermindfulnessofyourown
judgementsandactions,andagreaterawarenessofwhatshappeninghereandnowinthepresentmoment,as
ithappens.

Mindfulness of the Present Moment

Youcandevelopgreaterselfawarenessandattentiontothepresentmomentbyusingthefollowingmindfulness
exercisederivedfromGestaltTherapy.Youregoingtopracticetheartofpatientlyobservinganddescribingyour
ownexperiencesfromadetachedperspective.TheancientStoicsemployedanumberofsimilarexercises,
involvingattentiontothe"hereandnow".Theseofteninvolvedadoptinganattitudecomparabletothatofa
"naturalphilosopher",suspendinganyvaluejudgementsoremotiverhetoric,andpatientlydescribingthe
observablequalitiesofphysicalobjectsincompletelyneutralandobjectivelanguage.

Beginwithyoureyesopen,althoughyoumayclosetheminamomentifyouwishtodoso.Youmight
wanttotakeaminutejusttosettledownandbringyourattentiontothepresentmoment.
Saytoyourself,silentlyinyourmind:RightnowIamawareofKeeprepeatingthatphraseandputting
yourownendingit,asyouslowlydescribeyourexperiences.
Trytosuspendanyvaluejudgementsandjustdescribespecificthingsthatyounotice,asconciselyand
objectivelyaspossible.
Usethetacticofputtingthingsintowordstomakeyourattentionlingerforlongerthannormalonthe
featuresofthepresentmomentthatyouexperience.
Takeyourtimeandproceedveryslowlyandpatientlydontrushtodescribeeverything.Justnoticewhat
comestoyourattention.

Letgoofthepast,thefuture,andtherealmofimagination,forafewminutes,andtrainyourselftoremainwiththe
presentmomentandtherealityofyourimmediatesurroundings.Allowyourselftonoticewhatyou'reactually
doingrightnow,frommomenttomoment.Whatdoyouthinkthelongtermconsequenceoftrainingyourselfin
thisway,andgettinggoodatstayingwiththe"hereandnow"forawhile,mightbe?Youdon'thavetokeepdoing
thisforever,butitmightbeusefultobeabletodoitwheneveryouchooseto,andtospendmoretimenoticing
yourownexperiencesandwhat'sgoingthroughyourmindinresponsetothem.Inasense,you'relearningto
maketheunconsciousconscious,oratleasttobecomemoreawareofyourselfandwhatyou'reactuallydoing.

Themoreyoupracticedoingthissimpleexercisethemoreyoulldevelopanumberofbasicpsychologicalskills,
whichwillprovideasolidfoundationfortherestofthetrainingthatfollows.Thefirsttimeyoudothisyoumight
wanttospendafewminutesawayfromdistractions.However,asyoupracticeyoushouldfindthatyoucandoit
moreorlessinanysituation.Youcouldbesittingonabus,pausingforacoupleofminuteswhilesittingatyour
computer,orrelaxinginabath.Somepeoplehavetoldmethattheytaketimetodothisexerciseduringthe
commercialbreaksbetweensegmentsofatelevisionprogramme,orevenwhilesittingonthelavatory.Itdoesnt
reallyrequireanyadditionaltimeoreffortduringyourdayyoujustneedtoremembertodoit.Sotrytodothisas
oftenaspossibleforaslongasseemshelpful.Wedrecommenddoingitforaminimumof34minutes,atleast
onceperdayduringthefirstweekofthetraining.Ifyouwanttodoitmorefrequently,forlongerperiods,or
throughoutthesubsequentweeksofthetraining,though,thatsabsolutelyfine.Laterinthislessonwe'lllookat
somewaystopromptorremindyourselftopracticemindfulnessthroughouttheday,incaseyouforget...

Goaheadanddoitrightnow!

Example & Questions

Here'sanexampleofwhatthisexercisemightbelikeinpractice...

Imsittingtypingthesewordsatmycomputerrightnow,ofcourse.Imgoingtopauserightnowtodothe
exercise.Illkeepaneyeontheclockonmydeskandaimtodoitforabout34minutesbutImnotgoing
toworrytoomuchaboutthetime
Well,howdidIgeton?IactuallygotinterruptedbysomeonewhichIdidntexpectbutaftertheydleftI
juststartedagain.IgotalittledistractedthinkingaboutwhatIwouldwritebutonceInoticedthatIjust
broughtmyattentionbacktomyexperiencesinthepresentmoment.IsaidthingslikeRightnowIm
awareofthetickingoftheclockNowImawareoftheriseandfallofmybreathNowImawareofthe
sunlightonthedeskNowImawareofatwingeinmylowerbackNowImawareofthesoundoftraffic
outside,etc.Ittooksomeeffort,someselfdiscipline,toletgoofthoughtsthatthreatenedtotakemy

attentionawayfromthepresentmomentbutonewaytodothatistosay"RightnowInoticethatI'm
startingtothinkaboutwork...",tostepbackfromthetrainofthought,andlookonitasjustanotheractivity
happeninginthepresentmoment...
Afterwards,Imleftnoticingmoreofwhatsgoingonaroundmeforawhile,althoughthatsnotthemain
goaloftheexercise.ThekeythingisthatIvepracticedtakingastepbackfrommyexperiencesand
observingthem,astheyhappenhereandnow,inamoredetachedway.

Questions for Reflection

Afterdoingtheexercise,pleasetakeafewminutestocarefullythinkoverthefollowingquestions:

Howelsecouldyouhelpyourselftobecomemoremindfulofyourownjudgementsandactionsthroughout
theday?
Towhatextentdoyourthoughtsandactionschangejustbybeingobservedmorecarefully?
Whataretheprosandconsofbeingmoretunedintothe"hereandnow"?
Whatmightbethelongtermconsequencesoftrainingyourselfinthiswayeachday?
What'sgenuinelyunderyourcontrolduringtheseexercises,andwhatisn't

MarcusAureliusexplains,forexample,thatforStoicseverythingis,inasense,"indifferent"exceptourown
mentalactivity,becausethisisultimatelyourlocusofcontrolinlife.Hegoesontospelloutthatbecauseourown
pastandfutureactionsarenotwithinourimmediatecontrol,theyarealsoclassedas"indifferent"(Meditations,
6.32).AccordingtotheStoics,frommomenttomoment,onlyourowncurrentthoughtsandactionscanbesaidto
beintrinsicallyimportanteverythingelseliesoutsideourdirectcontrolinthe"hereandnow".

Ifyoulike,withthisinmind,pauseforafewminuteslonger,andrepeatthesameexerciseagain,before
continuing...

SelfMonitoring
Modernresearchontherapyoftenbeginswithsomeformofselfmonitoring,suchasarecordsheetinwhichyou
notedownyourthoughts,actions,andfeelingsinseparatecolumns,inresponsetoupsettingsituations.Youmay
wishtoemployasimilarmethodifyouhavetimeandyoureexperiencingdifficultfeelingssuchasworryoranger,
etc.However,forthepurposesofthisstudy,weregoingtorecommendthatmostpeopleemployoneofthe
simplestapproachesusedtoday:keepingasimplecountortally.Epictetusactuallytoldhisstudentstodo
somethingsimilar,keepingacountfromdaytodayofthenumberoftimeswhenfeelingssuchasangerbecamea
problemforthem(Discourses,2.18).

Youmightdothisbyliterallykeepingatallyinyourdiary,onapieceofcard,oryourmobilephone.Somepeople
liketouseamechanicalorelectroniccounter,concealedintheirpocket,suchasthoseusedbydoormen,golfers,
orknitters.Anaddedbonuswiththisminimalistapproachtoselfmonitoringisthatit'smoreconfidential.Evenif
someoneelsesawyourtally,theywouldprobablyhavenoideawhatitmeantunlesstheyknewwhatyouwere
counting.

Whatshouldyoucount?Anythingyoumightwanttochange,basically.Epictetusadvicewastokeepatallyof
whattheStoicscalledthepassions,whichincludesbothunhealthyemotionsanddesires.Youmightalsowant
torecordwheneveryouengageinsomebadhabitorexternalbehaviourthatyouwanttochange,including
thingsyousayaloudoreventhingsyoufailtodo.

Someexamples:

Howmanytimesyounoticeyourselfbecomingupsetatanything,ingeneral.
Startingtoworryorfrettingaboutsomeworstcasescenariointhefuture.
Ruminatingaboutthepastorgettingdepressed.
Feelingyourangerrising,becomingirritatedorannoyed.
Experiencinganurgeorcravingthatyouwanttoovercome,suchasforchocolateorcigarettes.
Beginningtoengageinahabityouwanttobreak,likefingernailbiting,orcompulsivelyapologising.
Gettinganxious,nervous,orphysicallytense.
Sayingsomethinginappropriate,negative,overlyapologetic,submissive,orhostiletosomeoneelse.
Avoidingsayingordoingsomething,orfailingtodosomethingproperly,suchasfailingtobeassertive.

Thisisausefulwayofmeasuringyourprogress.However,there'salsoamoresubtleandpotentiallymore
importantreasonforkeepingcountinthisway.Itwilloftenhelpyoudevelopgreaterselfawarenessand
detachment,particularlyifyoumanagetospotundesirablehabitsattheearliestpossiblestage,beforetheyhave
achancetodevelop.Catchinghabitsearlymakesiteasiertoniptheminthebud,sometimesjustbychoosingto
mentallytakeastepback,aswellseelater.Wecallthisspottingtheearlywarningsignsofunhealthy
emotionsorbehaviourandgainingpsychologicaldistancefromthem.Youvebeenpracticingviewingyourown
experiencesfromadetached,objectiveperspectiveduringthemindfulnessexercisethisweek.Approach
keepingyourtallyinasimilarway.Eachtimeyounoticesomethingandaddittothecount,pauseforafew
momentsandviewitasifyouwereanimpartialscientistcalmlystudyingandrecordingsomeoneelsesthoughts,
actions,andfeelings.Researchshowsthatwhenapproachedcarefullyandsystematically,selfmonitoringofthis
kindcan,allbyitself,reducethefrequencyandintensityofemotionaldistressandbadhabits.Thispartofthe
trainingshouldalsotakevirtuallynotimeasitsveryquickandeasytokeepasimpletally.Infact,ifyoufind
yourselfreducingthetimespentworryingorengaginginbadhabits,thenyoullalmostcertainlysavealotoftime
eachday.

Moderntherapistsmightadviseclientstospottheearlywarningsignsofangerandtotakea"timeout"rather
than"actingout"theirfeelingsthroughaggressivebehaviour.TheStoicsoftengaveverysimilaradvice,e.g.,the
firstRomanEmperor,Augustus,reputedlyhadangermanagementproblemsandwastaughtbyhisStoictutor
Athenodorustospothistemperrisingandpauseforafewmoments,whilerecitingtheGreekalphabet,before
sayingordoinganythinghemightregret.Thissortofstrategyisoftenmisusedasasawayoftryingtosuppress
feelings,though,whichissomethingyoushouldbecarefultoavoiddoing.Acceptthepresenceofyourfeelings
orbadhabits,with"indifference",butpause,andtakeastepbackfromthemratherthangoingalongwiththem
andallowingyourselftoactonthemimpulsively.

Ifyouwanttodoso,youcanalsotryemployingtheslightlymorecomplexselfmonitoringtechniquewe
developedforStoicWeek2013,basedonmodernCognitiveBehaviouralTherapy(CBT).There'saStoic
SelfMonitoringRecordSheetyoucandownloadandprint,whichwillhelpyoumonitoryourindividualthoughts,
actionsandfeelings,andtherelationshipbetweenthem.

Download Audio Recording

ThisMP3audiorecordingcontainssomesimplerelaxationfollowedbyascriptdescribingbasicStoicvaluesand
attitudes,whichyoushouldcontemplateandmentallyrehearseeachday.TheStoicsdidn'texpectpeoplejustto
agreewiththembuttorationallyevaluatethetruthoftheirdoctrinesforthemselves.Soweassumetherewillbe
twowaysofusingthisrecording:

1. Ifyou'renewtoStoicismyoumayjustwanttolistentoandcontemplatetheideasinadetachedmanner,
givingyourselfachancetocriticallyevaluatethemlater.
2. Ifyou'vecometoagreewithsome,orall,oftheseideas,orsharesimilarvalues,youmightwanttouse
thisasanopportunitytoabsorbthemmoredeeply.

TheStoicsbelieveditwasimportanttocontinuallyremindthemselvesoftheircorephilosophicaldoctrinesand
valuessothattheywouldcometograduallypermeatetheircharacterandbehaviour.MarcusAureliusdidthisby
writingdownhundredsofmemorablesayings,whichformulaterelatedStoicideasindifferentways,thereby
immersinghimselfincontemplationoftheirmeaning.Somepeoplefinditextremelyhelpfuljusttorelaxandlisten
contemplativelytosomebasicStoicattitudesbeingdescribed.

How to Use the Recording

Justpressplayontheembeddedaudioplayeronthecoursewebpagetolistentotherecordingonyourcomputer.
Werecommendthatyouuseheadphonesforthis.YoucanalsorightclicktodownloadtheStoicAttitudes
MeditationexerciseaudiorecordinginMP3format,sothatyoucanplayitbackonyourcomputer,mobiledevice,
orMP3player.

