Stoic Mindfulness and Resilience Training

Preliminary Introduction & Overview

NB:Thisdocumentcontainsaroughcopyoftheonlinelessonforconvenience,sothatitcanbeeasilyreadoffline
onmobiledevices,etc.Itmayomitsomecontent,suchashyperlinks,imagesoraudiovideofiles,whichyouwill
havetodownloadfromthecoursewebpage.Ifyourereadingthisafterthecoursehasfinished,youwillnotbe
abletoparticipateindiscussions,orsubmitthequestionnaires,etc.However,youshouldstillbeabletobenefit
fromthecontentsjustignoreanypartsthatrelatetoactivitiesthatarenolongeravailable.Audiofileswillbe
madeavailablefordownloadalongwiththisdocument,sothatyoucanusetheexercisestheycontain.

StoicMindfulnessandResilienceTrainingbytheStoicismTodayteamislicensedunderaCreativeCommons
AttributionNonCommercialNoDerivatives4.0InternationalLicense.

Introduction
WelcometoStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining!

Thisshortonlinelessonwillprovideyourintroductiontotherestofthecourse.Youshouldmakesureyou
completeitbeforetheofficialstartdateshownonthemaincoursepage.

Thislessoncanbereadatanytimepriortothestartofthetrainingproper,asitdoesntrequireyoutoundertake
anypracticalexercisesatthisstage.Itcontainssomeinformationtoexplainthecourseandyourroleasa
participant.

Italsocontainslinkstofouronlinequestionnaireforms,whichit'sessentialyoucompletebeforebeginningWeek
Oneofthecourse.

Makeastartnow,andreadthecontentsverycarefully.Trytoprepareyourselfmentallyandphysicallyforthefour
weeksahead.Beginmakingarrangementssothatyouwillbeabletofollowthecoursethroughtocompletionand
applythecontentsconsistentlytoyourdailylife.Weaskthatyougive100%andreallyputyourheartandsoulinto
theprocess,andinreturnwepromisethatwe'lldoourbesttohelpandsupportyou.

About the Course

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

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.The
namecomesfromthepaintedporch(stoapoikil)wherehelecturedhisstudents.Stoicismlaterbecamevery
popularinancientRome,whereitcontinuedtoflourishafterthedisappearanceoftheoriginalGreekschool.Less
thanonepercentoftheoriginalliteratureofStoicismnowsurvives,though.Themostsignificantancientsources
wehaveavailabletodayare:

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,bycultivatingreasonandtherebyachievingstrengthofcharacterandpractical
wisdom.Theoutcomeofouractions,whetherweachieveexternalsuccessorfailure,isthereforeless
importantthanthenatureofourowncharacter.

TheStoicConceptofVirtue
Theconceptof"virtue"(aret)isabsolutelycentraltoStoicismbutit'simportanttorealisethismeanssomething
quitedifferentfromwhatmanypeopletodaymighttakethewordtoimply.VirtueintheStoicsensedenotes
somethingmorelike"excelling"andflourishingasahumanbeing,byfulfillingone'struepotential.Itimplieshaving
whatwesometimestodaycall"positivequalities"or"strengths"ofcharacter.Theclassic"cardinalvirtues"of
Stoicismwerewisdom,justice,courage,andselfdiscipline.Wisdom,particularlypracticalwisdom,wasthemost
important.Indeed,thewordphilosophymeans"loveofwisdom"andtheStoicstookthatquiteliterally.Wedon't
assumetodaythatvirtueissynonymouswithwisdom,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.

TheStoicWeek2013HandbookprovidesamoredetailsintroductiontoStoicpractice.
BookslikeWilliamIrvinesAGuidetotheGoodLifeormyownTeachYourself:StoicismandtheArtof
HappinessareintendedtobeeasytoreadintroductionstoStoictheoryandpracticefornonacademics.
ThemostpopularStoictextthatsurvivesfromancienttimesistheMeditationsofMarcusAurelius,soyou
maywanttoreadthatbeforelookingatotherancientsources.
TheHandbookofEpictetusisalsoagoodstartingpoint,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,andencouragesyoutobecomemoremindfulofthepresentmomentandtoviewyour
experiencesobjectively,fromadetachedscientificperspective,asawayoflivingmoreinagreementwith
thenatureoftheworld.
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,applyingyourskillsacrossawiderangeofdifferentsituations
andactivities.ThisisdesignedtohelpyoumaintainamoregeneralStoicattitudetowardlifeandbuild
longertermemotionalresilience.

ContinualSelfMonitoring
Throughouteachweek,therewillalsobeadifferentformofselfmonitoringorselfassessment,whichyouwill
completeeachday:

1. Keepingatallyofunhealthyemotionsanddesires.Youregoingtobeginselfmonitoringsimplybykeeping
atallyorcountofhowfrequentlyyoufindyourselfdoingthingsyoudliketostop,suchasdwellingon
unhealthythoughts,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.).Thisshortrecordingencouragesyoutoprepareforthedayaheadbyplanning
actionsandgoalsconsistentwithyourcorevalues,andpreparingtoacceptsetbackswithStoic
equanimity.

3. EveningMeditation(6min.).Thisrecordingwillencourageyoutoreflectattheendofeachdayonyour
actionsandtoconsiderhowtheyserveyourfundamentalvalues,orthevirtuesyouseektocultivate.
4. MindfulnessandPremeditationofAdversity(15min.).Thisrecordingencouragesyoutomentallyrehearse
copingwithanupsettingsituation,usingmindfulnessandyourStoicprinciplestoprepareinadvancefora
rangeofanticipatedchallengesinlife.

Group Discussions & Social Media

Wealsowanttohelpparticipantstofeelmoredeeplyengagedwiththetrainingbyencouragingyoutotakepartin
discussionsasanonlinecommunity,usingforumsontheelearningsiteandsocialnetworks,ifpossible.We
believethatyoullbeabletobenefitbycollaboratingwithandsupportingeachotheronline,andlearningfromother
peoplesexperiences.

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?Howdoyou
distinguishbetweenthingsunderyourcontrolandthingsnot?AretheStoicsrighttosaythatonlyourown
actions,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
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readthembeforetakingpartinthistraining.

Terms&ConditionsofUse

1.Terms

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4.Participation

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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.Sometimes
lessismore,andtheStoicsdefinitelyrealisedthat.Wevedeliberatelydesignedthetrainingsothatittakesvery
littletimeindeedtodothekeyexercises,andsothatoveralltheyshouldfreeupmoretimeduringyourday.
However,therearealsosomeoptionalexercisesincludedthatyoumaywanttouseifyouhavesomeadditional
timeavailable.

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

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

ThiscourseisabouttestingoutspecificaspectsofStoicpracticeit'snotaboutStoicphilosophical
theory.
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,asawayoflivingmoreinagreementwiththe
natureoftheworld.

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'llfindtheyenrichyourexperienceofthecourse.

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?[...]Do
younotrealizethatwhenonceyouletyourmindgowandering,itisnolongerwithinyourpowertorecallit?
Epictetus,Discourses4.12

Thiscoursewillrequireyoutopayattentiontoyourselfmorecarefullythannormal,andtothewayyouactuallylive
yourlifeeachday.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'sattentiontoourjudgementsthatreallymatters,
especiallyourvaluejudgementsandwhetherwelapseintoplacingtoomuchimportanceonthingsoutsideofour
directcontrolornot.Indoingthis,don'ttrytoforceyourselftochange.Youmayfindthatmanythingschangejust
bybeingobserved.However,youmayalsofindthatyoucansimplystepbackfromcertaintrainsofthoughtor
actions,fromtheoutset,andchoosenottogoalongwiththemorwasteyourtimeonthem.Sometimes,lessis
more.Thisstrategymayhelpyousavetimeandenergythroughouttheday,byreducingthefrequencyand
durationofunnecessaryactivitiesand,inasense,simplifyingyourlife.Itstartswithselfobservation,though,and
noticingwhatyou'reactuallydoing,frommomenttomoment,asyou'redoingit.

