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Reddit mentions of A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

Sentiment score: 26
Reddit mentions: 38

We found 38 Reddit mentions of A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. Here are the top ones.

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
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Found 38 comments on A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy:

u/Waylander84 · 20 pointsr/AskMenOver30

Have you heard of Negative Visualization?

Pause now and then to consider the state of your life. Think of the people you love and the things you value. If you love someone, consider how you’d fare without them. If you have a great ride, think how you’d do on a bicycle or bus pass. Think of how bored you’d be if you could no longer do whatever hobbies you enjoy. Ponder the changes that a sudden loss of health would bring. This can help prepare you for an unexpected loss or change, although nothing will ever really prevent grief. More importantly, it should help you appreciate your circumstances and the people around you more, and make you content with the life you already live.

You seem dismissive of meditation and books, which seems odd for a question like this, but the first I’d recommend would be A Guide to the Good Life.

u/schoppi_m · 14 pointsr/howtonotgiveafuck

This is the 101 in stoicism. If you want to be happy, you have to learn what you can control and what not. This book is a goog starter: A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (English Edition) https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0040JHNQG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_EouqDbTJH6VM7

u/-walk · 8 pointsr/getdisciplined

As someone in a VERY similar situation, I'd recommend checking out this book.

u/Barracutha · 7 pointsr/DecidingToBeBetter

You should check /r/Stoicism.
You can start by reading the FAQ. This book also is a great start.

u/TheLagbringer · 5 pointsr/Stoicism

How do you measure the success ? Wealth ? Fame ? Both are not worth pursuing and you already know that, since they don't bring happiness to life. Two things come to my mind:

  1. Instead of comparing yourself to your "more successful" peers, try to compare yourself to those "less successful". Practice negative thinking, image how would your life be without the things you have, the things you take for granted. Take this even further and sometimes practice living without those things (practice minimalism), if possible. This way, you will start to value more and want things you already have, instead of things you could have. This is what I try often and what works for me. I've got this from my favorite Stoic book: A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy . Read the corresponding chapter to understand more :) the author is so good at explaining these ideas. I definitely recommend to read it whole, it is an amazing book.
  2. Practice more compassion and empathy. Approach any human interaction with compassion in mind. Try to understand and listen to others, what makes them happy, what are their worries. No matter in what position the others are, try to connect with them on a very deep level. You will soon realize, we are all the same and we face the same problems in life. No matter what our wealth or fame is. Those two things do not relate to happiness at all. I believe that as a byproduct of this empathy practice you will naturally stop comparing. When it comes to compassion, I recommend: The Art of Happiness, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Handbook for Living . I have only started reading the book, but I like it very much so far ! It focuses more on importance of compassion and understanding others (instead of focusing on yourself as in Stoicism). I feel that I started being more compassionate and empathetic naturally with age, but I definitely agree, that it makes me incredibly happy. And not only during the communication, but overall in life ! However, before, I had no idea what empathy means, or better said - I had completely wrong idea. This book helped me to understand what exactly it is, and how it is done correctly: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life . Basically it means just to listen and from time to time to ask about feelings. Not giving advice, or making things sound easier, or giving your similar experience. We do this so often, it sounds like empathy, but instead it disconnects us from others. Very much recommended read !

    Hope this helps man, good luck ! You are already doing a massive good job by being super honest with yourself and sharing this problem and all its details. This is not an easy thing to do and requires a lot of ego-gymnastics.
u/boy_named_su · 5 pointsr/asktrp

Start with Stoicism.

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic-ebook/dp/B0040JHNQG is a good place to start. You can find the audio book online too...

The one person in the world who gave the fewest fucks was Diogenes of Sinope. You can read up on him in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lives_and_Opinions_of_Eminent_Philosophers

u/PwntEFX · 3 pointsr/exmormon

Life is pain, your highness. Anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you something.

I think the next step in that stoic realization is that everyone feels that way, that existential angst. I think that's part of the reason why we stay in shitty jobs, shitty religions, shitty relationships. So, be nice, be kind, create something good for people to believe in (like Frosted Corn Flakes, or Google, or the Scientific Revolution). No need to freeze in the face of the existential headlights, find your own story.

