The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

Anger can feel like strength, clarity or self-respect. But once it gathers momentum, it narrows your choices and makes you pay for the first reaction twice.

In this full live masterclass, I explore Seneca's three warnings about anger: it makes us a slave, accelerates quickly and spreads between people. I share the question that has helped me interrupt it: "Is this worth sacrificing my peace of mind over?" We also work through practical Stoic tools including premeditatio malorum, journalling, the physiological sigh, sleep and exercise, compassion, boundaries, and learning to catch anger before it becomes an identity.

Stoicism is not a promise that you will never feel angry. It is a practice of noticing the first movement, protecting your tranquillity, and choosing what happens next.
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A 7-minute guided Stoic practice for the morning of a presentation, interview, difficult meeting or test.

You will rehearse one realistic setback, separate what is yours from what is not, and choose how you want to act when the moment arrives. The practice draws on premeditation of adversity, Epictetus's first chapter of the Enchiridion, and Cicero's archer image.

Use it before the event, then take one sentence with you: I have prepared. I will do my part. The rest is not mine.
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Envy has a terrible reputation. But the feeling itself can tell you what you value, where comparison has hooked you, and what you may need to work towards.

In this episode, I separate malicious envy from the more useful kind, drawing on Alain de Botton, the story of Mozart and Salieri, and my own experiences learning guitar and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I also share a simple envy diary practice you can try for one week.

The point is not to pretend envy is noble. It is to stop hiding it, read the signal honestly, and turn it into work that matters.
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Some mornings, grief is present before you open your eyes. This gentle guided practice does not ask you to stop grieving or manufacture a better mood. You will make a little room for the weight, notice one source of warmth, and choose one small act of care for the next few hours. The Stoic frame draws on Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.48; the guided structure is a modern adaptation. Use it seated or lying down. If the practice feels too much today, ordinary breathing is enough, and you can stop.
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One of Marcus Aurelius's most famous online quotes does not appear in the Meditations. In this episode, I look at several fabricated, misattributed and over-smoothed Stoic quotes, including one I used myself.

The point is bigger than pedantry. A philosophy built on checking impressions should not be taught through claims nobody checked.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
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