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

The Basic Concept

Therearelotsofcomponentstothiscoursebutwewanttokeepthefocusononeortwokeythings.Sothemain
questionwedlikeyoutokeepaskingyourselfandreflectinguponthroughoutthefirstweek,andbeyondifyoulike,
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'rejust
goingtogetyoustarted,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,havebeentheinspirationforthefamousSerenityPrayerusedby
AlcoholicsAnonymousandmanymoderncounsellorsandtherapists:

God,grantmetheserenitytoacceptthethingsIcannotchange
ThecouragetochangethethingsIcan
Andwisdomtoknowthedifference.

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

Doingsoobviouslyrequirespayingcloseattentiontoyourownjudgementsandactions,throughouttheday,which
isthesubjectwe'llturntoshortly,afterabriefpracticalexerciseandexample...

Two-Column 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,from
momenttomoment,throughouteachday.Thatwillmeandevelopinggreatermindfulnessofyourown
judgementsandactions,andagreaterawarenessofwhatshappeninghereandnowinthepresentmoment,as
ithappens.

Mindfulness of the Present Moment

Youcandevelopgreaterselfawarenessandattentiontothepresentmomentbyusingthefollowingmindfulness
exercisederivedfromGestaltTherapy.Youregoingtopracticetheartofpatientlyobservinganddescribingyour
ownexperiencesfromadetachedperspective.TheancientStoicsemployedanumberofsimilarexercises,
involvingattentiontothe"hereandnow".Theseofteninvolvedadoptinganattitudecomparabletothatofa"natural
philosopher",suspendinganyvaluejudgementsoremotiverhetoric,andpatientlydescribingtheobservable
qualitiesofphysicalobjectsincompletelyneutralandobjectivelanguage.

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

Letgoofthepast,thefuture,andtherealmofimagination,forafewminutes,andtrainyourselftoremainwiththe
presentmomentandtherealityofyourimmediatesurroundings.Allowyourselftonoticewhatyou'reactuallydoing
rightnow,frommomenttomoment.Whatdoyouthinkthelongtermconsequenceoftrainingyourselfinthisway,
andgettinggoodatstayingwiththe"hereandnow"forawhile,mightbe?Youdon'thavetokeepdoingthis
forever,butitmightbeusefultobeabletodoitwheneveryouchooseto,andtospendmoretimenoticingyour
ownexperiencesandwhat'sgoingthroughyourmindinresponsetothem.Inasense,you'relearningtomakethe
unconsciousconscious,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.Illkeepaneyeontheclockonmydeskandaimtodoitforabout34minutesbutImnotgoingto
worrytoomuchaboutthetime
Well,howdidIgeton?IactuallygotinterruptedbysomeonewhichIdidntexpectbutaftertheydleftI
juststartedagain.IgotalittledistractedthinkingaboutwhatIwouldwritebutonceInoticedthatIjust
broughtmyattentionbacktomyexperiencesinthepresentmoment.IsaidthingslikeRightnowImaware
ofthetickingoftheclockNowImawareoftheriseandfallofmybreathNowImawareofthesunlight
onthedeskNowImawareofatwingeinmylowerbackNowImawareofthesoundoftraffic
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"exceptourownmental
activity,becausethisisultimatelyourlocusofcontrolinlife.Hegoesontospelloutthatbecauseourownpast
andfutureactionsarenotwithinourimmediatecontrol,theyarealsoclassedas"indifferent"(Meditations,6.32).
AccordingtotheStoics,frommomenttomoment,onlyourowncurrentthoughtsandactionscanbesaidtobe
intrinsicallyimportanteverythingelseliesoutsideourdirectcontrolinthe"hereandnow".

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

Self-Monitoring
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.Youmightalsowantto
recordwheneveryouengageinsomebadhabitorexternalbehaviourthatyouwanttochange,includingthings
yousayaloudoreventhingsyoufailtodo.

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,beforetheyhavea
chancetodevelop.Catchinghabitsearlymakesiteasiertoniptheminthebud,sometimesjustbychoosingto
mentallytakeastepback,aswellseelater.Wecallthisspottingtheearlywarningsignsofunhealthyemotions
orbehaviourandgainingpsychologicaldistancefromthem.Youvebeenpracticingviewingyourown
experiencesfromadetached,objectiveperspectiveduringthemindfulnessexercisethisweek.Approach
keepingyourtallyinasimilarway.Eachtimeyounoticesomethingandaddittothecount,pauseforafew
momentsandviewitasifyouwereanimpartialscientistcalmlystudyingandrecordingsomeoneelsesthoughts,
actions,andfeelings.Researchshowsthatwhenapproachedcarefullyandsystematically,selfmonitoringofthis
kindcan,allbyitself,reducethefrequencyandintensityofemotionaldistressandbadhabits.Thispartofthe
trainingshouldalsotakevirtuallynotimeasitsveryquickandeasytokeepasimpletally.Infact,ifyoufind
yourselfreducingthetimespentworryingorengaginginbadhabits,thenyoullalmostcertainlysavealotoftime
eachday.

Moderntherapistsmightadviseclientstospottheearlywarningsignsofangerandtotakea"timeout"ratherthan
"actingout"theirfeelingsthroughaggressivebehaviour.TheStoicsoftengaveverysimilaradvice,e.g.,thefirst
RomanEmperor,Augustus,reputedlyhadangermanagementproblemsandwastaughtbyhisStoictutor
Athenodorustospothistemperrisingandpauseforafewmoments,whilerecitingtheGreekalphabet,before
sayingordoinganythinghemightregret.Thissortofstrategyisoftenmisusedasasawayoftryingtosuppress
feelings,though,whichissomethingyoushouldbecarefultoavoiddoing.Acceptthepresenceofyourfeelingsor
badhabits,with"indifference",butpause,andtakeastepbackfromthemratherthangoingalongwiththemand
allowingyourselftoactonthemimpulsively.

Ifyouwanttodoso,youcanalsotryemployingtheslightlymorecomplexselfmonitoringtechniquewedeveloped
forStoicWeek2013,basedonmodernCognitiveBehaviouralTherapy(CBT).There'saStoicSelfMonitoring
RecordSheetyoucandownloadandprint,whichwillhelpyoumonitoryourindividualthoughts,actionsand
feelings,andtherelationshipbetweenthem.

Download Audio Recording

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

1. Ifyou'renewtoStoicismyoumayjustwanttolistentoandcontemplatetheideasinadetachedmanner,
givingyourselfachancetocriticallyevaluatethemlater.
2. Ifyou'vecometoagreewithsome,orall,oftheseideas,orsharesimilarvalues,youmightwanttousethis
asanopportunitytoabsorbthemmoredeeply.

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"bybeingconstantly
moremindfulofwhatyou'redoinginthepresentmoment,throughoutthewholeday.Epictetusaskedhisstudents
therhetoricalquestion:Isthereanythingyoucan'tdobetterbydoingitwithgreaterselfawareness?(Okay,maybe
sleeping,butnotmuchelse.)Selfawarenessisn'tselfconsciousness.Wetendtospeakofsomeonebeing
selfconsciouswhenthey'reoverlypreoccupiedwiththeimportancetheyplaceonotherpeople'sperceptionsof
them.That'stheoppositeofStoicmindfulness,whichasksustoletgoofattachmenttothingsnotdirectly"upto
us",likeotherpeople'sopinions,andtofocusinsteadonwhetherourcurrentpatternsofthinkingarehealthyornot.
Weshouldcontinuallyremindourselvestoletgooftrainsofthoughtthatareunhealthy,excessive,orirrational,
ratherthangoingalongwiththem.Imaginethatyourtroublesomethoughtsarelikeabusgoingtothewrong
destination.Onceyou'verealisedwhereit'sheaded,youdon'tneedtojumpontheroadinfrontofitandtrytostop
itwithforce...butyoudon'tneedtogetonitandletyourselfbetakenforarideeither.Youcanjuststepbackand
allowittodriveon.Troublesomethoughtsandfeelings,impressionswhichpopautomaticallyintoourmind,aren't
"bad"inStoicismthey're"indifferent",andweshouldpracticebeingindifferenttowardindifferentthings.As
EpictetusandSenecaexplained,eventheidealStoicSagemayexperienceanxiousthoughtsandfeelings
sometimes,suchasduringastormatsea,buthedoesn'tallowhimselftobecarriedawaybythem.