As a side note, I recently read A Guide to the Good Life, which discusses practical applications of Stoic philosophy. Turns out Stoics have gotten a bad rap since the Middle Ages. Stoicism is really the Western flavor of Zen Buddhism. I also heard that there was an Ancient South American version of it too, but for the life of me I can't find the article.

u/HuckleberryCowboy · 3 pointsr/financialindependence

From this sub's recommended reading list: A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040JHNQG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_v6.SCbARK8ZNG

u/Buddhamama42 · 3 pointsr/getdisciplined

Train up as an Architect instead ? Would you be interested in doing that ? Can you put your current degree towards it ? Can you study and work at the same time ? Or do you want to do sommething completely different.

The porn and alcohol are displacement activities. You are unhappy and they momentarily dispel that unhappiness. Fix the unhappiness and you won't need them.

For myself, I would lreturn home, where you have more support. I would use this as an opportunity to break all those habits you don't like. Delete the porn (and your bookmarks). Delete Facebook. Stop worrying you're gay. I like watching lesbian wrestling and I'm not gay. Hit the gym. Or take up running. Or rock climbing.

And do some of the visualisation exercises - you know the old "If I won $50 million, what would I do with the rest of my life if I didn't ever need to work for money again ?". This will help point you in the direction that you want to go in. For me, the one which works best is "Who makes you sick with jealousy ?" Who's life would you steal in a heartbeat ? Find out more about them - how they got where they are; read their biography. Work out if you want to emulate them.

Lastly, some good old fashioned self motivational books don't hurt at all. I'm reading Brian Tracy Create Your Own Future at the moment, and also reading up on Stoicism - /r/Stoicism has an excellent FAQ and Stoicism is what CBT is based on. Its a useful and accessible philosophy for life and I highly recommend it. A Guide To The Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy is a good place to start.

I drifted from 25 to 35 in a job I Didn't really like, but which I was really good at. I drank a lot. Smoked a lot of pot. Used to cry on the way to work, even though I made good money and had a brilliant manager. Then I had children, and when I tried to go back to my old job, my health collapsed completely. Its taken a long time to rebuild it.

You know why ? I want to be an Artist. Batshit, hey ? But I have realised I can do this or I can be sick and miserable for the rest of my life. So for the last two years I have been going to classes and workshops, looking stuff up on youtube. All part time as I have special needs children... And slowly slowly I have built myself up to the point where I have my first exhibition in just under a month and received my first commission the day before yesterday.

You are 17 years younger than me. If you start now, by the time you're 30 you could easily be doing your dream job. Or be close to it. Unless you want to be some kind of medical specialist :) Don't wait unitl you hit 40 to realise that if you don't do it NOW its never going to happen. Its all a lot harder with a mortgage and kids.

u/[deleted] · 3 pointsr/TripSit

I don't think anyone objects--I see nothing in the group guidelines that limits posts to psychedelic related trips.

Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with the drugs you're on right now. However, I can suggest two books that have been helpful to me when I've been feeling down:

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, by William B. Irvine.

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff by Richard Carlson.

I might also suggest going for a walk. It may help keep you from ruminating, clear your mind, and make you feel better. (Though it might delay sleep for a bit.)

u/TheGreatXavi · 3 pointsr/indonesia

bagus sih, tapi menurut gw mending baca "The Conquest of Happiness" tulisan Bertrand Russell, karena formulanya mirip The subtle art tapi lebih analitis dan filosofis. Menurut gw ini masih the OG of "self help book". Ditulis tahun 30an tapi masih sangat2 applicable buat jaman sekarang. Apalagi yang nulis salah satu filsuf & mathematician paling brilian di abad 20.

Ato bisa juga baca buku tentang Stoicicm kaya ini ato ini

u/epic93 · 3 pointsr/RedDwarf

I'll be honest, those first few weeks after the accident I drank A LOT. I still hit it harder than I should, sometimes.

But things are still the same when you wake up. Eventually you have to choose to feel the pain and come to terms with what has happened, and that's not possible when you put it off with drinking.

Not saying you have to stop immediately. I didn't. Just that drinking won't make that hurdle any smaller, or avoidable.

Ultimately we can't do anything about our circumstances. All we can do now is try to figure out a path forward from here.

/r/stoicism and this book have been good resources for helping me with processing the loss.

u/AnomalyNexus · 2 pointsr/southafrica

It's a very personal topic so it's hit & miss to be honest. In particular I've found that it matters greatly whether you're religious or not.

For the purposes of this discussion there isn't a right/wrong there...but you need to get it right because the two involve very different paths to "tranquillity" so to speak. It's a bit like an atheist going to a psychologist that is very christian...it just doesn't work. (and vice versa).