Cues & Reminders

Settingasidearegulartimetopractice"formal"mindfulnessexercisesisprobablygoingtobeessential.
However,youshouldn'tconfineyourpracticetoafewminuteseachday.Trytopractice"informally"bybeing
constantlymoremindfulofwhatyou'redoinginthepresentmoment,throughoutthewholeday.Epictetusasked
hisstudentstherhetoricalquestion:Isthereanythingyoucan'tdobetterbydoingitwithgreaterselfawareness?
(Okay,maybesleeping,butnotmuchelse.)Selfawarenessisn'tselfconsciousness.Wetendtospeakof
someonebeingselfconsciouswhenthey'reoverlypreoccupiedwiththeimportancetheyplaceonotherpeople's
perceptionsofthem.That'stheoppositeofStoicmindfulness,whichasksustoletgoofattachmenttothingsnot
directly"uptous",likeotherpeople'sopinions,andtofocusinsteadonwhetherourcurrentpatternsofthinking
arehealthyornot.Weshouldcontinuallyremindourselvestoletgooftrainsofthoughtthatareunhealthy,
excessive,orirrational,ratherthangoingalongwiththem.Imaginethatyourtroublesomethoughtsarelikeabus
goingtothewrongdestination.Onceyou'verealisedwhereit'sheaded,youdon'tneedtojumpontheroadin
frontofitandtrytostopitwithforce...butyoudon'tneedtogetonitandletyourselfbetakenforarideeither.
Youcanjuststepbackandallowittodriveon.Troublesomethoughtsandfeelings,impressionswhichpop
automaticallyintoourmind,aren't"bad"inStoicismthey're"indifferent",andweshouldpracticebeingindifferent
towardindifferentthings.AsEpictetusandSenecaexplained,eventheidealStoicSagemayexperienceanxious
thoughtsandfeelingssometimes,suchasduringastormatsea,buthedoesn'tallowhimselftobecarriedaway
bythem.

Findingorcreatingcuesinyourenvironmenttopracticethemindfulnessexercisewedescribedearlierwillhelp
youtodevelopthisabilitytodetachfromautomaticthoughts,whichmodernpsychologistssometimescall
"cognitivedistance".Forexample,youmightdothisatcertaintimesoftheday,forafewminutes,orwhenever
you'reabouttobeginanewtask,ormovetoanewlocation,duringtheday.Youmayalsofinditusefultocreate
remindersor"cues"foryourselftoengageinStoicpractices,orjustrememberyourgoalsduringthecourse.The
Stoicsandotherschoolsofphilosophyappeartohaveusedimagesoftheirfoundersforthispurpose,suchasthe
gemreputedlydepictingZenoofCitiumshownonthefirstpageofthislesson.

Desktop Wallpapers
You'llfindafolderofdownloadableimagesafterthislessonwithsomeStoicthemedcomputerwallpaperimages
designedbyRocioDeTorresandothers.(AlsoaStoicinfographicprovidedbyMichelDaw.)Youmightwantto
usethesewallpapersonyourdesktopcomputerorlaptopduringthecourse,toactasacuetopractice
mindfulnessandactintheserviceofyourcorevalues.

Makeityourgoaltobecontinuallyawareofyourownactionsinthepresentmoment,throughouteachday.Keep
countofunhelpfulthoughtsorfeelings,andstepbackfromthemratherthanindulginginthemandgoingalong
withthem.Inparticular,keepaneyeonwhetheryourthoughtsplacemoreimportanceonthings(objects,people,
events)outsideyourdirectcontrolthanuponthewayyoudealwiththem,whichiswhereyourtruelocusofcontrol
resides.Thinkofthisasabasictraininginmentalselfdisciplineandyourfirststepontheladderofachieving
Stoicresilience.

What Next?
You'vemadeit.You'vefinishedthelessonforthisweek.Nowit'stimetostartputtingthingsintopractice!

Remember,oneofthemostcommonmistakespeoplemakeisjusttoreadselfhelpmaterialwithouttestingitout
inpractice.TheancientStoicsconstantlywarnusagainstbecominglazyarmchairphilosophers.There'sno
bettertimetostartchangingthingsthanrightnow.TheStoicgauntlethasbeenthrowndownbeforeus.It'supto
uswhetherwechoosetopickituporjuststandandlookatit.It'stimeforyoutostartengagingwiththematerial,
interactingwiththerestofthecommunity,andtestingwhatyou'vebeenreadingoutinpracticeinthelaboratory
ofyourownexperience.

YourfirststepshouldbetovisittheDiscussionForum,assoonasyou'reready,andpostyourthoughtsonthe
questionforthisweek:

Whatdoyouthinkwouldbetheprosandconsoflivingalifeinwhichyoutakeexcellenceofcharacter
(Stoic"virtue")tobetheonlythingthat'sintrinsicallygood?

Asyoureadthis,thinkitover,andtypeyourresponses...doitwithgreaterattentiontothepresentmomentand
observeyourowncharacter,attitude,andactions.What's"uptoyou"aboutthistrainingandwhat'snot?What
woulditmeantoapproachthecourseitselfwithamore"philosophical"attitudeandtomakeuseofitwisely?

Here'sasecondquestionforyoutoconsider,anddiscuss,ifyouwant:

HowdoyouthinkStoicismmightbeadaptedtosuitourmodernworldviewandwayoflife?

GotothecourseDiscussionForumnowandlookforthetopicentitled"WeekOneQuestion'.Whenyou'vedone
that,takealookatsomeoftheotherresourcesinthissection.Ifthere'sanythingwhatsoeveryoucouldusehelp
with,eithertechnicalstufforthecoursecontent,pleasedon'thesitatetoemailthecoursefacilitator.

Introduction
WelcometoWeekOneofStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining!

Youvemadeittothesecondweek.Welldone!

Thehardestpartisnow
over
formostofyou.Peoplesayittakesmorefueltostartanenginethantokeepit
runningthatscertainlytruewhenitcomestochanging
habits
.Yourejustbeginningtoconqueryouroldhabits
anddevelopnewones,whichtakesalotmoreselfdisciplineatthestartbutusuallybecomesmuch
easier
with
practice.NextyouregoingtobuildonthesolidfoundationyoucreatedinWeekOne.

ThissectionwillchallengeyoutoliveinaccordwithStoicvalues(virtues)andtosetconsistentgoalsinyourdaily
life.Itfocusesmoreonyourintentionsandactions,i.e.,yourbehaviourthroughouttheday.TheancientStoics
viewedtheirethicsasthevery
cornerstone
oftheirphilosophy.Theirconceptionofwhatitmeanstoliveagood
lifewaswhatdistinguishedtheStoicsfromotherancientschoolsofphilosophy.Epictetussummedupthekey
doctrinesofStoicismtohisstudentsasfollows:

Ofthingsthatare,somearegood,andsomearebad,andsomeareindifferent:thegoodthenarevirtues,
andthethingswhichparticipateinvirtuesandbadthingstheoppositeandtheindifferentthingsare
wealth,health,reputation.
Discourses,
2.9

ThegoaloflifeinancientStoicismwaslivinginaccordwithvirtue,living
virtuously.
Indeed,theywentasfaras
tosaythatvirtuewasthe
only
trulygoodthinginlife,althoughotherthingsmaybeofsomepracticalvalue.
Contemporarybehaviouralpsychologiststalkaboutvaluedlivingasthekeytoovercomingmanycommon
psychologicalproblems,especiallydepression.Weregoingtocombinetheseideas:theancientandthemodern.
Themorerecenttemvaluedlivingprobablysoundsless
pompous
thanlivingvirtuously,sosometimeswell
usethat.Nevertheless,tokeeptheclassicalconnection,itperhapshelpslinkthiswithwhattheStoicswould
havecalledlivingwell,livinginaccordwithvirtue,livingwisely,etc.Thatswhatthisweekisallabout...

Overview of Week Two

ThisistheoverallplanforWeekTwo...

1. Lesson
.Youregoingtolearnaboutafundamentaldistinctionbetweentwodifferent
types
ofvalue,
goodthingsandpreferredthings.
2. Dailyexercise.
Thismeditationisdesignedtohelpyoufindtimetocontemplateandconnectwiththe
conceptofvirtue,throughouttheday.
3. Audiorecording.
Thisshort(4min.)recordingwillhelpyouprepareforthedayahead,byplanningyour
goalsandactions,inaccordwithyourcorevalues,whileemployingtheStoicacceptanceofpotential
setbacks.
4. Selfmonitoring.
Youregoingtotrytomonitorhowwellyoumanagetoliveinaccordwithyourvalues,
yourconceptionofvirtue,throughouttheday,andhowyouspendyourtime.
5. Discussionquestions.
Whatconstitutestruehumanvirtueormakesapersongenuinelyadmirable?
Whatqualitiesmightdefinesomeone'scharacterastrulygoodorbad?
6. Optionalextras!
You'llfindavarietyofadditionalmaterialsinWeekTwo,belowthislesson.

ThisweekbuildsonWeekOne,andyoushouldcontinuesomeofyourWeekOnepracticesifyoureabletodo
so,particularlytryingtolivemorecentredinthehereandnow.Youllfindthesethingscomplementarybecause,

inasense,
virtue
residesinthepresentmoment.Youcanonlybringyourcharacterandactionsintolinewithyour
corevaluesifyouremainmindfulofthem,frommomenttomoment.Youmayalsofindithelpfultocontinue
listeningtotheStoicAttitudesrecordingeachday,ifyouhavetimetodoso.

Thecommonthreadrunningthroughallfourweeksisanemphasisonthedistinctionbetweenthingsuptous,or
underourdirectcontrol,andthingsnot.TheStoicssaidthat,inanutshell,onlyourownactionsaretrulyupto
usandeverythingelseistosomeextentinthehandsoffate.Whenweactwellorbadly,thatsvirtueorvice.
Everythingelseisultimatelyindifferentwithregardtoourflourishing,theyargued,althoughsomeexternalthings
oroutcomesarecertainlypreferredoverothers,aswellsee.Theseideascanbeabittrickyatfirstbutdont
worryaswellbeexploringthemtogetherinthediscussionforums.Youdontneedtounderstandmuchabout
StoicEthicstobenefitfromtheexercisesthatfollow,althoughithelpstoprovidearationaleforthetypeof
exercisesyouregoingtobedoing.

Ifthere'sanythingyoudon'tunderstandorgetstuckwith,letusknowimmediately,bypostingontheCourse
DiscussionForumoremailingthecoursefacilitator,andwe'lldoourverybesttohelpyou.

The Basic Concept

TheStoicshadaspecificethicaltheory,anddefinitionofvirtue.Theybelievedthatbynaturehumansvalue
certainthings,althoughmostpeopleareconfusedabouthowtoapplythesevaluesconsistentlytodailylife.
Animalsandhumaninfantsvalue
survival
.Asweacquirereasonandlanguage,though,adulthumansgradually

cometoidentifywithandvaluecertaincharactertraitsmorehighly.Eventually,reflectionmayleadtoustovalue
virtuessuchaswisdomandintegrityasthehighestgood,indeedtheStoicsbelievedthatvirtueisthe
only
true
good.Thistransformationinourvalues,towardtheloveofwisdomandvirtue,isstartedbynature,theStoics

thought.However,itisthenleftuptous,tobecompleted(ornot)byourownvolition.Virtueiswhatmakesus
fundamentallywholeandcompleteashumanbeings,byallowingustoripenandflourishinaccordwithour
rationalnature,andaspartofthecommunityofmankind.
ThemajorityofancientphilosophersactuallyagreedwiththeStoicviewthatdevelopingvirtueiscentraltothe
goaloflife,althoughtheydidntgoasfarastheStoicsinclaimingthiswasthe
onlyt
hingrequiredforagoodlife.
TheStoicswantedtobeabletosaythatifsomeoneistrulywiseandvirtuous,theirlifeisasgoodasitgets,no

matterhowunfortunatetheymaybeinotherrespects,suchasbeingpoor,weak,oroutcast.Socrateslife,they
wouldsay,wouldnothavebeenfundamentally
improved
ifhehadsomehowpossessedgreaterwealthandsocial
status.Tohaveagoodlife,theymightsay,itsufficestobeagoodperson.Thishardlineonthenatureofthe
"goodlife"wasoneofthemostimportantanddistinctiveaspectsofStoicEthicsbutalsooneofthemost
controversial.It'ssomethingwe'llneedtoevaluatecarefullyovertime.
Likewise,someofthemorespecificmoralviewsoftheancientStoics,aboutmatterslikereligion,sexualityand
slavery,reflectthehistoricalperiodandcultureinwhichtheylived,andmaybeverydifferentfromthevaluesof
mostmodernreaders.However,theyalsobelieved:
1. Thatmostreasonablepeople,onreflection,sharefundamentallysimilarpreconceptionsaboutmorality
butdifferwhenitcomestoapplyingtheminpractice.

2. Thatbeingcommittedtolivinginaccordwithvirtuewasthemostimportantaspectofmorality,evenif
wesometimesdifferoverthecorrectcourseofactioninspecificsituations.
Sodontworry!Inthiscourse,werenotgoingtotrytoindoctrinateyouintoancientStoicvalues.However,were
goingtoaskyoutocarryoutatwofoldexperiment:
1. Valuesclarification
:Reflectonyourownfundamentalvaluesmorerationallyandphilosophically,and
trytoclarifywhatyouconsidertobethemostimportantthingsinlife.
2. Livingvirtuously
:Trytoliveyourlife,overthenextthreeweeks,moreconsistentlyinaccordwith
yourowncorevalues.
FollowingSocrates,theStoicsbelievedthemostimportantuseofphilosophywastoreflectuponandcritically
evaluateourownconceptionofwhatitmeanstoliveagoodlife,ortolivewisely.Thatcantaketheformof
clarifyingourvaluesbyreflectingonthem,carefullydefiningthemandcheckingtheirconsistencywitheachother,
andwithourownactions.ThisaspectissometimesneglectedinmoderndiscussionsofStoicism,whichfocuson
itsselfhelportherapeuticapplications.Ironically,though,modern
thirdwavecognitivebehaviouraltherapy
(CBT)nowplacesconsiderableemphasisonvaluesclarificationandvaluedlivingandcautionsagainstplacing
toomuchimportanceonavoidingorreducinganxietyandotherunpleasantfeelings.
Itsacuriousfactthatdespiteculturaldifferences,whenaskedtoclarifytheirvaluesthroughreflection,people
often(butnotalways)dotendtoconvergeonsurprisinglysimilarconclusions,atleastwhenspeakingingeneral
terms.Most(butnotall)peopletendtoagree,forexample,thatharmingothersforpleasureis,insomesense,
morallywrong.Forourpurposes,rightnow,itprobablydoesntmatterifeveryoneagreesbutyoumayfindit
interestingtodiscussyourconceptionofvirtuewithothersintheforum,andswapnotes.Theresagreatdealto
begainedbytalkingcollaborativelywithotherpeopleaboutyourcorevaluesinlife.