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,andstepbackfromthemratherthanindulginginthemandgoingalongwith
them.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!

Thehardestpartisnowoverformostofyou.Peoplesayittakesmorefueltostartanenginethantokeepit
runningthatscertainlytruewhenitcomestochanginghabits.Yourejustbeginningtoconqueryouroldhabits
anddevelopnewones,whichtakesalotmoreselfdisciplineatthestartbutusuallybecomesmucheasierwith
practice.NextyouregoingtobuildonthesolidfoundationyoucreatedinWeekOne.

ThissectionwillchallengeyoutoliveinaccordwithStoicvalues(virtues)andtosetconsistentgoalsinyourdaily
life.Itfocusesmoreonyourintentionsandactions,i.e.,yourbehaviourthroughouttheday.TheancientStoics
viewedtheirethicsastheverycornerstoneoftheirphilosophy.Theirconceptionofwhatitmeanstoliveagoodlife
waswhatdistinguishedtheStoicsfromotherancientschoolsofphilosophy.Epictetussummedupthekey
doctrinesofStoicismtohisstudentsasfollows:

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

ThegoaloflifeinancientStoicismwaslivinginaccordwithvirtue,livingvirtuously.Indeed,theywentasfarasto
saythatvirtuewastheonlytrulygoodthinginlife,althoughotherthingsmaybeofsomepracticalvalue.
Contemporarybehaviouralpsychologiststalkaboutvaluedlivingasthekeytoovercomingmanycommon
psychologicalproblems,especiallydepression.Weregoingtocombinetheseideas:theancientandthemodern.
Themorerecenttemvaluedlivingprobablysoundslesspompousthanlivingvirtuously,sosometimeswell
usethat.Nevertheless,tokeeptheclassicalconnection,itperhapshelpslinkthiswithwhattheStoicswouldhave
calledlivingwell,livinginaccordwithvirtue,livingwisely,etc.Thatswhatthisweekisallabout...

Overview of Week Two

ThisistheoverallplanforWeekTwo...

1. Lesson.Youregoingtolearnaboutafundamentaldistinctionbetweentwodifferenttypesofvalue,good
thingsandpreferredthings.
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,andyoushouldcontinuesomeofyourWeekOnepracticesifyoureabletodoso,
particularlytryingtolivemorecentredinthehereandnow.Youllfindthesethingscomplementarybecause,ina

sense,virtueresidesinthepresentmoment.Youcanonlybringyourcharacterandactionsintolinewithyour
corevaluesifyouremainmindfulofthem,frommomenttomoment.Youmayalsofindithelpfultocontinue
listeningtotheStoicAttitudesrecordingeachday,ifyouhavetimetodoso.

Thecommonthreadrunningthroughallfourweeksisanemphasisonthedistinctionbetweenthingsuptous,or
underourdirectcontrol,andthingsnot.TheStoicssaidthat,inanutshell,onlyourownactionsaretrulyuptous
andeverythingelseistosomeextentinthehandsoffate.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.Theybelievedthatbynaturehumansvaluecertain
things,althoughmostpeopleareconfusedabouthowtoapplythesevaluesconsistentlytodailylife.Animalsand
humaninfantsvaluesurvival.Asweacquirereasonandlanguage,though,adulthumansgraduallycometo
identifywithandvaluecertaincharactertraitsmorehighly.Eventually,reflectionmayleadtoustovaluevirtues
suchaswisdomandintegrityasthehighestgood,indeedtheStoicsbelievedthatvirtueistheonlytruegood.This
transformationinourvalues,towardtheloveofwisdomandvirtue,isstartedbynature,theStoicsthought.
However,itisthenleftuptous,tobecompleted(ornot)byourownvolition.Virtueiswhatmakesus
fundamentallywholeandcompleteashumanbeings,byallowingustoripenandflourishinaccordwithour
rationalnature,andaspartofthecommunityofmankind.
ThemajorityofancientphilosophersactuallyagreedwiththeStoicviewthatdevelopingvirtueiscentraltothegoal
oflife,althoughtheydidntgoasfarastheStoicsinclaimingthiswastheonlythingrequiredforagoodlife.The
Stoicswantedtobeabletosaythatifsomeoneistrulywiseandvirtuous,theirlifeisasgoodasitgets,nomatter
howunfortunatetheymaybeinotherrespects,suchasbeingpoor,weak,oroutcast.Socrateslife,theywould
say,wouldnothavebeenfundamentallyimprovedifhehadsomehowpossessedgreaterwealthandsocialstatus.
Tohaveagoodlife,theymightsay,itsufficestobeagoodperson.Thishardlineonthenatureofthe"goodlife"
wasoneofthemostimportantanddistinctiveaspectsofStoicEthicsbutalsooneofthemostcontroversial.It's
somethingwe'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,moreconsistentlyinaccordwithyour
owncorevalues.
FollowingSocrates,theStoicsbelievedthemostimportantuseofphilosophywastoreflectuponandcritically
evaluateourownconceptionofwhatitmeanstoliveagoodlife,ortolivewisely.Thatcantaketheformof
clarifyingourvaluesbyreflectingonthem,carefullydefiningthemandcheckingtheirconsistencywitheachother,
andwithourownactions.ThisaspectissometimesneglectedinmoderndiscussionsofStoicism,whichfocus
onitsselfhelportherapeuticapplications.Ironically,though,modernthirdwavecognitivebehaviouraltherapy
(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

TheresanaspectofthisStoictheoryofvaluewedlikeyoutoadopt,though,asakindofbehaviouraland
philosophicalexperiment.Itturnsonacrucialdistinctionbetweentwodifferenttypesofmotivation.Today,
behaviouralpsychologistsexpresssomethingsimilarasfollows:
1. Externalgoalsaretheoutcomesorconsequencesofyouractions,suchaslosingweight,gettingajob,
findingsomeoneyoulove,etc.
2. Internalvaluesarequalitiesofyourowncharacteroractionsthatyouvalue,suchasexhibitingfriendship,
integrity,generosity,patience,orperseverance,etc.

Theoutcomesorgoalsofouractionsmayormaynotbeachieved,andweanticipategettingtheminthefuture,
whichleavesourmindsomewhatinsuspense.Innervaluesarequalitiesofactionsthemselves,andwehave
themimmediately,inthehereandnow,assoonaswestartactingintherightway.Thatalsomeansthatthe

pursuitofsuchexternalthingscan,theoretically,end,whenwegetthem,althoughthenwetendtomoveonto
somethingelse.Thepursuitofcharacterbasedvalues,however,neverreallyendsinthesamewaytheresno
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
thatvirtueistheonlytruegoodinlife,hecanstillprefertoownabarofsoapandhaveabathoccasionallyrather
thanremaindirty.(Theyactuallyrefertotheancientpracticeofcleaningwithoil.)

Currentbehaviouraltherapyapproachesforclinicaldepression,andmanyotherproblems,encourageclientsto
experimentforseveralweeksbypayingmoreattentiontotheirvaluesinthissense,meaningthequalityoftheir
ownactions,ratherthanexternalgoalsoroutcomes.Aswellsee,thiscanbedonebyactivelyplanningand
schedulingevensmallperiodsofadditionaltimeeachdaytocarryoutactivitiesthatareconsideredmore
intrinsicallyrewarding,andinlinewithyourcorevalues,suchascultivatingvirtue.Onceagain,itdoesn't
necessarilytakemoretimeoveralltodothis,andyoumayactuallysavetimebyreducingthefrequencyand
durationofactivitiesthatservenopurpose,inrelationtoyourcorevalues,eachday,suchasprocrastination,etc.