Personally I've found value in the Stoic teachings:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0040JHNQG/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o03_?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Note - that's more a philosophy book that a 5 easy steps to stop caring thing). You're probably better off reading Marcus Aurelius' meditations first (yes the guy depicted in the Gladiator movie) - which are free...just to get a feel for whether it's for you.

u/ddollarsign · 2 pointsr/religion

I don't know about the greatest, but here are a few I've found enlightening:

u/TenebrousClarity · 2 pointsr/Divorce

Not specifically tailored to divorce, but were helpful to me in general reorientation of approaches to life:

"Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink

"A Guide to the Good Life" by William Irvine

u/Fenix_Slayer · 2 pointsr/singapore

Seconded. Recommended a good starter book for you. Focus on what you can control(your actions), not what you can't(i.e. your friends).

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic-ebook/dp/B0040JHNQG

u/pineapple_45 · 2 pointsr/stopdrinking

Please consider learning about Stoic philosophy. It's been immensely helpful for keeping an even keel and when it's out of my life for too long is when I typically start slipping up. Drinking more, more anger and generally negative outlook on life.

One of its central tenets is that there are some things up to us and some things not up to us. We can't always avoid shitty things in life but we can control our actions and with practice our thoughts. This can be empowering!

I'm not religious or been to AA but I've heard that parts of Christianity and the serenity prayer were based off of Stoicism.

This book is a great read and a good place to start. I hope you give it a shot: http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic-ebook/dp/B0040JHNQG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1459400864&sr=1-1&keywords=a+guide+to+the+good+life

u/ExtraGravy · 2 pointsr/Stoicism

I haven't read it myself, but I have seen support from other subreddit members. I liked "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy" for an introduction. Its been criticized for being a tiny bit Epicurean, but so am I so it worked good for me. :-) I've suggested it to a nephew and a few friends.

Either one will do a good job launching you into the few source texts we have remaining. That is where you want to be, so you can form your own personal stoic practice.

Pro Tip: Check out subreddit FAQ, it is really useful.

edit: word

u/mlwax · 2 pointsr/Stoicism

It’s great your looking for more information. I started 5 years ago by reading “A guide to the good life: the art of ancient stoics”. Link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040JHNQG/ref=cm_sw_r_em_tai_c_QPmvDb39K7AHE

Or just check out the stoic subreddit

u/deadliftsbrah · 2 pointsr/Stoicism

Take the time to watch the video I posted - The material below is also worth reading/listening to:

http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic-ebook/dp/B0040JHNQG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXcmkSqAqTI



u/bitter_coffee · 1 pointr/financialindependence

Yeah, we're slaves. We live in a society that encourages self-enslavement via debt. It's a shitty life, spending all day inside and creating nothing of real value to anyone.

I have 10 more years or so. I look at them as an investment into myself. 10 years of slavery for 100 years of freedom. How old are you? Snake People are likely to live for a pretty long time (ignoring the possibility of global warming-related catastrophes and assuming you take good care of yourself).

> How did we get this way?

We are owned. Bought, sold, and bet like cattle. We are fed "food" filled and coated with chemicals and hormones that change our brain chemistry. We drink water that has dangerous chemicals in it. The air is poisoned, too. We're distracted and divided with fake news about nonsense. We got here by allowing other people to make decisions for us. Financial Independence is a way of taking control of our own lives. Keeping the goal in mind is very important to staying the course.

I don't know if this is more helpful or harmful to you, but it's the truth. Knowing the truth has a price. It changes you. You will find yourself more and more separate from those who are willing slaves.

My advice: find people you love, hug them a lot, and do a lot of wandering and talking. Work out a lot. Be a strong person. Read lots of great books. I recommend

A Guide to the Good Life

Island, by Aldous Huxley

DMT: The Spirit Molecule

u/SadAbbreviations · 1 pointr/Stoicism

I recently read A Guide to the Good Life and found it approached Stoicism systematically and from a more modern perspective. It tries to act as a guidebook. There's chapters that also cover the history and formation of the philosophy. As far as the metaphysics there's a chapter that substitutes evolution in place of God/Zeus explaining we want to accumulate as much stuff, eat as much as possible, and gain social status (fame) because that gave ancient humans better odds of attracting a mate and reproducing. So we're the result of millions of years of these insatiable drives programmed into us. I hadn't actually given that much thought, but it seems obvious now.

It looks like there's many similar books in the suggested section on that page, for what others bought. Including This complete guide to Stoicism that I'm about to buy.

u/class12394 · 1 pointr/Stoicism

Hey guys,

I want to ask how you use techniques daily.

Can you give me examples?