Living Virtuously
Ambitionmeanstyingyourwellbeingtowhatotherpeoplesayordo.
Selfindulgencemeanstyingittothethingsthathappentoyou.
Sanitymeanstyingittoyourownactions.MarcusAurelius,
Meditations

Theresan
aspect
ofthisStoictheoryofvaluewedlikeyoutoadopt,though,asakindofbehaviouraland

philosophical
experiment
.Itturnsonacrucialdistinctionbetweentwodifferenttypesofmotivation.Today,
behaviouralpsychologistsexpresssomethingsimilarasfollows:

1. Externalgoalsaretheoutcomesorconsequencesofyouractions,suchaslosingweight,gettingajob,
findingsomeoneyoulove,etc.
2. Internalvaluesarequalitiesofyourowncharacteroractionsthatyouvalue,suchasexhibiting
friendship,integrity,generosity,patience,orperseverance,etc.

Theoutcomesorgoalsofouractionsmayormaynotbeachieved,andweanticipategettingtheminthefuture,
whichleavesourmindsomewhatinsuspense.Innervaluesarequalitiesofactionsthemselves,andwehave
them
immediately
,inthehereandnow,assoonaswestartactingintherightway.Thatalsomeansthatthe

pursuitofsuchexternalthingscan,theoretically,end,whenwegetthem,althoughthenwetendtomoveonto
somethingelse.Thepursuitofcharacterbasedvalues,however,neverreally
ends
inthesamewaytheresno
endtobeingagoodfriendorlivingwithintegrity.

ThisisquitesimilartothedistinctionmadeinancientStoicismbetween:

1. Externals
,suchashealth,wealth,andreputation,whicharemerelypreferred.
2. Virtues
,suchaswisdom,justice,courage,andselfdiscipline,whichareconsideredthechiefgoodinlife.

Youvealreadypracticeddistinguishingcarefullybetweenwhatsuptoyouandwhatisnot.Fortheancient
Stoics,onlywhatsunderyourdirectcontrol,onlyyourownactsofwill,canbevirtuousorvicious,i.e.,intrinsically
goodorbad.TheStoicsrefertoexternaleventsasindifferentandviewthem.Nevertheless,theyprefersome
outcomestoothers,theyjustdontdemandthatthingsturnoutastheypreferbuttrytopursuethesethings
lightlyandwithdetachment.Toparaphraseslightly,theearlyStoicsjokedthatalthoughthewisemanbelieves
thatvirtueistheonly
true
goodinlife,hecanstillprefertoownabarofsoapandhaveabathoccasionally
ratherthanremaindirty.(Theyactuallyrefertotheancientpracticeof
cleaningwithoil
.)

Currentbehaviouraltherapyapproachesforclinicaldepression,andmanyotherproblems,encourageclientsto
experimentforseveralweeksbypayingmoreattentiontotheirvaluesinthissense,meaningthequalityoftheir
ownactions,ratherthan
external
goalsoroutcomes.Aswellsee,thiscanbedonebyactivelyplanningand
schedulingevensmallperiodsofadditionaltimeeachdaytocarryoutactivitiesthatareconsideredmore
intrinsically
rewarding,andinlinewithyourcorevalues,suchascultivatingvirtue.Onceagain,itdoesn't
necessarilytakemoretimeoveralltodothis,andyoumayactuallysavetimebyreducingthefrequencyand
durationofactivitiesthatservenopurpose,inrelationtoyourcorevalues,eachday,suchasprocrastination,etc.

What is Virtue?

ForIgoarounddoingnothingbutpersuadingyoungandoldamongyounottocareforyourbodyoryour
wealthinpreferencetoorasstronglyasforthebestpossiblestateofyoursoul,asIsaytoyou:Wealth
doesnotbringaboutvirtue,butvirtuemakeswealthandeverythingelsegoodformen,bothindividually
andcollectively.SocratesinPlatos
Apology
,30ab

Toreiteratesomethingmentionedearlier:thewordvirtueisbeingusedhereinthe
ancients
ense.Itmeans
excelling
,flourishingasahumanbeing,andhavingstrengthsofcharacter,orimportantpositivequalitiessuch
aswisdom,justice,courage,andselfdiscipline.ItsabroaderconceptthantheChristianvirtuesmanypeopleare
morefamiliarwith.TheresnomodernEnglishwordthatperfectlyconveyswhattheStoicsmeant,virtuesisthe
closest,butaphraselikeexcellentcharactertraitsorpersonalstrengthsmightbemoreaccurate.Itsperhaps
notagoodsignthatmodernsocietydoesntevenhaveverygoodlanguageexpressthisidea!

Wedlikeyoutoclarifyyourownvalueswithregardtoyourcharacterandactions,i.e.,yourownconceptionof
virtue.Thenwedlikeyoutopracticemakingthesepositivestrengthsorvirtuesyourabsolutepriorityoverthe
nextfewweeksandmonitoringyourabilitytoactconsistentlywiththem,andcultivatetheminyourself.Youmight
refertothatasaformofselfimprovement,whichisinasensebothmoralandtherapeutic,inthatitdealswith
yourowncorevaluesbutdoessoinawaythatslikelytoimproveyourqualityoflife.However,beunderno
illusions,valuedlivingcanbedifficultandmaymeansacrificingotherthingsinlife.Itmayalsomeanchallenging
youroldhabits,movingoutofyourcomfortzoneandevenenduringanxietyanddiscomfort,orsacrificing
shorttermpleasures,forthesakeofyourowndeepervalues.


TheStoicsbelievedthathumanshavevirtue,andflourish,whentheyachievemoralwisdomandactwithjustice,
benevolence,andfairnesstowardothers.Theyalsobelievedthatinordertolive
wiselya
ndact
justly,
wemust
conquerourowncontraryfearsanddesires,throughthetwoancientvirtuesofselfmastery:
couragea
nd
selfdiscipline
.Thesewereknownthroughoutthecenturiesasthefourcardinalvirtues:
wisdom,justice,
fortitude,andtemperance
.Similarvirtuesstillfeaturetodayinmodernresearchonthepsychologyofpersonal
strengths.However,youcanjusttreattheseas
examples
ofwhatsmeant.Aslongasyouvegotthegeneral
idea,weregoingtoencourageyouto
thinkforyourself
aboutthemeaningofvirtueintermsofyourowncore
valuesinlife.

Values Clarification Exercise

Letsbeginbyconsideringyourownvaluesverycarefully.Wewillstartrightnowbutthisprocesscantake
patienceandeffort,asyouworkthroughyourthoughtsandtrytoapplyyourvaluesindailylife.Sothinkof
valuesclarificationasanongoingprocessandtrytoreconsiderthesethingseachday.Althoughitcanbe
challengingattimestoquestionyourselfsodeeply,thishasareputationforbeinganexercisemanypeoplefind
extremelyenlighteningandrewarding.ItsamodernechooftheSocraticapproachtoethics,whichcentredon
theuseofrationalquestioningandreflection,andtheattempttoexposeandresolveinconsistenciesinour
thinking.Inthe
Discourses
ofEpictetus,wecanreadtranscribedconversationsshowinghimemployingasimilar
Socraticmethodindebatewithhisstudents.

Inasense,werefacingtheultimatequestionWhatsthemostimportantthinginlife,toyou?Whatareyour
deepestvalues?Canyouactuallyputthemintowordsandclarifytheminyourownmind?Whentheyreclearin
yourmind,yourdeepestvaluescangiveyouasenseofdirectioninlifeandhelptodefineyourpersonal
philosophy.However,ifyoureunclearorconfusedaboutthem,thenyoumaypotentiallyfeelquite
lost
and
frustratedinlife.Itswithinyourpowertogainfurtherclarity,throughyourownreflections,anddiscussionswith
others,though.Sohowmuchtimehaveyouspentrecentlyexploringyourownconceptionofthemostimportant
thingsinlife?Howmuchtimeeachdaydoyouspendlivinginaccordwiththesevalues?Whereareyou
heading?Whatsortof
person
areyoubecomingandwhatdirectionisyourlifetaking?

TowhatusethenamIputtingmyownsoul?Neverfailtoaskyourselfthisquestionandtocrossexamine
yourselfthus:WhatrelationdoIhavetothispartofmetheycalltheRulingFaculty?AndwhosesouldoI
havenowanyway?Thesoulofachild?Ofayouth?[...]Ofatyrant?Ofagrazinganimal?Ofawild
beast?MarcusAurelius,
Meditations
,5.11

Tryusingthefollowingquestionsnowtoclarifyyourcorevaluesandconceptionofvirtue

DirectQuestions
Whatsultimatelythemostimportantthinginlifetoyou?
Whatdoyouwantyourlifetostandfororbeabout?
Whatwouldyoumostlikeyourlifetoberememberedforafteryouvedied?
Whatsortofthingdoyou
most
wanttospendyourlifedoing?
Whatsortofpersondoyoumostwanttobeinyourvariousrelationshipsandrolesinlife,e.g.,asaparent,
afriend,atwork,andinlifegenerally?

Youshouldkeepreturningtotheseveryfundamentalquestions.Perhapseventalktoyourfriendsaboutthem,if
possible.Ifyoureready,thenextpagecontainsmany
more
questions,tohelpyoutakeyourphilosophical
selfexaminationfurther...

More Values Clarification

Thesequestionsaremore
indirect
.Thatmeanssomeofthemmaynotmakesensetoyouormaynotbehelpful,
whereasotherswillhitthenailonthehead.Soyoumaybeselectiveaboutwhichonesseemmostappropriateto
spendtimeconsideringrightnow.Ifyoudonthavetime,writedownsixkeyquestionsfromthislist,orbookmark
thispageontheinternet.Youcancomebacktothesequestionsandspendtimereallycontemplatingoneof
themindeptheachday,ifyouwant...

ModellingQuestions
Thinkingeneraltermsofthetypesofpeopleyouadmire.Whatqualitiesmakethemadmirable?
Thinkofthreespecificpeople,realorfictional,thatyouadmire.Whatqualitiesmakethemadmirable?
TrytoimaginetheidealStoicSage,someoneperfectlywiseandgood.Whatvirtueswouldtheypossess?

ChainQuestions
Picksomeexamplesofthingsyoucurrentlyspendyourtimevoluntarilydoing,suchasvisitingfriends,orgoingto
work,etc.Askyourselfwhatyouretryingtoachievebydoingthosethings?Forthesakeofwhatdoyoudo
them?Keeprepeatingthisquestionandprobingfurtherinthedirectionofyourunderlyingvalues.Youmayfind
thisshedslightonyourprioritiesinlife.Alternatively,itmayleadyoutoquestiontheimportanceofsomeofthe
thingsyoureactuallydoing.(Aristotledescribedasimilartechnique.)

PerspectiveShiftingQuestions
Ifyouknewforcertainthatyouonlyhadonemonthlefttolive,howwouldyouwanttospendtheremaining
timebeforeyoudie?
Ifyoudidnthavetocontendwithanxiety,orotheruncomfortablefeelings,whatwouldyouchooseto
spendyourtimedoing?
Whatwouldyouchoosetospendyourlifedoing,ifyouwerefreetodoanything,andifyouknewyou
couldntfailandwerealwaysguaranteedtosucceed?
Ifyouhad
one
opportunitytogiveadvicetoyourchildaboutlife,whatwouldyoutellthemismost
important?

AdditionalQuestionsforReflection
Whatdoyouranswerstothesequestionstellyouaboutyourcorevaluesinlife?
Whatdotheytellyouaboutthetypeofpersonyoumightwanttobeorthevirtuesyoudliketopossess?
Howdothevirtuescomparetoeachother?
Which,ifany,ismostimportant?
Fundamentally,istherejustone,oraretheremanyvirtues?

Thesequestionsmayseemoverwhelmingtosomepeople.Justbepatientandreflectononeatatime,ifthats
easier.Keepyourpurposeinmind,though.How
elsec
ouldyoureallyhelpyourselfclarifyyourcorevaluesand
conceptionofvirtue?

Praiseworthy versus Desirable versus Healthy

Heresanothervaluesclarificationexercise,basedonStoicEthics.TheStoicsbelievedthatvirtuewas
fundamentallysynonymouswithanumberofotherqualities,whichgenerallyfallundertwobroadheadings:

1. Virtueis
healthy
,beneficial,rewarding,helpful,orgoodforus

2. Virtueis
honourable,
meaningadmirable,praiseworthy,andevenbeautiful

Thesearesimilartowhatsmeanttodaybysomethingbeingtherapeuticandmoral,anditcomesasasurprise
tomanypeoplethatthesetwodimensionsoflifearesocloselyentwinedinStoicEthics.

Forinstance,hereEpictetusarguesthatweall,onreflection,sharethepreconceptionofvirtueassomethingboth
beneficialandpraiseworthy.

Forwhichofusdoesnottakeitthatagoodthingisadvantageousandworthyofbeingchosen,and
somethingweshouldseekandpursueineverycircumstance.Whichofusdoesnottakeitthatjusticeis
somethinghonourableandfitting?(
Discourses,
1.22)

Hegoesontosaythathebelieveswecanallagree,atleastinbroadstrokes,thatevilissomethingharmful
andtobethoroughlyavoidedinlife.Again,letsnotassumetheStoicswerecorrectbuttrytoexplorethe
questionfurtherforourselves.Whetherornotweagreewiththem,orevenarriveatafirmconclusion,thiswill
probablybeavaluablephilosophicalexercise...

Drawup
threecolumns
onasheetofpaper,headeddesirable,healthy,andpraiseworthy.Itsimportanttodo
thecolumnsoneatatime.Startwiththefirstquestionbelowandtrytomakealistinthefirstcolumn,then
proceedtocompletetheothertwocolumnsbasedontheremainingquestions.