What is Virtue?

ForIgoarounddoingnothingbutpersuadingyoungandoldamongyounottocareforyourbodyoryour
wealthinpreferencetoorasstronglyasforthebestpossiblestateofyoursoul,asIsaytoyou:Wealth
doesnotbringaboutvirtue,butvirtuemakeswealthandeverythingelsegoodformen,bothindividuallyand
collectively.SocratesinPlatosApology,30ab

Toreiteratesomethingmentionedearlier:thewordvirtueisbeingusedhereintheancientsense.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.Theyalsobelievedthatinordertolivewiselyandactjustly,wemust
conquerourowncontraryfearsanddesires,throughthetwoancientvirtuesofselfmastery:courageand
selfdiscipline.Thesewereknownthroughoutthecenturiesasthefourcardinalvirtues:wisdom,justice,fortitude,
andtemperance.Similarvirtuesstillfeaturetodayinmodernresearchonthepsychologyofpersonalstrengths.
However,youcanjusttreattheseasexamplesofwhatsmeant.Aslongasyouvegotthegeneralidea,were
goingtoencourageyoutothinkforyourselfaboutthemeaningofvirtueintermsofyourowncorevaluesinlife.

Values Clarification Exercise

Letsbeginbyconsideringyourownvaluesverycarefully.Wewillstartrightnowbutthisprocesscantake
patienceandeffort,asyouworkthroughyourthoughtsandtrytoapplyyourvaluesindailylife.Sothinkofvalues
clarificationasanongoingprocessandtrytoreconsiderthesethingseachday.Althoughitcanbechallengingat
timestoquestionyourselfsodeeply,thishasareputationforbeinganexercisemanypeoplefindextremely
enlighteningandrewarding.ItsamodernechooftheSocraticapproachtoethics,whichcentredontheuseof
rationalquestioningandreflection,andtheattempttoexposeandresolveinconsistenciesinourthinking.Inthe
DiscoursesofEpictetus,wecanreadtranscribedconversationsshowinghimemployingasimilarSocratic
methodindebatewithhisstudents.

Inasense,werefacingtheultimatequestionWhatsthemostimportantthinginlife,toyou?Whatareyour
deepestvalues?Canyouactuallyputthemintowordsandclarifytheminyourownmind?Whentheyreclearin
yourmind,yourdeepestvaluescangiveyouasenseofdirectioninlifeandhelptodefineyourpersonal
philosophy.However,ifyoureunclearorconfusedaboutthem,thenyoumaypotentiallyfeelquitelostand
frustratedinlife.Itswithinyourpowertogainfurtherclarity,throughyourownreflections,anddiscussionswith
others,though.Sohowmuchtimehaveyouspentrecentlyexploringyourownconceptionofthemostimportant
thingsinlife?Howmuchtimeeachdaydoyouspendlivinginaccordwiththesevalues?Whereareyouheading?
Whatsortofpersonareyoubecomingandwhatdirectionisyourlifetaking?

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

Tryusingthefollowingquestionsnowtoclarifyyourcorevaluesandconceptionofvirtue

DirectQuestions
Whatsultimatelythemostimportantthinginlifetoyou?
Whatdoyouwantyourlifetostandfororbeabout?
Whatwouldyoumostlikeyourlifetoberememberedforafteryouvedied?
Whatsortofthingdoyoumostwanttospendyourlifedoing?
Whatsortofpersondoyoumostwanttobeinyourvariousrelationshipsandrolesinlife,e.g.,asaparent,
afriend,atwork,andinlifegenerally?

Youshouldkeepreturningtotheseveryfundamentalquestions.Perhapseventalktoyourfriendsaboutthem,if
possible.Ifyoureready,thenextpagecontainsmanymorequestions,tohelpyoutakeyourphilosophical
selfexaminationfurther...

More Values Clarification

Thesequestionsaremoreindirect.Thatmeanssomeofthemmaynotmakesensetoyouormaynotbehelpful,
whereasotherswillhitthenailonthehead.Soyoumaybeselectiveaboutwhichonesseemmostappropriateto
spendtimeconsideringrightnow.Ifyoudonthavetime,writedownsixkeyquestionsfromthislist,orbookmark
thispageontheinternet.Youcancomebacktothesequestionsandspendtimereallycontemplatingoneofthem
indeptheachday,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,whatwouldyouchoosetospend
yourtimedoing?
Whatwouldyouchoosetospendyourlifedoing,ifyouwerefreetodoanything,andifyouknewyou
couldntfailandwerealwaysguaranteedtosucceed?
Ifyouhadoneopportunitytogiveadvicetoyourchildaboutlife,whatwouldyoutellthemismost
important?

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

Thesequestionsmayseemoverwhelmingtosomepeople.Justbepatientandreflectononeatatime,ifthats
easier.Keepyourpurposeinmind,though.Howelsecouldyoureallyhelpyourselfclarifyyourcorevaluesand
conceptionofvirtue?

Praiseworthy versus Desirable versus Healthy

Heresanothervaluesclarificationexercise,basedonStoicEthics.TheStoicsbelievedthatvirtuewas
fundamentallysynonymouswithanumberofotherqualities,whichgenerallyfallundertwobroadheadings:

1. Virtueishealthy,beneficial,rewarding,helpful,orgoodforus
2. Virtueishonourable,meaningadmirable,praiseworthy,andevenbeautiful


Thesearesimilartowhatsmeanttodaybysomethingbeingtherapeuticandmoral,anditcomesasasurprise
tomanypeoplethatthesetwodimensionsoflifearesocloselyentwinedinStoicEthics.

Forinstance,hereEpictetusarguesthatweall,onreflection,sharethepreconceptionofvirtueassomethingboth
beneficialandpraiseworthy.

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

Hegoesontosaythathebelieveswecanallagree,atleastinbroadstrokes,thatevilissomethingharmfuland
tobethoroughlyavoidedinlife.Again,letsnotassumetheStoicswerecorrectbuttrytoexplorethequestion
furtherforourselves.Whetherornotweagreewiththem,orevenarriveatafirmconclusion,thiswillprobablybe
avaluablephilosophicalexercise...

Drawupthreecolumnsonasheetofpaper,headeddesirable,healthy,andpraiseworthy.Itsimportanttodo
thecolumnsoneatatime.Startwiththefirstquestionbelowandtrytomakealistinthefirstcolumn,then
proceedtocompletetheothertwocolumnsbasedontheremainingquestions.

1. Desirable:Whatthingsdoyoufindmostdesirableinlifeorspendmosttimepursuing?
2. Healthy:Whatdoyouthinkarethehealthiestcharactertraitsapersoncanpossess?Forexample,what
qualitiesmightmakesomeoneemotionallyresilientandcontributetomentalhealth?
3. Praiseworthy:Whatqualitiesdoyoufindmostadmirableorpraiseworthyinotherpeople?Considerreal
peopleyouknow,historicalfigures,orevenfictionalorlegendarycharacters.

Nowpausetoconsideryourlists.Arethequalitiesinthethreecolumnsthesame?Ifnot,whyaretheydifferent?
Whatarethemainqualitiesthatmightbebothhealthyandpraiseworthy?Whatwouldhappenifyoualsodesired
themmorethananythingelseandsoughtthemoutconsistentlyinyourlife?

Youmaywanttoreturntothisexercisethroughouttheweek,andgiveyourselftimetokeepexploringitfrom
differentperspectives.

Valued Living & Activity Scheduling

Clarifyingyourvaluesisultimatelyprettypointlessunlessyoureactinginaccordwiththem,andthatoftenmeans
changingyourbehaviour,whichcantakecourageandselfdiscipline.