The hardest for me is memento mori.

Also have you use negative vitalization daily.

I started reading A Guide to Good Life what books you recommend me after this?

How much hard is to stoics books, this have explanation and super easy for beginners.

What books do you recommend me after this?

I am having trouble understanding Fatalism on past and how is that related to present.What values stoics want it except for tranquility? I know they are not focus on fame and wealth?

Thank you for answers, this sub is amazing, i learn a lot from here!

u/anonmarmot · 1 pointr/NHLHUT

Good question, and you're right it does feel like that sometimes. The "why do I even bother" thought is maybe monthly. I see it as partly my way of donating my time for a thankless task. It's a good way to exercise your mental "control what you can, otherwise let it go" and the like too, so I see it as somewhat of a mental challenge. I get enough hate mail and random crap that there's no lack of material to practice ignoring. I'm a big fan of Stoicism as a way to operate (here's a good book on it).

> “Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness"

I do get some out of the blue PMs from people who tell me they appreciate it, so that is nice. Once in a while someone will choose me for a giveaway and I'll get a fun player to use, and they'll say it's because they appreciate my help. Those sorts of things help counterbalance it. Last year I got a MOV Perry I was stoked to use for like four months of the game's cycle.

I don't glamorize the job to people wanting to mod. I like to let them know what they're in for.

u/di0spyr0s · 1 pointr/resumes

Thanks so much!

Where do hobbies and interests go? Below Education somewhere? Sample stuff I could add:

  • I started sewing this year and have achieved my goal to knit and sew all my own clothes for 2015.
  • I play guitar, drums, and piano, and I'm learning to play bass. A friend and I started a band called OCDC, because we're n00bs and play the same thing over and over a lot.
  • I read insatiably. Most recently Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware And Software and A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, but also the backs of cereal packages and the "In case of fire" escape instructions on doors if there's nothing else.
  • I'm from New Zealand and can, if necessary, butcher a sheep/pig/deer/rabbit, build a fence, milk a cow by hand (or milk several hundred, given a decent sized milking shed), TB test deer, fell trees, and use the word "munted" in a sentence.
  • I've ridden horses all my life and still volunteer occasionally as an equine masseuse for some of the carriage horses in Central Park.
  • I love automating stuff and am working on fully automating my home aquaponics set up: a combination of an aquarium and a grow bed which currently produces great quantities of grass for my cats to puke up.

    I had sort of planned to put all this stuff in my personal website - write ups of personal projects, a good reads feed, an "About me" section, and maybe a page of my sewing/knitting creations.

    I'll certainly look into adding some more personality into the resume design, it is currently the result of a google template, which is pretty blah.

    Again, Thanks so much for your feedback! It's been really helpful!
u/sharplikeginsu · 1 pointr/atheism

This idea that God has control of your life is a hard one to let go of. It's like the emotional equivalent to being raised with a cast on your leg. When you get it cut off, there are some muscles in there which are really weak because they weren't allowed to develop normally.

It takes time to learn to realize that there is no guarantee that things will work out. That sucks. But until you learn to relax about it, and to enjoy things as they happen regardless, then the fear that things might not work out will ensure that, at least in some ways, they don't. It's paradoxical and hard.

I read the book A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy just as I was deconverting and I found that it had a lot of helpful ideas and practices, I highly recommend it. For example, negative visualization -- as bad as it sounds, imagine that the things you are afraid of actually happen. Play through what that would look like. Generally you'll learn that (a) these things, while they'd suck a lot, are all survivable and (b) it will make you appreciate the things you have more.

u/Wabbajak · 1 pointr/TheRedPill

Yes, the dichotomy of control is an ancient concept of the Stoic domain of physics, referring to the things we have control over and the things we do not. The 'trichotomy' of control was introduced by William B. Irvine in his book "A guide to the good life" in order to account for things we have partial control over.

u/Zheusey · 1 pointr/summonerschool

Hey Dude,

I get the whole Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde (mini-gnar / mega-gnar) thing you experience, and the frustration that comes out in game. I bet you can start a game with all the intention of being nice and kind to veryone, and by the end as things fall apart your raging in all-chat, right? And then afterwards, you're kinda embarrassed, but also frustrated and wanting to jump back into the game immediately to make up for the last game. I experience a lot of this myself, and have done lots to help correct myself.
There's a few things I'd like to mention:

General Thoughts

  • I don't think it has to do with anonymity, like others have mentioned. I believe this is a naïve view of the issue. If you are anything like me, this same frustration comes out
    when playing competitive games face-to-face with friends (board games, sports, etc.). Obviously you aren't as vocal about it, but your competitive nature probably kicks in and you want to win above all else. The trick, I believe, is to re-wire your habitual response (since you are acting instinctually, you need to change your instincts) and perspective (to help you properly evaluate the situation). I'll get more into this in a little bit.
  • The real issue is emotions, and doing a better job of letting those emotions serve you best in-game. Would you say you are an emotional person?