1. Desirable
:Whatthingsdoyoufindmost
desirable
inlifeorspendmosttimepursuing?
2. Healthy
:Whatdoyouthinkarethe
healthiest
charactertraitsapersoncanpossess?Forexample,what
qualitiesmightmakesomeoneemotionallyresilientandcontributetomentalhealth?
3. Praiseworthy
:Whatqualitiesdoyoufindmost
admirable
orpraiseworthyinotherpeople?Considerreal
peopleyouknow,historicalfigures,orevenfictionalorlegendarycharacters.

Nowpausetoconsideryourlists.Arethequalitiesinthethreecolumnsthesame?Ifnot,whyaretheydifferent?
Whatarethemainqualitiesthatmightbeboth
healthy
and
praiseworthy
?Whatwouldhappenifyoualso
desired
themmorethananythingelseandsoughtthemoutconsistentlyinyourlife?

Youmaywanttoreturntothisexercisethroughouttheweek,andgiveyourselftimetokeepexploringitfrom
differentperspectives.

Valued Living & Activity Scheduling

Clarifyingyourvaluesisultimatelyprettypointlessunlessyoure
acting
inaccordwiththem,andthatoftenmeans
changingyourbehaviour,whichcantakecourageandselfdiscipline.

Trytothinkofspecificwaysinwhichyoucanlivemoreconsistentlyinaccordwithyourcorevalues.Mostpeople
findthattheyneedtoidentifyquitespecificactivitiesinordertoactuallychangeanything.However,youmayfind
ithelpfultobrainstormalistofbothgeneralstrategiesorcategoriesofthingsyoucando,suchasspendingmore
timewithyourchildren,andveryspecificactivitiesthatwouldfallunderthoseheadings,suchaspreparinglunch
together.Youmayalsowanttoconsidertwowaysoflivinginaccordwithvaluesorvirtues:

1. Acting
consistentlywithavirtue,suchaswaysofexhibitingwisdomorfairnessinyouractions,etc.
2. Cultivating
avirtuewithinyourself,suchasspendingtimereadingaboutgoodrolemodelsormeditatingon
whatitmeanstobeagoodfriendorparent,etc.


Itmayalsobethatyoure
alreadyacting
inwaysthatareveryconsistentwithyourcorevaluesbutnevertheless
failingtomaketheconnectioninyourmind.Beingconsciousofthelinkbetweenyouractionsandvaluescanbe
veryimportantforsomepeople,otherwisewecaneasilylosesightoftheultimatereasonforouractions,
why
weredoingthethingswedoeachday.Regainingtheconnectionbetweenouractionsandvaluescanmake
subtlebutimportantdifferencestothewaywegoaboutdoingthings.Forexample,youmayworkonacomputer
alldaybecauseyourcircumstancesmakethisaprudentwaytosupportyourfamilyandyouconsiderthatpartof
beingagoodspouseorparent.Itmaybeeasytolosesightofthatcorevalue,though,andallowthetaskandits
externalgoals,suchasfinishingworkontime,topredominate.

Eachmorningplan
atleastonespecificactivity
thatyoucanengageinthatwillallowyoutolivemoreconsistently
inaccordwithyourcorevalues,andbethepersonyouwanttobeinlife.Thisweeksaudiorecordingwillhelp
youtodothat.Attheendoftheday,youllbereviewinghowwellyouvedonebyratingyourselfintermsofyour
corevaluesorvirtues.Rememberthatthisusuallyconsistsinmaking
verysmallstepst
obeginwithasmall
practicalchangecanoftenhaveabigsignificanceinlife.

TheStoicsemployedanimportantpsychologicalstrategycalledthereserveclause,whichconsistedof
undertakingeveryactionwiththeimplicitcaveat:ifnothingpreventsme.(Sometimes,intheologicallanguage
theywouldsayFatepermittingorGodwilling.)Thatsbecausewecantguaranteethatwellsucceedandour
futureactionsandtheiroutcomesarethereforeviewedwithdetachedindifference,asmerelypreferred.In
practice,thismeansweshouldbepreparedinadvancetoacceptfailurewithequanimity.AstheStoicslikedto
pointout,obstaclesorsetbackstovirtuousactionmerelyprovide
anotheropportunityt
oexerciseadifferentsortof
virtue,suchaspatience,perseverance,orStoicacceptance.NoticethatthisisyetanotherformofthebasicStoic
distinctionwemetinWeekOne,betweenthingsuptousandthingsnot.Ourintentionandcommitmenttoactin
acertainwayisuptous,butwhethernotwe
succeed
maybepartlydowntoexternalcircumstances.

How
else
mightyouhelpyourselftoliveeachdaymoreconsistentlyinaccordwithyourconceptionofvirtue?You
canshareyourideaswithothersinthediscussionforum.

SelfMonitoring
Inadditiontothetallyyourekeepingofunhealthyfeelingsanddesires,youregoingtosimplyaddanothervery
quickandeasymeasure.Attheendofeachday,giveyourself
marksoutoftenforvirtue
!

Thatmightsoundverysimplisticbutitactuallyworksquitewellinpracticeasaroughsubjectivemeasure.You
canalwaysmaketheprocessmoresophisticatedifyouwantbyratingyouractionsinspecificsituationsorgiving
yourselfa
percentage
scoreacrossseveraldifferentcharacterstrengths,suchasintegrity,selfdiscipline,and
friendship,etc.However,tobeginwith,youmayfinditsufficestousethesimplestapproachandjustrate
yourselffrom010.Youllfindthismucheasiertodo,ofcourse,ifyoumanagedtosetspecificgoalsforyourself
inthemorningandreviewedyouractionsattheendoftheday.Nevertheless,wedlikeeveryonetotrytorate
themselvesinthiswayattheendofeachday.

Thinkofthisasakindoflearningcycle,consistingofthreestages:

1. Beginning:
Preparingeachmorningbyplanningwhatyouregoingtododifferently,toactinaccordwith
virtue,andpreparingtoacceptsetbackswithequanimity.

2. Middle:
Actingasbestyoucaninaccordwiththeplanyouvecreated,andrecallingthelinkbetweenyour
actionsandcorevaluesthroughouttheday,mindfulofhowthingsaregoinginthehereandnow.
3. End:
Reviewinghowthingswenteachevening,ratingyourprogress,andconsideringwhatyoucanlearn
fromyourexperienceandwhereimprovementsmightbemade.

Settinggoalsandratingconsistencywithyourmostimportantvirtuesattheendofeachdayisapowerfulwayof
remainingconnectedwithasenseofvalueandpurposeinlife,aswellasidentifyingareasforimprovement.It
shouldhelpyoutopausemoreoftenthroughoutthedayandaskyourself:Howdoesthisfitwithmycore
values?Likewise,peopleoftenreportthatanticipatingthereviewofhowwelltheydidattheendoftheday
makesthemmoremindfuloftheircharacterandactions,frommomenttomoment.Sofromnowon,torecap,
youregoingtokeepatallyofyournegativethoughts,feelings,oractionsthebadhabitsyouwanttochange
butyourealsogoingtorateyouractionsoutoftenonapositivescale,measuringhowwellyouveactedinthe
serviceofyourcorevalues.

However,sometimesyoumayfindthatyoustruggletothinkofspecificchangestoyourbehaviouroractivitiesyou
couldengageintomakebetteruseofyourtimeeachday,inlinewithyourcorevalues.Inthatcase,aswellsee,
youmaywanttosetasidetimesimplytoconnectwithyourcorevaluesthroughmeditationbycontemplatingthe
natureofvirtue.Thatssomethingweregoingtoaskyoutodoatleastonceeachdayanyway,inyourdaily
meditationpractice...

Daily Exercise
Thisexercisewillhelpyouconnectwithyourfundamentalvaluesbycontemplatingthenatureofvirtue,inthe
Stoicsense.Youshoulddothisatleastonceperdayduringthisweek,althoughyoumaywanttodoitmoreoften
orcontinuethroughouttherestofthecourse.

ContemplationofVirtue
Wecancallthiscontemplatingvirtueorcontemplatingthegood.Itsbasedonaverysimpleand
generalpurposetechniquedevelopedbyProf.HerbertBenson,atHarvardMedicalSchool.Itsbeenfound
effectiveasamethodofphysiologicalrelaxationinanumberofscientificstudies,althoughweregoingtouseit
moreforits
contemplative
value.TheBensontechniquemainlyinvolvesrepeatingawordinyourmindeachtime
youexhale.Itseemsthatanywordwilldo,youcouldjustrepeatthenumberone.However,youmaywishto
repeatawordthatrelatestoyourStoicpractice.PerhapstheEnglishwordgoodoraGreekwordlike
aret

(virtue)couldbecomeyourcentringdevice,thethingyoufocusyourattentionupon,duringmeditation.

1. Adoptacomfortableposition,closeyoureyes,andtakeafewminutestorelax,e.g.,sitinachairwithboth
feetflatonthefloorandyourhandsrestingonyourlap.
2. Whenyourereadytobeing,focusyourattentiononyourbreathing,breathenaturally,andmentallyrepeat
thewordgood,orsomeotherwordofyourchoosing,eachtimeyouexhale.
3. Repeatthisforabout1015minutes,orlongerifyouprefer.
4. Donttrytoblockoutdistractionsbutsimplynoticewhenthoughtsorfeelingsintrudeoryourmindnaturally
wanders,andgentlyreturnyourattentiontotheexerciseasifyouresayingSowhat?

Bensonsresearchsuggestedthatthisattitudeof
detachedacceptancet
owarddistractionswasoneofthemost
importantfactorsinmeditation.Duringthisexercise,contemplatewhichaspectsofyourconsciousexperience
are
underyourdirectcontrol
andwhicharenot.Practiceaccepting,withStoicindifference,anyintrusive
thoughtsorfeelings(impressions)thatautomaticallypopintoyourmind.

BreathingwithVirtue
Heresan
alternative
contemplativeexercise,youmaywishtotry.Letscallthisbreathingwithvirtue...

Thisexerciseinvolvessittingquietlyandcomfortably,withyoureyeseitheropenorclosed.Take34
minutes,ormore,tocontemplatethe
meaning
ofvirtue,oryourmostimportantcorevalues.
Howcouldyouflourishintermsofyourcharacter?Whatwoulditmeanforyoutoimproveasahuman
beingandbecomemorelikethetypeofpersonyouaspiretobecome?
Ifithelps,youcanimaginethatwitheachinhalationofbreathyouredrawingmoreofthepositivequality
youwanttopossessintothecoreofyourbeingandwitheachexhalationitsradiatingthroughyourbody,
andpermeatingthroughyouractions,andbeingexpressedtowardtheworldaroundyou.
Forexample,youmightimaginedrawingmorecourageintoyourbodyandmindoneachinbreathand
strengtheningthatqualityinyourcharacter,whileimaginingthatoneachoutbreathyourefeelingmore
courageoustowardexternaleventsandotherpeopleinyourlife,andmoreabletoactthatway.
Likewise,youmaywishtoimaginethatyourebreathinglikesomeonewiththevirtueyouwanttopossess,
ifthatmakessense.Forexample,youcouldimaginethatyoucanfeelcourageslowlyspreadingintothe
rhythmandpatternofyourbreathingandyourbodilyposture,facialexpression,etc.

Dontworryifthatdoesntseemnaturaltoyou,asyoucanalwaystryanotherapproachofyourown.Themain
thingisthatyoutaketimetoconnectwithyourvalues,andcontemplatetheirmeaning,evenifthatsintheformof
symbolicimagery.

Download Audio Recording

ThisshortMP3recordingencouragesyoutoprepareforthedayaheadbyplanningactionsandgoalsconsistent
withyourcorevalues,andpreparingtoacceptsetbackswithStoicequanimity.Trytolistentoitatleastonce,but
preferablyeachmorning,ifpossible.

ItsmeantasaremindertoprepareforthedayaheadandbrieflymentionsaselectionofStoictechniquesyoucan
choosebetween:

1. Thinkofthesunrisingandthecosmologicalperspectiveatthestartoftheday,tohelpyouputthings
withinalargerperspective.
2. Imaginelifeasafestival,somethingtobeappreciatedfrommomenttomoment,butacceptedastransient
andfinite.
3. Calmlyandrationallyplanyourdayahead,inaccordwithyourcorevaluesandconceptionofvirtue.
4. Planyourpreferences,fatepermitting,acceptingthepossibilityoffailure,eventheworstcasescenario,
withtheStoicreserveclauseinmind.
5. ImaginerespondingtoeventswiththeStoiccardinalvirtues(oryourownconceptionofvirtue).
6. Meetadversitybyaskingyourselfwhatresourcesnaturehasgivenyoutoriseabovethemandmakethe
bestofthesituation.
7. ConsiderhowawisephilosopherlikeSocratesorZeno,oranyoneexhibitingvirtue,mighthandlethings.

What Next?
CongratulationsoncompletingthelessonforWeekTwo.Nowit'stimetostartputtingthingsinto
practice!

Youshouldstartusingthetechniquescoveredrightnow,ifpossible,andcontinuewiththemeachdaythroughout
thefollowingweek.Ifyouthinkyoumighthaveanyproblemsadheringtothedailypractices,orneedany
clarification,getintouchrightawaywiththecoursefacilitator.

However,yourfirststepshouldbetovisittheDiscussionForum,assoonasyou'reready,andpostyourthoughts
onthequestionforthisweek:

Whatconstitutestruehumanvirtueormakesapersongenuinelyadmirable?Whatqualitiesmightdefine
someone'scharacterastrulygoodorbad?

Asyouthinkthisover,considerhowevenasimpleactlikeansweringthisquestionandcommentingonthe
forumsmightrelatetoyourpersonalconceptionofvirtue.Howcouldyourinteractionwithothersbemade
completelyinharmonywithyourowncorevalues?