Trytothinkofspecificwaysinwhichyoucanlivemoreconsistentlyinaccordwithyourcorevalues.Mostpeople
findthattheyneedtoidentifyquitespecificactivitiesinordertoactuallychangeanything.However,youmayfindit
helpfultobrainstormalistofbothgeneralstrategiesorcategoriesofthingsyoucando,suchasspendingmore
timewithyourchildren,andveryspecificactivitiesthatwouldfallunderthoseheadings,suchaspreparinglunch
together.Youmayalsowanttoconsidertwowaysoflivinginaccordwithvaluesorvirtues:

1. Actingconsistentlywithavirtue,suchaswaysofexhibitingwisdomorfairnessinyouractions,etc.
2. Cultivatingavirtuewithinyourself,suchasspendingtimereadingaboutgoodrolemodelsormeditatingon
whatitmeanstobeagoodfriendorparent,etc.

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

Eachmorningplanatleastonespecificactivitythatyoucanengageinthatwillallowyoutolivemoreconsistently
inaccordwithyourcorevalues,andbethepersonyouwanttobeinlife.Thisweeksaudiorecordingwillhelpyou
todothat.Attheendoftheday,youllbereviewinghowwellyouvedonebyratingyourselfintermsofyourcore
valuesorvirtues.Rememberthatthisusuallyconsistsinmakingverysmallstepstobeginwithasmallpractical
changecanoftenhaveabigsignificanceinlife.

TheStoicsemployedanimportantpsychologicalstrategycalledthereserveclause,whichconsistedof
undertakingeveryactionwiththeimplicitcaveat:ifnothingpreventsme.(Sometimes,intheologicallanguage
theywouldsayFatepermittingorGodwilling.)Thatsbecausewecantguaranteethatwellsucceedandour
futureactionsandtheiroutcomesarethereforeviewedwithdetachedindifference,asmerelypreferred.In
practice,thismeansweshouldbepreparedinadvancetoacceptfailurewithequanimity.AstheStoicslikedto
pointout,obstaclesorsetbackstovirtuousactionmerelyprovideanotheropportunitytoexerciseadifferentsortof
virtue,suchaspatience,perseverance,orStoicacceptance.NoticethatthisisyetanotherformofthebasicStoic
distinctionwemetinWeekOne,betweenthingsuptousandthingsnot.Ourintentionandcommitmenttoactin
acertainwayisuptous,butwhethernotwesucceedmaybepartlydowntoexternalcircumstances.

Howelsemightyouhelpyourselftoliveeachdaymoreconsistentlyinaccordwithyourconceptionofvirtue?You
canshareyourideaswithothersinthediscussionforum.

Self-Monitoring
Inadditiontothetallyyourekeepingofunhealthyfeelingsanddesires,youregoingtosimplyaddanothervery
quickandeasymeasure.Attheendofeachday,giveyourselfmarksoutoftenforvirtue!

Thatmightsoundverysimplisticbutitactuallyworksquitewellinpracticeasaroughsubjectivemeasure.You
canalwaysmaketheprocessmoresophisticatedifyouwantbyratingyouractionsinspecificsituationsorgiving
yourselfapercentagescoreacrossseveraldifferentcharacterstrengths,suchasintegrity,selfdiscipline,and
friendship,etc.However,tobeginwith,youmayfinditsufficestousethesimplestapproachandjustrate
yourselffrom010.Youllfindthismucheasiertodo,ofcourse,ifyoumanagedtosetspecificgoalsforyourselfin
themorningandreviewedyouractionsattheendoftheday.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:Howdoesthisfitwithmycorevalues?
Likewise,peopleoftenreportthatanticipatingthereviewofhowwelltheydidattheendofthedaymakesthem
moremindfuloftheircharacterandactions,frommomenttomoment.Sofromnowon,torecap,youregoingto
keepatallyofyournegativethoughts,feelings,oractionsthebadhabitsyouwanttochangebutyourealso
goingtorateyouractionsoutoftenonapositivescale,measuringhowwellyouveactedintheserviceofyour
corevalues.

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

Daily Exercise
Thisexercisewillhelpyouconnectwithyourfundamentalvaluesbycontemplatingthenatureofvirtue,intheStoic
sense.Youshoulddothisatleastonceperdayduringthisweek,althoughyoumaywanttodoitmoreoftenor
continuethroughouttherestofthecourse.

ContemplationofVirtue
Wecancallthiscontemplatingvirtueorcontemplatingthegood.Itsbasedonaverysimpleand
generalpurposetechniquedevelopedbyProf.HerbertBenson,atHarvardMedicalSchool.Itsbeenfound
effectiveasamethodofphysiologicalrelaxationinanumberofscientificstudies,althoughweregoingtouseit
moreforitscontemplativevalue.TheBensontechniquemainlyinvolvesrepeatingawordinyourmindeachtime
youexhale.Itseemsthatanywordwilldo,youcouldjustrepeatthenumberone.However,youmaywishto
repeatawordthatrelatestoyourStoicpractice.PerhapstheEnglishwordgoodoraGreekwordlikearet
(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?

Bensonsresearchsuggestedthatthisattitudeofdetachedacceptancetowarddistractionswasoneofthemost
importantfactorsinmeditation.Duringthisexercise,contemplatewhichaspectsofyourconsciousexperience
areunderyourdirectcontrolandwhicharenot.Practiceaccepting,withStoicindifference,anyintrusive
thoughtsorfeelings(impressions)thatautomaticallypopintoyourmind.

BreathingwithVirtue
Heresanalternativecontemplativeexercise,youmaywishtotry.Letscallthisbreathingwithvirtue...

Thisexerciseinvolvessittingquietlyandcomfortably,withyoureyeseitheropenorclosed.Take34
minutes,ormore,tocontemplatethemeaningofvirtue,oryourmostimportantcorevalues.
Howcouldyouflourishintermsofyourcharacter?Whatwoulditmeanforyoutoimproveasahuman
beingandbecomemorelikethetypeofpersonyouaspiretobecome?
Ifithelps,youcanimaginethatwitheachinhalationofbreathyouredrawingmoreofthepositivequalityyou
wanttopossessintothecoreofyourbeingandwitheachexhalationitsradiatingthroughyourbody,and
permeatingthroughyouractions,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,tohelpyouputthingswithin
alargerperspective.
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,considerhowevenasimpleactlikeansweringthisquestionandcommentingontheforums
mightrelatetoyourpersonalconceptionofvirtue.Howcouldyourinteractionwithothersbemadecompletelyin
harmonywithyourowncorevalues?

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,automatic
impressions.

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

Overview of Week Three

ThisistheoverallplanforWeekThree...

1. Lesson.ThisweekslessonreturnstothethemeofStoicmindfulnessandexploresitfurther,buildingupon
yourattunementtothehereandnowandaddingstrategiesforgainingcognitivedistancebytakinga
stepbackfromyourautomaticthoughts,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.TheStoicsbelievedthatwemusttrainourselvestomakea