    RE: Perspective

  • One thing that has made a big difference for me and how I view the game is the philosiphy of Stoicism. Marcus Aurelius is probably the most famous Stoic, with his classic writings 'Meditations'. Stoicism is one of the oldest 'self-help' movements, and is credited as the basis for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (psychological treatment for people with different psychological disorders, such as anxiety, OCD, anger). Stoicism is all about focusing on the things within our control, and accepting the things that aren’t. It’s a philosophy of having complete control over your mind and actions, regardless of your life’s circumstances. This book is a good introduction though perhaps not perfectly accurate, it will give you a good starting point. There is a good subreddit over at /r/Stoicism if you want to check it out.
    There’s a great quote at the top of that subreddit right now:

    >“Who then is invincible? The one who cannot be upset by anything outside their reasoned choice.”

  • Rethink how you react to the other players in the game. Don’t take their mistakes as direct slights against you, or as personal attacks on you, or as purposeful attempts to lose the game. They are only human, and are trying to improve at the game, just like you.

    >“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” – Marcus Aurelius

  • Focus on things within your control. No matter how much you resist it, you cannot win every game. Even Challenger players lose games when they are climbing on new accounts. There are too many factors outside of your control in solo-q. The only thing within your control, is having the biggest impact on the game you can. This includes not only mechanics and laning, but also attitude and teamplay. Just as you should use your mind to improve your mechanics / laning, you can control your response to things within a game, such that you give your team the best chance of winning. Flaming and ‘int’-ing doesn’t help the outcome of the game, and makes it worse. I’ve had many games that we won, because I encouraged my team not to give up early when they wanted to. The proper response to in-game events is crucial. Tackle this skill just like you would practice last hitting. It is a skill that will help you win games.

    >“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius

    RE: Habits

  • Most of what we do in our lives is habits. And understanding this is crucial to change. I’ll do my best to explain it here, but for a better understanding check out Charles Duhigg’s work “The Power of Habit”. I’ll reference his appendix, which can be found here. Have a read through that after this discussion for a more thorough understanding.
  • Scroll down the page above until the first feedback loop with “Cue”, “Routine”, “Reward”. This is how our habits work. We are given a Cue, and we jump into a Routine prompted by that Cue, because we expect a given reward. This is all at a sub-conscious level. The trick is we can re-program some of these habits, through deliberate practice / change.
  • Let’s imagine for right now that you rage in the following fashion:
    Cue: Your bot lane doesn’t rotate up to help you, while you are getting attacked by their mid laner in jungle in bottom river
    Routine: Your frustration builds up because you think about how different the game would be if not for your stupid bottom lane. You start getting angry. You want to relieve this anger by looking to blame the bot lane for their poor play. You start flaming.
    Reward: Though temporary, your emotions are relieved slightly. Internally, you feel slightly better because your emotions / anger have come down. At least until the next screw up….

    We need to re-write this script somehow. Here’s a basic idea of what I’d do:

  • For 4-5 games, pay attention to the different cues that piss you off. Keep a journal / paper by your desk, and after you are done flaming / in the defeat screen, write down the different types of things that set you off.
  • With these things identified, we can properly script our response to these specific cues. The most basic response is instead of thinking about what should have happened, had your team responded properly, instead focus on what you could have done better. Could you have gotten a kill in the trade? Was your decision making wrong? Allow the satisfaction of focusing on yourself, and avoiding raging at your team to be your reward (it’ll feel good, trust me). Instead of the following Cue-Routine-Reward habit being Death-Rage-Relief, try to make it Death-Reflection-Satisfaction. Practice making your first instinct after a death to think about yourself instead of your team. Honestly make this a habit. You can keep a score card to see how often you rage vs. reflect.
  • The basic idea is that you can only perform one ‘routine’ at a time. So instead of defaulting to your ‘flaming routine’, you need to overwrite it with your ‘reflection routine’. For a series of games, I made it a habit of immediately typing ‘mb’ after I felt like I made a mistake in game. It immediately defuses the situation, and makes you take responsibility for yourself. It also gives you practice in not giving a shit if you make a mistake.
  • There are many ways to re-write your routine for given cues. I have found that simply having knowledge of the cues and practicing your response beforehand to those cues (keep it basic) will better equip you in game, when your lizard brain takes over. Try taking a couple of breaths after each death. Read yourself a pre-written mantra such as “I only have control over myself and my reaction to the game”, or “What could’ve been is not important for this game, only what actually is, is important”, or “My team is only human like me”. Put it on a cue card to have easy access to read it (you won’t remember it), or on a sticky note beneath your monitor.