Here'sasecondquestionforyoutoconsider,anddiscuss,ifyouwant:

Whatstherelationshipbetweenwhatstrulyhealthyorbeneficialforyouandwhatsgenuinely
praiseworthy?Howdothesecomparetowhatsdesirableorworthchoosingtopursueinlife?

GotothecourseDiscussionForumnowandlookforthetopicentitled"WeekTwoQuestion.Whenyou'vedone
that,takealookatsomeoftheOptionalExtrasinthissection.Inadayorsoyoullalsogetafollowupmessage
viatheforumaskingforanupdateonhowyouregettingonwiththedailypractices.

Ifthere'sanythingwhatsoeveryoucouldusehelpwith,eithertechnicalstufforthecoursecontent,pleasedon't
hesitatetoemailthecoursefacilitator.

Introduction
WelcometoWeekThreeofStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining!

Welldone,youvemadeittothethirdweek.Nowyou'rereadytodeepenyourunderstandingofStoicpractices.

Thissectioninvolveslearningtosuspendvaluejudgementswhentheyariseandviewingautomaticimpressions
withgreaterpsychologicaldetachment.Itwillintroducetheconceptof"cognitivedistancing"frommodern
psychologytohelpusinterpretoneoftherecurringthemesinStoicism:thepracticeofremindingourselvesthat
ourimpressionsarejustthoughtsandnotthesameastheexternalthingstheyrepresent.

You'vealreadytoucheduponthisconceptinWeekOnewhenyoutrainedyourselftogroundyourattentioninthe
"hereandnow".Thistimeyou'regoingtobuilduponthatfoundationbylearningtochoosevoluntarilywhentoset
asidethoughtsandwhentoreturntothinkingaboutthem,ratherthansimplygoingalongwithyourinitial,
automaticimpressions.

We'realsogoingtoreturnonceagaintothebasicdistinctionbetweenwhat's"uptous"andwhatisnot.Thistime
you'llbelookingatwaystohelpyourselfmakethatdistinctionevenwhenchallengingsituationsorstrongfeelings
anddesiresthreatentoderailyourpractice.

Overview of Week Three

ThisistheoverallplanforWeekThree...

1. Lesson
.ThisweekslessonreturnstothethemeofStoicmindfulnessandexploresitfurther,building
uponyourattunementtothehereandnowandaddingstrategiesforgainingcognitivedistanceby
takingastepbackfromyourautomaticthoughts,followingadvicegivenbyEpictetus.
2. Dailyexercise.
Youregoingtoadaptasimplemeditationtechniqueusedinmodernbehaviourtherapy,
sometimescalledleavesonastream,totrainyourselfinsomeofthepsychologicalskillsdescribedby
theancientStoics.
3. Audiorecording.
Thisisashort(6min.)guidedeveningcontemplativeexercise,thatbuildsonyour
practicefromlastweek,byencouragingyoutoreviewasummaryofthedayseventsfromadetached
perspective,asdescribedbySeneca.
4. Selfmonitoring.
Aswellasratingyourconsistencywithyourcorevalueseachday,yourealsogoingto
trytokeeptrack,asobjectivelyaspossible,ofhowmuchtimeyouactuallyspendonunhealthytrainsof
thoughtoractivities.
5. Discussionquestions.
Whatarethebenefitsofrecallingwhat'sunderyourcontrolandwhatisn'tin
difficultsituations?Whatwouldbethelongtermconsequencesofblurringthisdistinction?
6. Optionalextras!
You'llfindavarietyofadditionalmaterialsinWeekThree,belowthislesson.

Asalways,ifthere'sanythingyoudon'tunderstandorgetstuckwith,letusknowimmediately,bypostingonthe
CourseDiscussionForumoremailingthecoursefacilitator,andwe'lldoourverybesttohelpyou.

The Basic Concept

ThisweekyoullbedeepeningyourunderstandingofStoicMindfulnessbyreturningtosomeofthethemesin
WeekOneandbuildingontheskillsyouvedeveloped.TheStoicsbelievedthatwemusttrainourselvestomake

acleardistinctionbetweenthingsuptousandthingsnot.Whenwedothethingsuptouswell,andactwisely,
thatsvirtue,whichtheStoicsconsideredthemost
important
thinginlife.Infact,theybelievedthatvirtueisthe
onlytruegoodandthatexternalevents,includingtheoutcomeofouractions,should,atmost,bepreferred,or
soughtlightlyandinasomewhatdetachedmanner,becausetheyrenotentirelyunderourcontrol.
Stoicsnaturallyfocustheirattentiononthehereandnowbecauseonlyouractionsinthepresentmomentare
uptousitstoolatetochangethepastandthefuturehasnthappenedyet.Themostimportantthinginlife,
ourabilitytoactwithvirtue,residessquarelyinthepresentmoment,inotherwords.However,ifwetrytoremain
groundedinthepresentmoment,asyoudidduringWeekOne,itssoonapparentthatourthoughtsandfeelings
caneasilysweepusawayfromitintothepast,intothefuture,orintotherealmoffantasy.Whenwespotthisand
bringourattentionbacktothepresentmoment,somethingstrangehappensWeshiftfromthinkingWhatifxyz
happens?tothinkingRightnowInoticeImhavingthethoughtWhatifxyzhappens?Thatsasubtlebut
incrediblyimportantdifference.Inotherwords,weshiftfromlookingattheworldthroughthelensofourthoughts
tolookingatourthoughts,asiftheywereobjects.Epictetusappearstotakethisdistinctionforgranted.For
example,hesays:
Thereforetrainyourselfwithouthesitationtosayinresponsetoeveryharshappearancethatyouare
[merely]anappearanceandinnowaythethingappearing.Epictetus,
Handbook,
1
Themapisnottheterritory,asAlfredKorzybskiputit.Thoughtsarenotfacts.Thisabilitytotakeastepbackfrom
ourthoughtsandviewthemobjectivelyiscalledcognitivedistancinginmodernpsychologyandtheresavery
largevolumeofevidencenowshowingitsvalueformentalhealth.Considerthedifferencebetweenbeing
completelylostinastoryandpausingtonoticeinstead
how
thestoryisbeingtold:thetoneofvoice,thewords,
thepace,etc.,ofthestorytelling.Whatifworry,forinstance,werelikeastorywetellourselves?Wecanchoose
whethertoloseourselvesinthestoryofworryorwhethertopayattentioninsteadofthe
way
inwhichwe're

worrying,asit'shappening,howlongwe'respendingonit,thelanguagewe'reusing,etc.Whenwegaindistance
fromthoughtsinthisway,theygenerallyhavefarlessholdoverourfeelings.
ThoughtsarejustimpressionsasEpictetusputsit,andnottobeconfusedwiththingsthemselves.Forthe
Stoics,thisisespeciallyimportantwhenitcomestothoughtscontainingvaluejudgementsandassociated
feelings.ThisisparticularlyaconcernforStoicswhenwegettheautomaticimpressionthatsomethingnotupto
us,orunderourdirectcontrol,issupremelyimportantinlife,andweallowouremotionsanddesirestobeswept
alongwiththatinitialimpressionratherthanquestioningitfromaphilosophicalperspective.Hence,themost
famouspassageintheStoic
Handbook
says:
Itisnotthingsthemselvesthatupsetusbutourjudgementsaboutthesethings.Epictetus,
Handbook
,5
Thatquoteactuallybecameoneofthefundamentalslogansofmoderncognitivetherapy.Clientsweretaughtitin
theirfirsttherapysessionandaskedtothinkaboutitsmeaning.Itprovidedafoundationforeverythingthat
followedbutrecentresearchhassuggestedthatthisattitudeofcognitivedistance,viewingourownthoughts
moreobjectively,maybeoneofthemostimportantfactorsdeterminingthe
outcome
ofpsychotherapy.For

ancientStoics,thiskindofcognitivedistancewasawayoflife,though.Thisweekyourselfmonitoringanddaily

exercisesaregoingtofocusongeneratinggreatercognitivedistance,inawaythatdrawsdirectlyonancient
Stoicism.

Some Examples
Thisideaofcognitivedistancecanbetrickyatfirstsoletsexploreitinalittlebitmoredetail.Onceyougrasp
thebasicidea,itsactuallyquitesimple.Oneofthemostcommonanalogyusedbytherapistsisthattheroleof
valuejudgementsislikewearingcolouredspectacles.IfIlookattheworldthroughyellowlensestheneverything
looksasifitsyellowbutthatsjustanappearanceandnotthewaythingsareinthemselves.Icanalsotakethe
glassesoffandlookatthem,asanobject,insteadoflookingthroughthem.Thatslikepausingtoobserveour
thoughtsandjudgementswithdetachmentratherthanblendingthemwithexternalreality.

Aswesaw,Epictetussaidthatitsnot(external)thingsthatupsetus,butour(value)judgementsaboutthings,i.e.,
ourjudgementthatwhatbefallsusis
more
importantthanhowwerespond.TheStoicswouldsaythatexternal
eventsthatbefallusare,bycontrast,indifferent,ortrivial,andthatwhatreallymattersisthewaywecopeand
thetypeofpersonwebecome.Thisstrategyofgainingdistancefromourinitialimpressionsratherthanbeing
sweptalongbythemisrecommendedtoStoicstudentsquitefrequentlythroughoutEpictetus
Discourses
and
Handbook
.Hereareafewmoreexamples:

Donotbecarriedawaybytheimpressionofsomeoneelsesgoodfortune,iftheyachievewealthorstatus
insteadremindyourselfthattheonlygoodthatcanbefallyouisinnerfreedomandthatiswithinyourown
powertoachieve,ifyoucanlookdownonexternalthingswithindifference.(Handbook,19)
Evenifyouwitnessabadomen,likearavencroaking,donotbesweptawaybytheappearanceof
prophesiedmisfortunesremindyourselfthatmisfortunescanonlybepredictedforyourbodyoryour
propertybutyourmindisalwaysavailabletoturnitintogoodfortune,internally,byrespondingwithvirtue.
(Handbook,18)
Whenyouseesomeoneelseinmiserydonotbesweptalongbytheimpressionthatsomecatastrophe
hasbefallenhimremindyourselfthatitisnotthethingitselfbuthisjudgementthatupsetshimotherwise
otherswouldbeaffectedinthesameway.(Handbook,16)

Inotherwords,dontbecarriedawaybyyourinitialimpressionsbutpause,takeastepback,andrealisethat
youreprojectingvaluesontosomethingthat,initself,ismerelyafact.Trytoseparateyourvaluejudgementsand
emotionsfromthethingstheyreferto.Moderntherapistsdosomethingsimilarbytellingclientstoshiftfrom
saying(orthinking)thisiscatastrophictosayingIm
catastrophising
thingsImjudgingittobecatastrophic
althoughsomeoneelsemightjudgeitdifferently.

Throughoutthenextweek,trytodistinguishbetweenyourjudgementsandexternalevents,toviewyourthoughts
inamoredetachedandobjectiveway,almostasifyouwereapsychologistobservingthethoughtprocessesof
anotherperson,asubjectinaresearchstudy,andnoticinghowtheirthoughts,feelingsandactionsmightbe
interactingandinfluencingoneanother,etc.Thisisnotunliketheattitudepeopleexperienceduringcertainforms
ofmeditationandyoucanrefertoitasanotheraspectoftheStoicmindfulnessyourecultivatingthroughoutthis
course.

Daily Exercise
ThisisanexerciseadaptedfromamodernthirdwaveformofCBTcalledAcceptanceandCommitmentTherapy
(ACT).However,itprovidesagoodwaytopracticesomeofthepsychologicalskillsthattheancientStoics
described.Thefoundationofwisdomandvirtue,accordingtoEpictetus,istomakethecorrectuseofour
impressions,andthisbeginswithourbeingabletospotthemwithoutbeingcarriedawaybythem,often
postponinganyresponseuntillater.Thisexerciseislikewisedesignedtoimproveyourabilitytonoticeautomatic
thoughts(impressions)andletgoofthem,ratherthangoingalongwiththem,andbeingsweptawaybyunhealthy
feelingsordesires.Thinkofitasawayofexercisingandstrengtheningthebasiccognitiveskillsrequired
throughoutthedayifyouretoretainyourStoicmindfulnessthroughoutothersituations,likedoingsitupseach
morning.

Readthestepsbelowcarefullythenpauseforafewminutestotrytheexercisebeforecontinuingwiththelesson.
Throughoutthisweek,wedlikeyoutopracticethismeditationatleastonceperday

LeavesonaStream
1. Closeyoureyesandsitinacomfortableposition,takeamomenttorelaxandsettledownasyoubeginto
observeyourstreamofconsciousnessmoreclosely.
2. Pictureaslowlyflowingstreamorriverthiscanbeamemoryoranimageyouvemadeup.Imaginethat
itsautumnandthereareafewleavesfallingintheriverandbeingslowlysweptpastyouandoff
downstream.Imagineyoureobservingthingsfromadistance,fromhighuponthebankorabridge
overhead.Thisgivesyousomethingtokeepbringingyourattentionbackto.
3. Itsnaturalthatfromtimetotimeyourattentionwillwanderorotherthoughtsandfeelingswill
spontaneouslypopintoyourmind.Ratherthaninterpretingtheseasdistractionsandstrugglingtoprevent
them,justacceptyourautomaticthoughts(orimpressions)asnormalandharmless,viewthemwith
indifference,andincorporatethemintotheexerciseasfollows.
4. Whenathoughtintrudes,oryourmindwanders,justcatchitasearlyaspossible,andbringyourattention
backgentlytotheimageoftheriverratherthanallowingyourattentiontobesweptalongwiththecontent
ofthethoughtorassociationsittriggersinyourmind.
5. Turnthethoughtintoanobject.Forexample,ifwordscrossyourmind,imaginetheyrewrittendownona
slipofpaperifamemoryorimagepopsintoyourmind,turnitintoaphotographifafeelingorbodily
sensationgrabsyourattention,pictureitasacolourorshape.
6. Nowplacethatobjectononeoftheleaves,outthere,atadistancefromyou,ontheriver,andjustletgo
ofit,andallowittodriftnaturallydownstream,untiliteventuallydisappearsfromview.
7. Keepcatchingyourautomaticthoughtsorimpressionsearly,turningthemintoobjects,puttingthemon
leaves,atadistance,andlettinggoofthem,inthisway.Evenifthesamethoughtsorfeelingskeep
poppingbackintoyourmind,thatsabsolutelyfine,justkeeprespondinginthesameway.