cleardistinctionbetweenthingsuptousandthingsnot.Whenwedothethingsuptouswell,andactwisely,
thatsvirtue,whichtheStoicsconsideredthemostimportantthinginlife.Infact,theybelievedthatvirtueisthe
onlytruegoodandthatexternalevents,includingtheoutcomeofouractions,should,atmost,bepreferred,or
soughtlightlyandinasomewhatdetachedmanner,becausetheyrenotentirelyunderourcontrol.
Stoicsnaturallyfocustheirattentiononthehereandnowbecauseonlyouractionsinthepresentmomentare
uptousitstoolatetochangethepastandthefuturehasnthappenedyet.Themostimportantthinginlife,our
abilitytoactwithvirtue,residessquarelyinthepresentmoment,inotherwords.However,ifwetrytoremain
groundedinthepresentmoment,asyoudidduringWeekOne,itssoonapparentthatourthoughtsandfeelings
caneasilysweepusawayfromitintothepast,intothefuture,orintotherealmoffantasy.Whenwespotthisand
bringourattentionbacktothepresentmoment,somethingstrangehappensWeshiftfromthinkingWhatifxyz
happens?tothinkingRightnowInoticeImhavingthethoughtWhatifxyzhappens?Thatsasubtlebut
incrediblyimportantdifference.Inotherwords,weshiftfromlookingattheworldthroughthelensofourthoughtsto
lookingatourthoughts,asiftheywereobjects.Epictetusappearstotakethisdistinctionforgranted.Forexample,
hesays:
Thereforetrainyourselfwithouthesitationtosayinresponsetoeveryharshappearancethatyouare
[merely]anappearanceandinnowaythethingappearing.Epictetus,Handbook,1
Themapisnottheterritory,asAlfredKorzybskiputit.Thoughtsarenotfacts.Thisabilitytotakeastepbackfrom
ourthoughtsandviewthemobjectivelyiscalledcognitivedistancinginmodernpsychologyandtheresavery
largevolumeofevidencenowshowingitsvalueformentalhealth.Considerthedifferencebetweenbeing
completelylostinastoryandpausingtonoticeinsteadhowthestoryisbeingtold:thetoneofvoice,thewords,
thepace,etc.,ofthestorytelling.Whatifworry,forinstance,werelikeastorywetellourselves?Wecanchoose
whethertoloseourselvesinthestoryofworryorwhethertopayattentioninsteadofthewayinwhichwe'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
famouspassageintheStoicHandbooksays:
Itisnotthingsthemselvesthatupsetusbutourjudgementsaboutthesethings.Epictetus,Handbook,5
Thatquoteactuallybecameoneofthefundamentalslogansofmoderncognitivetherapy.Clientsweretaughtitin
theirfirsttherapysessionandaskedtothinkaboutitsmeaning.Itprovidedafoundationforeverythingthatfollowed
butrecentresearchhassuggestedthatthisattitudeofcognitivedistance,viewingourownthoughtsmore
objectively,maybeoneofthemostimportantfactorsdeterminingtheoutcomeofpsychotherapy.Forancient
Stoics,thiskindofcognitivedistancewasawayoflife,though.Thisweekyourselfmonitoringanddaily

exercisesaregoingtofocusongeneratinggreatercognitivedistance,inawaythatdrawsdirectlyonancient
Stoicism.

Some Examples
Thisideaofcognitivedistancecanbetrickyatfirstsoletsexploreitinalittlebitmoredetail.Onceyougraspthe
basicidea,itsactuallyquitesimple.Oneofthemostcommonanalogyusedbytherapistsisthattheroleofvalue
judgementsislikewearingcolouredspectacles.IfIlookattheworldthroughyellowlensestheneverythinglooks
asifitsyellowbutthatsjustanappearanceandnotthewaythingsareinthemselves.Icanalsotaketheglasses
offandlookatthem,asanobject,insteadoflookingthroughthem.Thatslikepausingtoobserveourthoughts
andjudgementswithdetachmentratherthanblendingthemwithexternalreality.

Aswesaw,Epictetussaidthatitsnot(external)thingsthatupsetus,butour(value)judgementsaboutthings,i.e.,
ourjudgementthatwhatbefallsusismoreimportantthanhowwerespond.TheStoicswouldsaythatexternal
eventsthatbefallusare,bycontrast,indifferent,ortrivial,andthatwhatreallymattersisthewaywecopeandthe
typeofpersonwebecome.Thisstrategyofgainingdistancefromourinitialimpressionsratherthanbeingswept
alongbythemisrecommendedtoStoicstudentsquitefrequentlythroughoutEpictetusDiscoursesand
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)thisiscatastrophictosayingImcatastrophisingthingsImjudgingittobecatastrophic
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
backgentlytotheimageoftheriverratherthanallowingyourattentiontobesweptalongwiththecontentof
thethoughtorassociationsittriggersinyourmind.
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,
yourgoalistofocusonacknowledgingandacceptinganythingthatautomaticallyentersyourstreamof
consciousness,withasenseofdetachedindifference.

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

Self-Monitoring
WesawearlierhowEpictetusadvisedhisstudentstokeepadailycountofhowmanytimestheydbeen
overwhelmedbyunhealthythoughtsandfeelings.Aslightvariationonthatstrategyistokeeptrackofhowmuch
timeyourespendingeachdayengagedinactivitiesortrainsofthoughtthatareunhealthyorundesirable.For
example,howmuchtimedoyoupotentiallywasteworryingaboutthefutureorruminatingunproductivelyaboutthe
past?Howmuchtime,likewise,isspentinunnecessaryorunrewardingactivitiessuchaswatchingtelevisionor
browsingtheinternet,wherethisissimplykillingtimeorservingasadistractionratherthansomethingyou
genuinelywanttobedoing.Wesaidearlierthatthiscoursewaspartlyaboutsavingtimeandsimplifyingyourlife.
Monitoringhowmuchtimeyouspendwastefullyisoneofthemainwaysyoucanpotentiallychangeyourbehaviour
tomakebetteruseofeachday.

Worryandruminationareparticularlycommontimewasters,whichmodernpsychologiststendtounderstandas
follows:

WorryingconsistsofprolongedchainsofcatastrophicWhatif?thoughtsaboutthefuture,whichcause
excessanxiety,leadingtofrustratingandunproductiveattemptsatproblemsolving.
RuminationconsistsofprolongedchainsofunanswerableWhy?questionsaboutthepersonalmeaning
ofpastevents,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,dontblameyourselfforlapses,justtrytobecomemoreawareofthem,andnotice
anypatternstothem.Whatspastispast,andindifferentfromtheStoicperspective.Yourgoalistobecome
moreawareoftheearlywarningsignsinthehereandnowandtovoluntarilysnapoutofmindlessactivitiesor
trainsofthoughtwhenyouchoosetodoso.

Itsimportantthatyoudontdothisbystrugglingagainstyourthoughtsandfeelingsandtryingtoforcefully
suppressthemorblockthemfromyourmind,asiftheywerebad.Rather,practiceviewingyourownthoughts
andactionsobjectively,takingastepbackfromthem,andsimplyrefrainingfromgoingalongwiththemanyfurther.
Theleavesonastreamexercisewillbeagreathelpinlearningtodothis.Youshouldalsofindthatatfirstits
difficulttospothowmuchtimeyouspendlostinthoughtpreciselybecauseyoulosetrackoftime.However,if
youpersevereandmaketheefforttotrackhowyouspendyourtime,youllgraduallyfinditbecomeseasierand
youlldevelopgreaterselfawarenessbydoingso.

Worry Postponement
Whenworry,rumination,orothertroublingthoughtsgrabourattentionforprolongedperiods,itcanbedifficultto
stopthem.However,Epictetusdescribesdealingwithintrusivethoughtsinawaythatssimilartoahighlyeffective
modernpsychologicalstrategyusedinbehaviourtherapy,calledthestimuluscontrolmethodorworry
postponement.Researchhasshownthatordinarystudentswhoemployedthisstrategyforafewweekswere
abletoroughlyhalfthefrequency,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).Somepeoplefinditdifficult
tosetasidethoughtstemporarily,though,andthatcanmakethemmorevulnerabletoemotionaldisturbance,e.g.,
theymaylieawakeatnightworryingaboutthings.(Themiddleofthenight,whenyourehalfasleep,oftenisntthe
optimumtimeforproblemsolving!)

Theresanotherimportantsituationduringwhichpeopleobviouslyhavetosetasideintrusivethoughtsand
feelingsduringmeditation.IfImtryingtomeditateandsuddenlyathoughtpopsintomyheadaboutaproblemat
work,thebestresponseistoacceptitspresenceandviewitinasomewhatdetachedmanner,withouteither
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,beassuredthatitisyourownopinion
thathasirritatedyou.Andsomakeityourfirstendeavournottobecarriedawaybytheimpressionforif
onceyougaintimeandrespite,youwillmoreeasilybecomemasterofyourself.Epictetus,Handbook,20

Thiswasactuallyquiteawellknownstrategyinancientphilosophyandsimilarmethodsweresometimesused
then,andnow,todealwithangerbytakingatimeoutfromthesituationuntilthefeelingshavenaturallyabated,
andthenreturningtoproblemsolvethingsmorerationallylater.