    Random Thoughts

  • Would you intentionally sabotage the start of a game? Feeding each of the other lanes a kill to give them an advantage? Then why flame your team? It gives the enemy an enormous advantage before the game has even been decided! I’d say 20-40% of the games I win are comebacks, so never give up, and do everything in your power to help your team win.
  • Ask yourself what you hope to accomplish by flaming your team or feeding. What is the reward you are giving yourself?
  • Change won’t be easy, but must be effortful
u/randoogle_ · 1 pointr/simpleliving

Sure. :) But you can't control everything. For instance, what happened in the past can't be changed. So a Stoic would argue not accepting and being at peace with what has already happened goes against reason.

Anyway, I like Stoicism. If you want a good intro, Seneca's letters are great. I also like A Guide to the Good Life.

u/YioUio · 1 pointr/selfhelp

Just read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic-ebook/dp/B0040JHNQG/

​

It changed my life, I was in similar situation

u/7121958041201 · 1 pointr/CasualConversation

A therapist is going to be able to help you with this way more than anyone here (especially since apparently half the people here are suicidal). They're specifically trained for this kind of thing and can give you techniques, behaviors, medications etc. that are tailored just for your situation.

That said it sounds like your problem is concentrating on negative things. There are a lot of options to help with that. Mindfulness helps a lot and can be worked on with meditation. Keeping your life in general good order is another important step (exercise, sleep, nutrition, being social, keeping an active mind). After that I think the important thing is to identify what you really care about (your values) and stay busy working towards them. It's hard to be so negative when you're in the moment and things are going well in your life.

There are tons of books that can help too. Here's a fairly simple one that I enjoyed. Otherwise I'd recommend books on ACT therapy (e.g. "The Happiness Trap"), Stoicism (this one is good), Meditation ("Mindfulness in Plain English" is good and free), and CBT therapy (I like this one, though it's kinda long). "The Happiness Hypothesis" is another good overview type book.

u/ozzyosbournvita · 1 pointr/datascience

I hope you get better with respect to the mental health. You didn't ask for it but I would recommend this book https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic-ebook/dp/B0040JHNQG that helped me in the past.

​

I don't think leaving looks bad. And I can understand that it can sometimes be hard to do something you don't want to do. But you said you're in your fifth year so I assume you've done a considerable amount of relevant research work and should be close to getting your PhD. It might be a good idea to take a break (if that's possible) and just come back after a year or two to finish it. Because a PhD is still a huge deal in my opinion.

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Life is very long and a year or two spent not working towards your life goal (whatever that may be) isn't a huge deal. Maybe take that adjunct job. Teaching shouldn't be hard for you and it will pay the bills. And just spend the rest of the time chilling and reading.

u/TheyUsedDarkForces · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

The /r/Stoicism subreddit has plenty of information, including some recommendations in the FAQ.

I personally recommend the following, in no particular order:

  • A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine for an introduction to a modern version of Stoicism.
  • The Enchiridion by Epictetus. This is a short and relatively easy to read handbook of ancient Stoic sayings by Epictetus, compiled by one of his students. It's very practical and gives a good idea of how the Stoics lived.
  • Stoicism and the Art of Happiness by Don Robertson. I'm half way through this and really enjoying it. It's an introduction to a sort of modern version of Stoicism like A Guide to the Good Life, but it's more faithful to the beliefs of the ancient Stoics.
u/httpknuckles · 1 pointr/freelance

There is a lot of help out there for Freelancers starting out, but I am going to recommend a few unconventional books - that although not directly related to client work or marketing - have helped me with the overall journey (although your mileage may vary)

  • So Good they Can't Ignore You "Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it."
  • A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - This one was great for me learning to focus on only the things you can change... very helpful for stress (which can be a large part of freelancing!). Stoicism in generally has some good, practical parts, such as visualising "the worst that can happen" to prepare yourself - again, when you are your own boss, not everything will go perfect. I don't follow this as a life philosophy - but generally found it a helpful book.