Youshouldkeepdoingthisforroughlyfiveminuteseachday,ormoreifyouwant.Itsimportantthatyoudont
approachthisasawaytoavoidorgetridofyourautomaticthoughts,asiftheyweresomethingbad.Rather,
yourgoalistofocusonacknowledgingand
accepting
anythingthatautomatically

entersyourstreamof
consciousness,withasenseofdetachedindifference.

Ideally,youreneithergrabbingontothesethoughtsnortryingtopushthemaway,butallowingthemtofade
naturallyfromthemind,intheirowntime.TheStoicsbelievedthatimpressionsoccurautomaticallyinthemind
andthattheseareinherentlyindifferentbutthatourresponsetothemisthemostimportantthinginlife.

SelfMonitoring
WesawearlierhowEpictetusadvisedhisstudentstokeepadailycountofhowmanytimestheydbeen
overwhelmedbyunhealthythoughtsandfeelings.Aslightvariationonthatstrategyistokeeptrackofhowmuch
timeyourespendingeachdayengagedinactivitiesortrainsofthoughtthatareunhealthyorundesirable.For
example,howmuchtimedoyoupotentiallywasteworryingaboutthefutureorruminatingunproductivelyabout
thepast?Howmuchtime,likewise,isspentinunnecessaryorunrewardingactivitiessuchaswatchingtelevision
orbrowsingtheinternet,wherethisissimplykillingtimeorservingasadistractionratherthansomethingyou
genuinelywanttobedoing.Wesaidearlierthatthiscoursewaspartlyaboutsavingtimeandsimplifyingyourlife.
Monitoringhowmuchtimeyouspendwastefullyisoneofthemainwaysyoucanpotentiallychangeyour
behaviourtomakebetteruseofeachday.

Worryandruminationareparticularlycommontimewasters,whichmodernpsychologiststendtounderstandas
follows:

WorryingconsistsofprolongedchainsofcatastrophicWhatif?thoughtsaboutthe
future
,whichcause
excessanxiety,leadingtofrustratingandunproductiveattemptsatproblemsolving.
RuminationconsistsofprolongedchainsofunanswerableWhy?questionsaboutthepersonalmeaning
of
past
events,whichtendtoleadtoselfcriticism,underminingselfworth,andleadingtofeelingsoflow
mood.

Itsusefultothinkaboutproblemsifwecanarriveatasolution,orlearnsomething,butnotifourthoughtsjustgo
roundinterminablyincircles,asthisoftenleadstoescalatingfrustrationanddespair.Peopletendtosaythey
losetrackoftimewhenlostintheirthoughtsorindistractingactivitiessuchaswatchingtelevision,andthat
usuallymeanstheyvelosttouchwiththehereandnowandmindfulnessoftheirownactions.Bringingour
attentionbacktothepresentmomentandthewaywereusingourmindcanhelpustosnapoutofthemindless,
hypnotictranceofworryordistraction.Onewayofhelpingyourselftodothisistolearntotrackhowmuchtime
haselapsedwhileyouvebeendwellingonsomethoughtorengagedinsomeactivityofquestionablevalue.

Throughoutthenextweek,supplementyourexistingselfawarenessandselfmonitoringbytrackinghowmuch
timeyouspendworryingeachday,orengagedinotherunhealthyorunproductiveactivities.Youcanchoosehow
youdothis.Youmightmakeanestimateattheendofeachday,ofthepercentageoftimethatyouspentpoorly.
Alternatively,youmightactuallykeepacloserrecordbycreatingasheetwithonesectionforeachhouroftheday
andnotingdown,asfrequentlyaspossible,howmanyminutesduringeachhourwerespentbadly,onworryor
distractions,etc.Asalways,dont
blame
yourselfforlapses,justtrytobecomemoreawareofthem,andnotice
anypatternstothem.Whatspastispast,andindifferentfromtheStoicperspective.Yourgoalistobecome
moreawareoftheearlywarningsignsinthehereandnowandtovoluntarilysnapoutofmindlessactivitiesor
trainsofthoughtwhenyouchoosetodoso.

Itsimportantthatyoudontdothisby
struggling
againstyourthoughtsandfeelingsandtryingtoforcefully
suppressthemorblockthemfromyourmind,asiftheywerebad.Rather,practiceviewingyourownthoughts
andactionsobjectively,takingastepbackfromthem,andsimplyrefrainingfromgoingalongwiththemany
further.Theleavesonastreamexercisewillbeagreathelpinlearningtodothis.Youshouldalsofindthatat
firstitsdifficulttospothowmuchtimeyouspendlostinthoughtpreciselybecauseyoulosetrackoftime.
However,ifyoupersevereandmaketheefforttotrackhowyouspendyourtime,youllgraduallyfinditbecomes
easierandyoulldevelopgreaterselfawarenessbydoingso.

Worry Postponement
Whenworry,rumination,orothertroublingthoughtsgrabourattentionforprolongedperiods,itcanbedifficultto
stopthem.However,Epictetusdescribesdealingwithintrusivethoughtsinawaythatssimilartoa
highlyeffectivemodernpsychologicalstrategyusedinbehaviourtherapy,calledthestimuluscontrolmethodor
worrypostponement.Researchhasshownthatordinarystudentswhoemployedthisstrategyforafewweeks
wereabletoroughlyhalfthefrequency,intensity,anddurationofupsettingworry/rumination.

Epictetustellshisstudentsrepeatedlythattheyshouldspotautomaticthoughtsandfeelings(impressions)when
theyariseandrefrainfromallowingthemselvestobesweptalongwiththem.Hegivesseveraldifferentcoping
strategies,includingpostponingordelayingrespondingtothemuntillater,onceyourfeelingshavesettleddown
andyouremoreabletothinkthingsthroughcalmlyandphilosophically,withmindfulnessanddetachment.Thisis
animportantstrategybecauseworryoftenappearstobeanattempttosolverealproblems,sopeoplehavemixed
feelingsaboutwhetherornottocontinuedwellingontheirworries.However,thehealthyresponseappearstobe
onethatsaysIfthisisreallyimportant,IllchoosetothinkaboutitwhenImready,ratherthanallowingittohijack
mytrainofthought.Itsperfectlynaturaltopostponethinkingaboutproblems.Wedothiswhentryingtogoto
sleepifsomethingpopsintoourmind(Illcomebacktothisinthemorning)orwhenbusywithsomeothertask
thatrequiresourattention(Illthinkaboutthislater,whenIvefinishedwhatImdoing).Somepeoplefindit
difficulttosetasidethoughtstemporarily,though,andthatcanmakethemmorevulnerabletoemotional
disturbance,e.g.,theymaylieawakeatnightworryingaboutthings.(Themiddleofthenight,whenyoure
halfasleep,oftenisnttheoptimumtimeforproblemsolving!)

Theresanotherimportantsituationduringwhichpeopleobviouslyhavetosetasideintrusivethoughtsand
feelingsduring
meditation
.IfImtryingtomeditateandsuddenlyathoughtpopsintomyheadaboutaproblem
atwork,thebestresponseistoacceptitspresenceandviewitinasomewhatdetachedmanner,without
either
goingalongwiththetrainofthoughtorstrugglingtotrytoblockitfrommymind.Psychologistscallthismiddle
waybetweenworryingandsuppressingthoughtscognitivedistancing,asweveseen.Epictetusdescribes
somethingverysimilar:

Thereforetrainyourselfwithouthesitationtosayinresponsetoeveryharshappearancethatyouare
[merely]anappearanceandinnowaythethingappearing.Nextexamineitandevaluateitagainstthese
the[philosophical]rulesandstandardswhichyouhave,butfirstandforemostthis,whetheritconcerns
thingsthatareuptousoritconcernsthosethingsnotuptous.Andifitconcernssomethingthatisnotup
tous,havereadytohandtheanswer:Itisnothingtome.Epictetus,
Handbook,
1

Elsewherehesays:

Bearinmindthatitisnotthemanwhorevilesorstrikesyouthatinsultsyou,butitisyourjudgementthat
thesemenareinsultingyou.Therefore,whensomeoneirritatesyou,beassuredthatitisyourown
opinionthathasirritatedyou.Andsomakeityourfirstendeavournottobecarriedawaybythe
impressionforifonceyougaintimeandrespite,youwillmoreeasilybecomemasterofyourself.
Epictetus,
Handbook
,20

Thiswasactuallyquiteawellknownstrategyinancientphilosophyandsimilarmethodsweresometimesused
then,andnow,todealwithangerbytakingatimeoutfromthesituationuntilthefeelingshavenaturallyabated,
andthenreturningtoproblemsolvethingsmorerationallylater.

Throughoutthenextweek,wedlikeyoutospotwhenyourebeingsweptawaybyunrulyfeelingsandtotakea
stepbackfromyourthoughts,asyoudidintheLeavesonaStreammeditation.Agreewithyourself,if
appropriate,topostponethinkingabouttheissueuntilafixedtimelaterintheday,perhapsduringyourEvening
Meditationroutine,whenyoucangiveityourfullattentionandevaluateitmorecalmlyandphilosophically.As
Epictetussays,thefirstquestiontoaskyourselfwhendoingthisis:Dothesefeelingsconcernsomethingthats
undermydirectcontrolornot?Next,asheadvises,youshouldconsiderthemostvirtuouswaytorespond,in
accordwithyourowncorevalues.Again,Epictetusmentionsthatitcanbehelpfulwhendoingthistoaskyourself
whattheidealStoicwiseman(orwoman)woulddointhesamesituationor,asheputsit,whatSocratesorZeno
woulddo,toprovideyourselfwitharolemodel.It'simportantthatyouunderstandworrypostponementisabout
learningtotakechargeofwhenyoupickuporputdownthoughts,andnotanexcusetoeitheravoidthinking
aboutproblemsortodwellonthemmorbidly.Youraimistopicktherighttime,whenyou'reinthebestframeof
mind,andthentackleproblemswithgreaterpatienceandselfawareness,sothatyoucanthinkthemthrough
rationally,andperhapsarriveatadecision.

Download Audio Recording

ThisshortMP3recordingencouragesyoutoprepareforthedayaheadbyplanningactionsandgoalsconsistent
withyourcorevalues,andpreparingtoacceptsetbackswithStoicequanimity.Trytolistentoitatleastonce,but
preferablyeachmorning,ifpossible.

Someoftheideascovered:
Reviewingyourgoalsandactions,fromacalm,philosophicalperspective.
Reviewingyourconducteachnightinthiswayhelpsyoutobecomemoremindfulduringtheday.
Acceptthingsnotuptoyouwithindifference,evenifyourplanswerethwarted.
Youcannotchangethepast,focusonwhatyoucanlearnrightnow.
Studyyourowncharacterandactionsobjectively,asifstudyingsomeoneelse.
What'spraiseworthyorotherwise?What'shealthyorunhealthy?What'swiseorunwise?
Givingyourselfmarksoutoftenforvirtue.
Keepingatallyorselfmonitoringrecordwillhelp.
Rehearsetruephilosophicalselflove,actinglikeawisecounselororfriendtowardyourself.
Youmaysleepbetterifthisisdonewellasyou'relettinggoofworryandviewingthepastwithindifference.

What Next?
CongratulationsoncompletingthelessonforWeekThree.Nowit'stimetostartputtingthingsinto
practice!

Youshouldstartusingthetechniquescoveredrightnow,ifpossible,andcontinuewiththemeachdaythroughout
thefollowingweek.Ifyouthinkyoumighthaveanyproblemsadheringtothedailypractices,orneedany
clarification,getintouchrightawaywiththecoursefacilitator.

However,yourfirststepshouldbetovisittheDiscussionForum,assoonasyou'reready,andpostyourthoughts
onthequestionforthisweek:

Whatarethebenefitsofrecallingwhat'sunderyourcontrolandwhatisn'tindifficultsituations?What
wouldbethelongtermconsequencesofblurringthisdistinction?

Here'sasecondquestionforyoutoconsider,anddiscuss,ifyouwant:


AretheStoicsrighttosaythatonlyourownactions,inanutshell,aretrulyunderourcontrol?

GotothecourseDiscussionForumnowandlookforthetopicentitled"WeekThreeQuestion.Whenyou've
donethat,takealookatsomeoftheOptionalExtrasinthissection.Inadayorsoyoullalsogetafollowup
messageviatheforumaskingforanupdateonhowyouregettingonwiththedailypractices.

Ifthere'sanythingwhatsoeveryoucouldusehelpwith,eithertechnicalstufforthecoursecontent,pleasedon't
hesitatetoemailthecoursefacilitator.

Introduction
WelcometoweekfourofStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining!

Welldone,youvemadeittothefourthandfinalweek.Thischaptermainlylooksatwaystomaintainyour
wellbeinginthelongtermbyanticipatingfutureadversityandpotentialsetbacksandpreparingyourselftocope
withthemresiliently.

Yourenearingtheendofafourweekcourse,butwhatwillhappennext?Areyousimplygoingtorevertbackto
yourprevioushabitsorwillyoutakeforwardsomeaspectsofwhatyouvelearned?Willyourfuturewaysof
respondingbedifferentfromyourresponsesinthepast?

Itstimenowtoprepareforthefuturebybuildingonwhatyouvelearned.Howcanyouensurethatyou
rememberthemosthelpfulparts,addressanyproblemsorobstaclesyouvestillgottoovercome,andanticipate
anypotentialfuturesetbacks?Pausetoconsiderwhatadviceyoudgivesomeoneelsewhowasnearingtheend
ofthistraining,tohelpensuretheycontinuedtobenefit...