Throughoutthenextweek,wedlikeyoutospotwhenyourebeingsweptawaybyunrulyfeelingsandtotakea
stepbackfromyourthoughts,asyoudidintheLeavesonaStreammeditation.Agreewithyourself,ifappropriate,

topostponethinkingabouttheissueuntilafixedtimelaterintheday,perhapsduringyourEveningMeditation
routine,whenyoucangiveityourfullattentionandevaluateitmorecalmlyandphilosophically.AsEpictetussays,
thefirstquestiontoaskyourselfwhendoingthisis:Dothesefeelingsconcernsomethingthatsundermydirect
controlornot?Next,asheadvises,youshouldconsiderthemostvirtuouswaytorespond,inaccordwithyour
owncorevalues.Again,Epictetusmentionsthatitcanbehelpfulwhendoingthistoaskyourselfwhattheideal
Stoicwiseman(orwoman)woulddointhesamesituationor,asheputsit,whatSocratesorZenowoulddo,to
provideyourselfwitharolemodel.It'simportantthatyouunderstandworrypostponementisaboutlearningtotake
chargeofwhenyoupickuporputdownthoughts,andnotanexcusetoeitheravoidthinkingaboutproblemsorto
dwellonthemmorbidly.Youraimistopicktherighttime,whenyou'reinthebestframeofmind,andthentackle
problemswithgreaterpatienceandselfawareness,sothatyoucanthinkthemthroughrationally,andperhaps
arriveatadecision.

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'vedone
that,takealookatsomeoftheOptionalExtrasinthissection.Inadayorsoyoullalsogetafollowupmessage
viatheforumaskingforanupdateonhowyouregettingonwiththedailypractices.

Ifthere'sanythingwhatsoeveryoucouldusehelpwith,eithertechnicalstufforthecoursecontent,pleasedon't
hesitatetoemailthecoursefacilitator.

Introduction
WelcometoweekfourofStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining!

Welldone,youvemadeittothefourthandfinalweek.Thischaptermainlylooksatwaystomaintainyour
wellbeinginthelongtermbyanticipatingfutureadversityandpotentialsetbacksandpreparingyourselftocope
withthemresiliently.

Yourenearingtheendofafourweekcourse,butwhatwillhappennext?Areyousimplygoingtorevertbackto
yourprevioushabitsorwillyoutakeforwardsomeaspectsofwhatyouvelearned?Willyourfuturewaysof
respondingbedifferentfromyourresponsesinthepast?

Itstimenowtoprepareforthefuturebybuildingonwhatyouvelearned.Howcanyouensurethatyouremember
themosthelpfulparts,addressanyproblemsorobstaclesyouvestillgottoovercome,andanticipateanypotential
futuresetbacks?Pausetoconsiderwhatadviceyoudgivesomeoneelsewhowasnearingtheendofthis
training,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,especiallyifyoureable
tocontemplatearangeofperspectivesontheissuesyouface.

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
wellbeingandpreparationforcopingwithfuturesetbacks,whichissimilartowhatwecallemotional
resiliencebuildingtoday.Toputitanotherway,Stoicismismorethanatherapyitsaphilosophyoflife.That
said,evenintheancientworld,manypeoplewereinitiallydrawntoStoicismasawayofcopingwithshortterm
emotionalchallenges,andonlylaterbecameconvincedofthephilosophicaltruthofitsunderlyingdoctrinesandits
valueasanactualwayoflife.
OneofthebestknownstrategiesemployedinancientStoicismiscalledthepremeditationofadversity
(praemeditatiomalorum,inLatin).Thisinvolvestrainingyourselfinadvancetofacefuturemisfortunesorsetbacks
withphilosophicalequanimitybyrepeatedlyvisualisingtypicalcatastrophesorlossesasiftheyrehappeningright
now,whilepractisingStoicequanimity.(WilliamIrvinedescribesasimilartechniqueinhisbestsellingbookon
Stoicism,whichhecallsnegativevisualisation,althoughtherationalehepresentsissomewhatdifferentfromthe
ancientStoics.)WhattheStoicsdescribehappenstobeverysimilartooneofthemostrobustlyestablished
techniquesinresearchonmodernpsychotherapy,calledimaginalexposure.(Manydifferentnamesareusedto
describeroughlysimilartechniques.)Weknowquitealotnowaboutthepsychologicalprocessesinvolvedinthis
strategyandthebestwaytomakeitwork.Themostimportantfactisthatanxietyandmanyothernegative
feelings,generallyspeaking,tendtonaturallyabateovertimeifexposureisrepeatedandprolongedenough,and
certaininterferingfactorsareprevented.Psychologistscalltheprocessbywhichanxietynaturallywearsoff
habituation.
Forthepurposesofgeneralresiliencetraining,therefore,wewouldrecommendthatyoupickthethingsyoure
goingtovisualisecarefully,anddontattempttofacesituationsthatseempotentiallyoverwhelming.Startwith
smallthingsandworkyourwayup,inotherwords.(Psychologistscallthisgraduatedexposure.)Dontrush
things.Besystematicinyourapproach.TheancientStoicsleftsomecommentsthathinttheymayhavebeen
awareoftheprocessofhabituation.However,theydidntleaveclearinstructionsaboutonekeyfact:theamount
oftimerequired.Intherapy,clientswithclinicallysevereanxietyarenormallyaskedtovisualiseupsettingscenes
forroughly1530minutesatatime,everydayforacoupleofweeksormore.Oneofthemostcommonmistakes
peoplemakeiscuttingthisprocessshort,beforetheirfeelingshavehadtimetofullyabate.Asaroughguide,its

usuallyrecommendedthatyouratetheintensityofyourfeelingsfrom0100%andcontinuetheexercise,eachday,
untiltheyvereducedtoatleasthalftheirpeaklevel.Again,ifyoubeginwitheasytargets,mildlyupsettingevents,
yourelikelytofindtheprocessofimaginalexposuretakesroughly515minutesorless.However,practising
mindfulnessstrategiesofthekindyouvealreadybeenlearningcanoftenreducethetimerequired,andthisvaries
considerablyfromonepersontoanother.Donttrytoforceyourfeelingstoreduce,though,yourgoalistoaccept
them,albeitinadetachedmanner,andallowthemtosettledownnaturallyovertime.Itsveryimportantthatyou
dontcuttheexerciseshortasdoingsocanoccasionallymakenegativefeelingsworse.Youshouldcontinueto
patientlyvisualisetheproblemsituationuntilyourdiscomforthasreducedenough.Doingthisrepeatedly,over
severaldaysorweeks,tendstoleadtoapermanentreductionintheemotionalreactioncaused.

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

Supposeyouvenoticed,throughyourselfmonitoring,thatyoubecomenervousduringchallengingconversations
withcertainpeople.Youmightbeginbypicturingasceneinwhichyoutrytoassertyourselfwhiletalkingtothem.
Youdpickasceneperhapsinwhichtheyremildlyconfrontational,andyouranxietyordiscomfortcouldberated
about3040%,ratherthanoneinwhichyouranxietyis100%andyoupotentiallyfeelquiteoverwhelmed.Startwith
smallstepsandworkyourwayupsystematically.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.Beawareofyourown
valuejudgementsandautomaticthoughts,andobservetheminadetachedmannerwhileyoupicturefuture
events.Youdontneedtotrytochangeyourthinking,justobserveyourhabitualthoughtsandjudgementswithout
buyingintothem.Rememberthatanimpressionisjustanimpressionandnotthethingitrepresents,as
Epictetusputsit.Dontallowyourselftobesweptalongbyyourfeelingsandimpressions.Justdonothingin
responsetothemexceptstudyingthesesubjectiveexperiencesinadetachedandobjectivemannerasifyouwere
observingsomeoneelsesthoughtprocesses.

ValuedAction&Virtue
Itssometimesbettertopicturescenesmorepassivelyuntilyourfeelingshaveabatedenoughforyoutobeginthe
slightlymorecomplextaskofimaginingyourselfactingdifferently,insituationsthatrequireit.Forexample,ifyou
feelreadytodoso,youmightfocusonyourcorevalues,andmentallyrehearsehowyouwouldrespondifacting
accordingtoyourconceptionofvirtue.Perhapsdoingwhatyouwouldconsiderpraiseworthyandhealthy,or

emulatingwhatyouimaginesomeonewise,just,andcourageouswouldsayanddoinasimilarsituation.The
Stoicswouldadviseustofocusonourcommitmenttodoingtherightthing,andtoplacemoreimportanceonthis
thanupontheotherpersonsreaction,ortheoutcomeoftheconversation.Toputitanotherway,youddistinguish
carefullybetweenwhatsuptoyou,orunderyourdirectcontrol,andwhatisnot,inanysituationyourementally
rehearsing.Inaconversation,verysimply,yourownactionsareuptoyou,buttheotherpersonsresponsesare
not.Whentherapiststrainpeopleinassertivenessskills,likewise,thefirststepisoftentoencouragethemto
acceptthatevenifyoureveryskilledatbeingassertive,theotherpersoncanstillrespondnegatively.Soifyou
wanttohandlechallengingsituationswell,youhavetorememberthattheirbehaviourisnotunderyourdirect
control,andbewillingtoacceptthat,whateveryoudo,youractionsmayfailtoachievetheexternaloutcomeyoud
prefertohappen.Inotherwords,fromaStoicperspective,itsyourownactionsthatreallymatternottheother
persons.FocusingontheStoicconceptofvirtue,aswhatsuptous,andindifferencetowardwhatsoutsideour
directcontrol,canbeparticularlyhelpfulwhenmentallyrehearsingsituationsthatrequireyoutointeractwithother
people.

Some More Comments

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

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

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

Download Audio Recording

Thisrecordinglastsabout15min.andencouragesyoutomentallyrehearsecopingwithanupsettingsituation,
usingmindfulnessandyourStoicprinciplestoprepareinadvanceforarangeofanticipatedchallengesinlife.

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

Youregoingtopatientlyreplaythissceneinyourmind,repeatedly.Thatwillrequirealittlemoreconcentrationand
patienceperhapsthanthepreviousexercisesyouvecompleted,whichiswhywevekeptituntilthelastweekof
thecourse.Youllalsobeaskedtomakeamentalnoteofthelevelofsubjectivediscomfortyouexperience(from
0100%)whichisnormallyroughly3040%forpeopleworkingonarelativelymildproblem.

Daily Exercise
Thisexercisediffersfromtheothersinthatitsintendedtobepracticedrepeatedlyandfrequentlythroughoutthe
day,applyingyourskillsacrossawiderangeofdifferentsituationsandactivities.Thisisdesignedtohelpyou
maintainamoregeneralStoicattitudetowardlifeandbuildlongertermemotionalresilience.

Youregoingtotrytoremindyourselfinafairlyrapidandfrequentmanner,throughouttheday,ofyourStoic
principles.Theideaistointroduceastructuredroutinethatdoesnttakeanyrealtimeoutofyourdaybutwill
spreadattentiontoyourStoicpracticesthroughoutasmuchofyourdayaspossible,ideallydevelopingan
attitudeofStoicmindfulnessthatsasnearcontinuousaspossible.Acommonwaytodothatistoremind
yourselfveryfrequentlythroughouteachday,perhapsduringeverywakinghour,topauseandreflectonyour
principlesoremploysomebasicpsychologicalpractice,suchasamindfulnessexercise,foraslittleasone
minuteatatime.

Herearesomeexamplesofwaysthatyoucanhelpyourselftopracticeveryfrequentlyeachday:

1. Makearulethatforthenextsevendaysyouregoingtotrytodoyourdailyexerciseatleastonceduring
eachwakinghouroftheday.Checkthetimefrequentlyandtrytomakesureyoudontletanhourgoby
withoutdoingyourpracticeevenifitsjustforoneminute.Youcouldsetanalarmonyourmobilephoneto
helpyouremember,forexample.
2. Makearulethatyourenevergoingtoleavearoomorbeginanewactivityorconversationwithoutpausing
foratleastoneminutefirsttoengageinyourdailypractice.Alternativecueswouldbeeating,drinking,or
usingthelavatorywhichcanbetreatedassignalstopausebeforehandanddoyourmindfulnesspractice
foratleastaminute.Obviously,thatwontalwaysbepossiblebutyoucanstilltrytousethisasareminder
todoitasoftenasseemsrealisticandpracticable.
3. Createcuesorremindersforyourselfsuchassettinganalarm,changingthewallpaperonyourcomputer
ormobiledevice,oreventyingapieceofstringaroundyourfinger.Peopleoftenput(software)stickynotes
ontheircomputerdesktoporrealstickynotesaroundtheirhomeandofficeasreminders.Youmayneed
tochangethesecuesslightlyeachdaysothatyoudontbecomehabituatedtothemthrough
overexposure,andstopnoticingthem.

PeopleoftenreportthatitseasiertodotheirpracticeveryfrequentlyiftheytellthemselvessomethinglikeEvenif
itsjustforoneminute,ImgoingtodothisInreality,onceyougetstarted,youllusuallyfindyounaturallyspend

alittlebitlongeronyourexercises.Peoplevirtuallynevercomplainthatthistakesuptoomuchtimeintheirday,
though,asitseldomseemstoeatintotimespentonotherworthwhileactivities.

Atfirst,asyouvealreadylearned,itcantakequiteabitofdeterminationtoinstigateanewpatternofbehaviourbut
ithelpstokeeptellingyourselfthatitgetseasierwithpractice,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.Justnoticethedifferencebetweenwhatsup
toyouandwhatisnt.
4. Ifithelps,justrepeatawordinyourmindeachtimeyouexhaleandnoticethewayyouredoingthis
voluntarily,andhowotherthoughtsandfeelingscrossyourmindinvoluntarily.
5. Observeyourautomaticthoughtsandfeelingsfromanindifferentanddetachedperspective,without
buyingintothemasifyouwerestudyingthethoughtsofanotherperson.

Essentially,yourebeingaskedtogroundyourattentioninthepresentmoment,becomemoreattunedtoyourown
actionsandjudgements,andtorecalltwokeyStoicmaxims:

Somethingsareuptousandsomethingsarenotonlyourownvoluntaryactionsandjudgementsare
underourdirectcontrol.
Itsnotthingsthatupsetus,butourjudgementaboutthingsrememberthattroublingimpressionsarejust
thoughtsandnotthethingstheyclaimtorepresent.

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

Self-Monitoring
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
ofthisisnoticingthatinaction,oravoidance,sometimesinverysubtleforms,isoftenthepatternof
behaviourthatneedstobereversed.Thatmightincludesubtlepatternsofmentalbehavioursuch
asdistractingyourselfortryingtoblockyourfeelings,etc.
3. AlternativeResponse
Thisisthenewwayofcopingthatyouwanttointroduceintothesituation,ontheassumptionthatdoingso
willoftentakeeffortandperseverance,andthatyoushouldntexpecttosucceedperfectlyfirsttime.
a. Thoughts
Whatwouldbeamorehelpfulthingtotellyourselfinthesesituations,orwhenyounoticethese
earlywarningsignsarising?Thisshouldberealisticandtruthful,butalsoconstructiveandhelpful
notjustpositivethinkinginthesenseofPollyannaism.
b. Actions
Whatwouldbeamorehelpfulthingtodointhesesituations,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,andpostponingproblemsolvinguntilmyfeelingshave
calmeddownacceptingmythoughtsandfeelingswithoutstrugglingagainstthemviewingmythoughtswith
detachedmindfulnessexplainingtomypartnerthatIcansenseImbecomingtenseandthatIneedtotaketimeto
clearmythoughtsproperlybeforeresponding.]

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.