ThepagesthatfollowcontainsomestrategiesderivedfromancientStoicism,combinedwithsomeverygeneric
principlesusedinmodernbehaviouralskillstraining.Inparticular,weregoingtobelookingattheancientStoic
resiliencebuildingtechniquecalledpremeditationofadversity(
praemeditatiomalorum)
.

Overview of Week Four

Theemphasisthisweekisonbringingtogetherwhatyouvelearnedsofar,broadeningitsscopetoapplyacross
differentaspectsofyourdailyroutine,andextendingittohelpprepareforpotentialsetbacksinthefuture.

Thisistheoverallplanforweekfour...

1. Lesson
.Thisweekfocusesongeneralresiliencebuildingandrelapsepreventionorhowtostrengthen
yourStoicMindfulnesstechniquesinadvancetofaceabroadrangeofpotentialfuturesetbacks.
2. Dailyexercise.
Yourdailyexerciseisgoingtochangenowfrombeingasinglesittingmeditationtobeing
amorerapidandfrequentapproach,thatrequiresmindfulnessofyourself,andofyourStoicprinciples,
muchmoreregularlythroughoutthecourseofeachday.
3. Audiorecording.
Thisweekyoullbelisteningtoamoreintensive15minutemeditationrecordingeach
day,onStoicpremeditationofadversity,thatchallengesyoutomindfullyconfrontimaginedfuture
catastrophesorsetbackswhilerehearsingphilosophicalindifference.
4. Selfmonitoring.
Thisweek,insteadofmonitoringyourthoughts,actions,andfeelings,etc.,youregoing
toworkondevelopingablueprintforfutureresilienceandreviewingiteachday,particularlybytryingto
expandyourawarenessoftheearlwarningsignsofemotionaldisturbanceorbadhabits.
5. Discussionquestions.
Whatwouldbetheprosandconsofcontinuallyremembering,whenstartingto
feeldistressedaboutasituationorevent,thatit'snotthingsthatupsetusbutourjudgementsabout
things?
6. Optionalextras!
You'llfindavarietyofadditionalmaterialsinweekfour,belowthislesson.

Inthisfinalweek,itsparticularlyimportantthatyoumakefulluseoftheDiscussionForumandlivechat,if
possible.Thesehavethepotentialtohelpyouresolveanyunansweredquestionsandtackleanyremaining
obstaclesbytalkingthemthroughwithyourfellowstudents.Oftenjusttheprocessofputtingaquestioninto
writingandsharingitcanhelppeoplearriveatanewwayoflookingatthings,andfindtheirownsolution.

However,butthecommentsyoureceivefromotherpeoplecanalsobeextremelyvaluable,especiallyifyoure
abletocontemplatearangeofperspectivesontheissuesyouface.

Asalways,ifthere'sanythingyoudon'tunderstandorgetstuckwith,letusknowimmediately,bypostingonthe
CourseDiscussionForumoremailingthecoursefacilitator,andwe'lldoourverybesttohelpyou.

The Basic Concept

Thefinalstageoftraininginapsychologicalskilloftenconcentrateson:
1. Generalisation
,orapplyingittoawiderandwiderrangeofsituations

2. Relapseprevention
,oranticipatingpotentialsetbacksinthefutureandpreparingfortheminadvance
TheancientStoicswereinterestedinachievingcomprehensiveandlastingpersonaltransformation,soitsnot
surprisingthattheyemployedasimilarapproach.Theydidseektoaddressshorttermemotionalproblems,
somewhatlikewewouldinmoderncounsellingorpsychologicaltherapy,suchascopingwithbereavementor
othertraumaticlifeevents.However,mostofthetime,theirfocuswasonbuildinglongtermpsychological
wellbeingandpreparationforcopingwith
future
setbacks,whichissimilartowhatwecallemotional

resiliencebuildingtoday.Toputitanotherway,Stoicismismorethana
therapy
itsaphilosophyoflife.That
said,evenintheancientworld,manypeoplewereinitiallydrawntoStoicismasawayofcopingwithshortterm

emotionalchallenges,andonlylaterbecameconvincedofthephilosophicaltruthofitsunderlyingdoctrinesand
itsvalueasanactual
wayoflife
.
OneofthebestknownstrategiesemployedinancientStoicismiscalledthepremeditationofadversity
(
praemeditatiomalorum
,inLatin).Thisinvolvestrainingyourselfinadvancetofacefuturemisfortunesor

setbackswithphilosophicalequanimitybyrepeatedlyvisualisingtypicalcatastrophesorlossesasiftheyre
happeningrightnow,whilepractisingStoicequanimity.(WilliamIrvinedescribesasimilartechniqueinhis
bestsellingbookonStoicism,whichhecallsnegativevisualisation,althoughtherationalehepresentsis
somewhatdifferentfromtheancientStoics.)WhattheStoicsdescribehappenstobeverysimilartooneofthe
mostrobustlyestablishedtechniquesinresearchonmodernpsychotherapy,calledimaginalexposure.(Many
differentnamesareusedtodescriberoughlysimilartechniques.)Weknowquitealotnowaboutthe
psychologicalprocessesinvolvedinthisstrategyandthebestwaytomakeitwork.Themostimportantfactis
thatanxietyandmanyothernegativefeelings,generallyspeaking,tendtonaturally
abateo
vertimeifexposureis
repeatedandprolongedenough,andcertaininterferingfactorsareprevented.Psychologistscalltheprocessby
whichanxietynaturallywearsoffhabituation.
Forthepurposesofgeneralresiliencetraining,therefore,wewouldrecommendthatyoupickthethingsyoure
goingtovisualisecarefully,anddontattempttofacesituationsthatseempotentiallyoverwhelming.Startwith
smallthingsandworkyourwayup,inotherwords.(Psychologistscallthisgraduatedexposure.)Dontrush
things.Be
systematic
inyourapproach.TheancientStoicsleftsomecommentsthathinttheymayhavebeen

awareoftheprocessofhabituation.However,theydidntleaveclearinstructionsaboutonekeyfact:theamount
oftimerequired.Intherapy,clientswithclinicallysevereanxietyarenormallyaskedtovisualiseupsettingscenes
forroughly1530minutesatatime,everydayforacoupleofweeksormore.Oneofthemostcommonmistakes
peoplemakeiscuttingthisprocessshort,beforetheirfeelingshavehadtimetofullyabate.Asaroughguide,its

usuallyrecommendedthatyouratetheintensityofyourfeelingsfrom0100%andcontinuetheexercise,each
day,untiltheyvereducedtoatleasthalftheirpeaklevel.Again,ifyoubeginwitheasytargets,mildlyupsetting
events,yourelikelytofindtheprocessofimaginalexposuretakesroughly515minutesorless.However,
practisingmindfulnessstrategiesofthekindyouvealreadybeenlearningcanoftenreducethetimerequired,and
thisvariesconsiderablyfromonepersontoanother.Donttrytoforceyourfeelingstoreduce,though,yourgoal
istoacceptthem,albeitinadetachedmanner,andallowthemtosettledownnaturallyovertime.Itsvery
importantthatyoudontcuttheexerciseshortasdoingsocanoccasionallymakenegativefeelingsworse.You
shouldcontinuetopatientlyvisualisetheproblemsituationuntilyourdiscomforthasreducedenough.Doingthis
repeatedly,overseveraldaysorweeks,tendstoleadtoapermanentreductionintheemotionalreactioncaused.

Some Examples
Theaudiorecordingforthisweekwillhelpguideyouthroughthisprocess.Sodontworryifthereseemstobea
fewmorethingstorememberthistime.Youcanalwaysrereadthesenoteslaterordiscussyourprogresswith
thegroupaswell.LetslookatsomeexamplesofhowyoumightuseStoicpremeditationofadversitythat
incorporatesomeoftheconceptsandtechniquesyouvebeenpractisingoverthepastfewweeks.

Supposeyouvenoticed,throughyourselfmonitoring,thatyoubecomenervousduringchallengingconversations
withcertainpeople.Youmightbeginbypicturingasceneinwhichyoutrytoassertyourselfwhiletalkingtothem.
Youdpickasceneperhapsinwhichtheyremildlyconfrontational,andyouranxietyordiscomfortcouldberated
about3040%,ratherthanoneinwhichyouranxietyis100%andyoupotentiallyfeelquiteoverwhelmed.Start
withsmallstepsandworkyourwayupsystematically.TherearetwomainaspectsofyourStoicpracticethatyou
mightbuilduponduringtheaudiorecordings,whileyourerehearsingwaysofcopingandexposingyourselfto
(potentially)stressfulscenesinyourimagination.

DetachedMindfulness
Thefirstthingyoushoulddowhenpicturing(seemingly)upsettingeventsistocontinuallyremindyourself,as
Epictetussaid,thatitsnotthingsthatupsetusbutourjudgementsaboutthings.AncientStoicstudentsweretold
tohavethismaximalwaysmetaphoricallyreadytohandtocopewithadversity,andsoyoucanrepeatitto
yourselfasacopingstatementwhilepicturingstressfulsituationseachday.Thinkofthisasifyouweredoing
mentalsitupsandstrengtheningyouremotionalresiliencemuscles,yourStoicprinciplesandvalues.
Visualisingdifficultsituationsgivesyouawaytobuildupmentalresilienceevenwhenyourenotcurrentlyfacing
anysignificantemotionalchallengesinlife.Thiscognitivedistancingstrategyalone,whenusedcarefully,can
haveverypowerfulbenefitsduringimaginalexposure.Practiceitasaformofmindfulness.Beawareofyour
ownvaluejudgementsandautomaticthoughts,andobservetheminadetachedmannerwhileyoupicturefuture
events.Youdontneedtotryto
change
yourthinking,justobserveyourhabitualthoughtsandjudgements
withoutbuyingintothem.Rememberthatanimpressionisjustanimpressionandnotthethingitrepresents,as
Epictetusputsit.Dontallowyourselftobesweptalongbyyourfeelingsandimpressions.Justdo
nothing
in
responsetothemexceptstudyingthesesubjectiveexperiencesinadetachedandobjectivemannerasifyou
wereobservingsomeoneelsesthoughtprocesses.

ValuedAction&Virtue
Itssometimesbettertopicturescenesmorepassivelyuntilyourfeelingshaveabatedenoughforyoutobeginthe
slightlymorecomplextaskofimaginingyourself
acting
differently,insituationsthatrequireit.Forexample,ifyou
feelreadytodoso,youmightfocusonyourcorevalues,andmentallyrehearsehowyouwouldrespondifacting
accordingtoyourconceptionofvirtue.Perhapsdoingwhatyouwouldconsiderpraiseworthyandhealthy,or

emulatingwhatyouimaginesomeonewise,just,andcourageouswouldsayanddoinasimilarsituation.The
Stoicswouldadviseustofocusonourcommitmenttodoingtherightthing,andtoplacemoreimportanceonthis
thanupontheotherpersonsreaction,ortheoutcomeoftheconversation.Toputitanotherway,youd
distinguishcarefullybetweenwhatsuptoyou,orunderyourdirectcontrol,andwhatisnot,inanysituationyoure
mentallyrehearsing.Inaconversation,verysimply,yourownactionsareuptoyou,buttheotherpersons
responsesarenot.Whentherapiststrainpeopleinassertivenessskills,likewise,thefirststepisoftento
encouragethemtoacceptthatevenifyoureveryskilledatbeingassertive,theotherpersoncanstillrespond
negatively.Soifyouwanttohandlechallengingsituationswell,youhavetorememberthattheirbehaviourisnot
underyourdirectcontrol,andbewillingtoacceptthat,whateveryoudo,youractionsmayfailtoachievethe
externaloutcomeyoudprefertohappen.Inotherwords,fromaStoicperspective,its
yourown
actionsthat
reallymatternottheotherpersons.FocusingontheStoicconceptofvirtue,aswhatsuptous,andindifference
towardwhatsoutsideourdirectcontrol,canbeparticularlyhelpfulwhenmentallyrehearsingsituationsthat
requireyoutointeractwithotherpeople.

Some More Comments

Fromatechnicalperspective,inStoicEthics,futureeventscanbepreferred(ordispreferred)butonlyourown
currentactionsarejudgedtrulyvirtuousorvicious,goodorbad,helpfulorharmful.Inthepremeditation
ofadversity,however,futuremisfortunesaretobeimaginedasiftheyrehappeningrightnow,whichactually
meansshiftingthemfromthecategoryofthingsdispreferredtothatofthingsjudged
absolutelyi
ndifferent.In
otherwords,forStoics,thiswasawayofrehearsingtotalindifferenceandacceptancetowardexternal
misfortunes.Oncetheyvealreadyhappenedtheresnopointwishingthattheyhadnt.Wecantturnbackthe
clock,anditwouldbeirrationalandunphilosophicaltodesiretodoso.

Bypretendingthingswednaturallywanttoavoidhave
alreadyhappenedw
ecanprepareourselvestocopewith
themifitturnsoutthatwereunluckyandtheydo,inreality,befallus.Psychologistssometimescallthisprocess
ofacceptingthingsinamatteroffactwayandfocusingoncopingsensiblywiththeirconsequences:
decatastrophising.Itrequiresanabilitytoletgoofourjudgementsofvalueaboutthingsthathavealready
happened,ourjudgementaboutthembeingacatastropheanddeeplydistressing.Ifnotthat,itatleastrequires
gainingdistancefromourdistressingvaluejudgements,andfocusinginsteadonproblemsolvinginlightofthe
currentsituation.

Q:WhatifIcantthinkofanyupsettingsituationstoimagine?
Whenpeoplearefocusingongeneralresiliencebuildingtheysometimesworkonabroadrangeofcompletely
hypothetical
situations,perhapsevenonestheyllneverfaceinreality.Ifyouredoingthis,youshouldtrytowork
onadiversevarietyofexamples,ifpossible.Peopletendtobrainstormexamplesofsituationsthatwouldmake
themanxiousoruncomfortableiftheywerereal,suchasskydiving,abseiling,beinginterviewedontelevision,
speakingatahugeconference,beinglaunchedintospace,oranythingthatmightbeatestofyourabilitytocope.
TheancientStoicstypicallyrehearsedextremelifeeventssuchasbereavement,poverty,illness,exile,shipwreck,
andultimatelyfacingtheirowndeath.Thoseexamplesareusefulbutwewouldnt
expect
peopleto
mentallyrehearseveryextremeemotionalsituationsduringanonlinecourselikethese,unlessperhapstheyre
completelyconfidentintheirabilitytodososafely.

Download Audio Recording

Thisrecordinglastsabout15min.andencouragesyoutomentallyrehearsecopingwithanupsettingsituation,
usingmindfulnessandyourStoicprinciplestoprepareinadvanceforarangeofanticipatedchallengesinlife.


Thisweeksrecordingisveryimportantbecausethelessoninvolvesaslightlymorecomplexpsychological
process,whichitwillbemucheasiertounderstandifyouveusedtheaudiorecording.Therecordingalsodiffers
fromthoseinpreviousweeksinthatitwillrequirealittlebitofpreparation:justthatyouhaveaclearidea
beforehandofaspecificsituationthatyoucanvisualiseasifitshappeningnow.Youshouldpickascenethats
mildly
upsetting,butnotonethatmightpotentiallybeoverwhelming.Dontbiteoffmorethanyoucanchew.Take
thingsinsmallsteps.Youcanworkonmorechallengingsituationslater.

Youregoingtopatientlyreplaythissceneinyourmind,repeatedly.Thatwillrequirealittlemoreconcentration
andpatienceperhapsthanthepreviousexercisesyouvecompleted,whichiswhywevekeptituntilthelastweek
ofthecourse.Youllalsobeaskedtomakeamentalnoteofthelevelofsubjectivediscomfortyouexperience
(from0100%)whichisnormallyroughly3040%forpeopleworkingonarelatively
mild
problem.

Daily Exercise
Thisexercisediffersfromtheothersinthatitsintendedtobepracticedrepeatedlyandfrequentlythroughoutthe
day,applyingyourskillsacrossawiderangeofdifferentsituationsandactivities.Thisisdesignedtohelpyou
maintainamoregeneralStoicattitudetowardlifeandbuildlongertermemotionalresilience.

Youregoingtotrytoremindyourselfinafairlyrapidandfrequentmanner,throughouttheday,ofyourStoic
principles.Theideaistointroduceastructuredroutinethatdoesnttakeanyrealtimeoutofyourdaybutwill
spreadattentiontoyourStoicpracticesthroughoutasmuchofyourdayaspossible,ideallydevelopingan
attitudeofStoicmindfulnessthatsas
nearcontinuousa
spossible.Acommonwaytodothatistoremind
yourselfveryfrequentlythroughouteachday,perhapsduringeverywakinghour,topauseandreflectonyour
principlesoremploysomebasicpsychologicalpractice,suchasamindfulnessexercise,foraslittleasoneminute
atatime.

Herearesomeexamplesofwaysthatyoucanhelpyourselftopracticeveryfrequentlyeachday:

1. Makearulethatforthenextsevendaysyouregoingtotrytodoyourdailyexerciseatleastonceduring
eachwakinghouroftheday.Checkthetimefrequentlyandtrytomakesureyoudontletanhourgoby
withoutdoingyourpracticeevenifitsjustforoneminute.Youcouldsetanalarmonyourmobilephoneto
helpyouremember,forexample.
2. Makearulethatyourenevergoingtoleavearoomorbeginanewactivityorconversationwithout
pausingforatleastoneminutefirsttoengageinyourdailypractice.Alternativecueswouldbeeating,
drinking,orusingthelavatorywhichcanbetreatedassignalstopausebeforehandanddoyour
mindfulnesspracticeforatleastaminute.Obviously,thatwontalwaysbepossiblebutyoucanstilltryto
usethisasaremindertodoitasoftenasseemsrealisticandpracticable.
3. Createcuesorremindersforyourselfsuchassettinganalarm,changingthewallpaperonyourcomputer
ormobiledevice,oreventyingapieceofstringaroundyourfinger.Peopleoftenput(software)sticky
notesontheircomputerdesktoporrealstickynotesaroundtheirhomeandofficeasreminders.Youmay
needtochangethesecuesslightlyeachdaysothatyoudontbecomehabituatedtothemthrough
overexposure,andstopnoticingthem.

PeopleoftenreportthatitseasiertodotheirpracticeveryfrequentlyiftheytellthemselvessomethinglikeEvenif
itsjustforoneminute,ImgoingtodothisInreality,onceyougetstarted,youllusuallyfindyounaturally

spendalittlebitlongeronyourexercises.Peoplevirtuallynevercomplainthatthistakesup
toomuch
timeintheir
day,though,asitseldomseemstoeatintotimespentonotherworthwhileactivities.

Atfirst,asyouvealreadylearned,itcantakequiteabitofdeterminationtoinstigateanewpatternofbehaviour
butithelpstokeeptellingyourselfthatitgetseasierwithpractice,whichyoureboundtofindisthetruth.People
normallyreportthatwithinafewdaysitstartstofeelmorenaturalandautomaticforthemtopausefrequently
andemploytheirmindfulnesspractice.

Brief Mindfulness Exercise

Thedailyexerciseweregoingtorecommendistheonebelow.However,bythisstageinthetrainingyoumay
haveyourownideasaboutabriefstrategythatyoudratheremploy,perhapsdrawingonmaterialfromprevious
weeks.Youmayalsofindthatyoucanadaptpreviousmeditationorpsychotherapystrategiestosupportyour
Stoictraining,andthatshouldbefine.

Heresthestandarddefaultstrategywererecommending,though,incaseyouneedsomethingmorespecificas
aguide:

1. Stopwhatyouredoingforatleastoneminute,ormoreifyouwant.
2. Turnyourattentioninwardandfocusonobservingyourownmentalactivity,frommomenttomoment,
keepingyourattentionfirmlygroundedinthehereandnow.
3. Donttrytochangeanything,orstopanythingfromchanging.Justnoticethedifferencebetweenwhats
uptoyouandwhatisnt.
4. Ifithelps,justrepeatawordinyourmindeachtimeyouexhaleandnoticethewayyouredoingthis
voluntarily
,andhowotherthoughtsandfeelingscrossyourmind
involuntarily.

5. Observeyourautomaticthoughtsandfeelingsfromanindifferentanddetachedperspective,without
buyingintothemasifyouwerestudyingthethoughtsofanotherperson.

Essentially,yourebeingaskedtogroundyourattentioninthepresentmoment,becomemoreattunedtoyour
ownactionsandjudgements,andtorecalltwokeyStoicmaxims:

Somethingsareuptousandsomethingsarenotonlyourownvoluntaryactionsandjudgementsare
underourdirectcontrol.
Itsnotthingsthatupsetus,butourjudgementaboutthingsrememberthattroublingimpressionsarejust
thoughtsandnotthethingstheyclaimtorepresent.

Similarbriefexercisemethodshaveprovenveryeffectiveinbehaviouralpsychologyandinmodernresearchon
mindfulnessbasedcognitivetherapy.ItsreallyjustawayforyoutosqueezemorebenefitoutofyourStoic
trainingbymakingitintosomethingthatsmorefamiliarandhabitual,andalsoapplyingitacrossawiderrangeof
situationseachday.Thebroadertherangeofsettingsinwhichyoubecomeadeptatpractisingyourstrategies,
themorerobustthebenefitswillbecome,andthegreateryouremotionalresiliencewillbeinthefaceof
unexpectedfutureadversities.

SelfMonitoring
Inthefinalweek,youregoingtodevelopablueprintorcopingplanformaintainingyourresilienceinthefuture,
andreviewthiseachdaytomakesureyoureabletofollowitsatisfactorily.Theideaistoformulateasimple
conceptualisationofthehabitsyouremostdeterminedtoovercome,andtobecomecrystalclearaboutthekey

factorsyoudneedtoobservetoimplementanychange.Thisdoesn'tnecessarilytakemuchtime.You'veshould
haveplentyoftimetoreflectonthingsandtrytosimplifyyourobservationsoverthepastfewweeksintoahandful
ofkeyobservations,worthrememberingforthelongterm.

Asimplerevisedcopingplanmightbecomposedofthreemainelements,whichcanbesubdividedasfollows:

1. Triggers
Thesignsorsituationsthatyouneedtokeepaneyeon,andbeparticularlycautiousabout,inorderto
preventyourselffromrelapsingintooldhabits...
a. EarlyWarningSigns
Theseinitialsignsmightbebodilysensations,suchastrembling,orthoughts,suchasWhatsthe
point!,whichyourecogniseasbeingearlywarningsignalsofunwantedreactions.
b. Situation
Thesearethehighrisksituations,inwhichyouconsideryourselfmostvulnerabletosetbacks,
andwhereyouthereforeneedtobeespeciallycautiousandmindfulofyourresponses.
2. PreviousResponse
Thisistheoldpatternofcoping,whichyouvedecidedtoabandonandreplacewithsomethingmore
constructivethesearevoluntaryresponses,youcanpotentiallychoosetocease.
a. Thoughts
Sometimesthisisthetrickiestpartbecauseweoftenoverlookourthoughtsunlesswevebeen
practisingmindfulnesscarefully.Forthatreason,though,itsespeciallyusefultotrytoidentifythe
waysofthinkingthatyoucoulddowithout,i.e.,unnecessaryandunhelpfulwaysofresponding.
b. Actions
Whatunhelpfulwaysofcoping,orbehaviours,couldbeabandonedorreplaced?Thehardestpart
ofthisisnoticingthat
inaction,
oravoidance,sometimesinverysubtleforms,isoftenthepatternof
behaviourthatneedstobereversed.Thatmightincludesubtlepatternsofmentalbehavioursuch
asdistractingyourselfortryingtoblockyourfeelings,etc.
3. AlternativeResponse
Thisisthenewwayofcopingthatyouwanttointroduceintothesituation,ontheassumptionthatdoingso
willoftentakeeffortandperseverance,andthatyoushouldntexpecttosucceedperfectlyfirsttime.
a. Thoughts
Whatwouldbea
morehelpfulthingtotellyourselfi
nthesesituations,orwhenyounoticethese
earlywarningsignsarising?Thisshouldberealisticandtruthful,butalsoconstructiveandhelpful
notjustpositivethinkinginthesenseof
Pollyannaism.

b. Actions
Whatwouldbea
morehelpfulthingtodoi
nthesesituations,orwhenyounoticethese
earlywarningsignsarising?Whatwouldbeaconstructivewayofrespondingoralternativeto
avoidance?

Onceyouvegotaclearideaofyourrevisedcopingplan,itshelpfultowriteitdowninareasonablyconciseform,
whichyoushouldrevieweachday,andattempttoimprove,wherepossible.Youmightwanttowritethisdownon
asmallcardandkeepitinyourpocket,orsaveitonanotepadinamobiledevice.Heresanexampleofhowyou
mightlaythisoutconcisely.Thegapsarefilledinusinganexampleofsomeonewhowantstocontroltheir
temper,especiallyinconversationswiththeirpartner...

ExampleCopingPlan
Fromnowon,wheneverInoticetheseearlywarningsigns
[Clenchingmyteeth,frowning,tensingmyshoulders,startingtoraisemyvoice.]

...especiallyinsituationslikethese
[Argumentsbeginningwithmypartner,worryingaboutthingsatwork.]

...insteadofrespondingbythinkingthis
[Icanthandlethis,Idontknowwhattodo,Whatsthepoint!.]

...anddoingthis
[Dwellingonthingsandworryingabouttheworstcasescenario,criticisingotherpeopleunnecessarily,staying
awakelateatnightworrying,gettingintoarguments,shouting.]

...Iwillpracticetellingmyself
[ImnotintherightframeofmindtodealwiththisIllcomebacktoitlateroncemyfeelingshavesettleddownI
candealwiththisifItakethingsslowlyIvegotthroughplentyofsimilarthingsinthepastItsnotthissituation
thatsupsettingme,itsmyvaluejudgements,andplacingtoomuchimportanceonthingsoutsideofmydirect
control]

...anddoingthis
[Pausing,viewingmyupsettingthoughtsinadetachedway,andpostponingproblemsolvinguntilmyfeelings
havecalmeddownacceptingmythoughtsandfeelingswithoutstrugglingagainstthemviewingmythoughtswith
detachedmindfulnessexplainingtomypartnerthatIcansenseImbecomingtenseandthatIneedtotaketime
toclearmythoughtsproperlybeforeresponding.]

What Next?
Congratulationsoncompletingthelessonforweekfour.Nowit'stimetostartputtingthingsinto
practice!

Youshouldstartusingthetechniquescoveredrightnow,ifpossible,andcontinuewiththemeachdaythroughout
thefollowingweek.Ifyouthinkyoumighthaveanyproblemsadheringtothedailypractices,orneedany
clarification,getintouchrightawaywiththecoursefacilitator.

However,yourfirststepshouldbetovisittheDiscussionForum,assoonasyou'reready,andpostyourthoughts
onthequestionforthisweek:

Whatwouldbetheprosandconsofcontinuallyremembering,whenstartingtofeeldistressedabouta
situationorevent,thatit'snotthingsthatupsetusbutourjudgementsaboutthings?

Here'sasecondquestionforyoutoconsider,anddiscuss,ifyouwant:

Howcanyouhelpyourselftomakethebestuseofthisdistinctionindailylife?

GotothecourseDiscussionForumnowandlookforthetopicentitled"WeekFourQuestion.Whenyou'vedone
that,takealookatsomeoftheOptionalExtrasinthissection.Inadayorsoyoullalsogetafollowupmessage
viatheforumaskingforanupdateonhowyouregettingonwiththedailypractices.

Ifthere'sanythingwhatsoeveryoucouldusehelpwith,eithertechnicalstufforthecoursecontent,pleasedon't
hesitatetoemailthecoursefacilitator.