Why do some people manage to overcome difficulties without flinching, while others struggle for months, even years, dwelling on the same problems? Stoics are like the masters of resilience, so we’ve borrowed four exercises from them to help you handle life’s punches like Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby.
And if you want to go a step further, check out EMPOWERED, an online program by David Laroche that helps you work on concrete issues like bouncing back after failure or overcoming a lack of self-confidence. This online course has helped hundreds of people transcend the challenges weighing them down today. Meanwhile, let’s dive into four Stoic exercises to help you feel stronger in your everyday life.
Every philosophical school has its own vision, and for the Stoics, it revolves around three pillars:
Not a bad program, right? If you’ve just gone through a breakup and have been wandering around in your dirty sweatpants for days, we’re not promising you’ll get over it in two days. But we invite you to learn how to cope at your own pace and in a more serene way.
The Core of Stoic Philosophy: What You Can and Cannot Control
The world, according to Stoic philosophy, is divided into two categories:
For any respectable Stoic, there’s nothing worse than exhausting yourself trying to change things you have no impact on. To build resilience, the first step is simple: identify what you cannot control and accept events as they come.
It sounds easy, right? But it’s a different story when you fall ill just in time for your long-awaited vacation or when it rains cats and dogs in Santorini during your planned poolside week.
But why beat yourself up when you have no control over events? Wouldn’t it sometimes be better to let go and focus your energy on what you can actually do?
Maybe it’s not so bad to spend a week under the covers, being pampered, binge-watching Netflix, and sipping hot toddies with friends. Plus, you might avoid getting ripped off by a shady taxi driver or suffering a panic attack in a crowd of tourists!
Stoics advocate accepting what’s beyond our control, but they didn’t just watch life pass by. If Marcus Aurelius were standing before you today, he’d probably say:
“We weren’t put on this earth to binge-watch!”
While you can’t control certain events, you can control how you react to them. Okay, it’s raining when you planned to sunbathe on vacation, but lamenting won’t improve the situation. You still have free time, which you can use to:
To sum up resilience, it’s all about this famous phrase often attributed to Marcus Aurelius:
“Grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Accept Suffering: Amor Fati
Resilience also means understanding that nothing is 100% wonderful or terrible. The Stoics took this idea to the extreme with the concept of Amor Fati, which means “love of fate.” It’s about accepting that suffering is part of life and that it doesn’t prevent you from being happy. This is the ultimate stage of emotional resilience: remaining stoic even in the face of the worst, like illness or death. It’s about loving your fate, no matter what it holds.
See Every Change as an Opportunity
Resilience isn’t about being passive or fatalistic. It’s about accepting what you can’t control and owning your actions 100%. As Nietzsche famously said (though often misinterpreted): “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
In essence, changing how we view challenges reveals their other side: they strengthen us. Just as much as moments of joy, periods of suffering shape who we become.
Imagine being the victim of a massive flood. Arriving at what’s left of your old home, you see the devastation—nothing from your “past life” has been spared. It’s hard to stay positive in such moments. Yet, this unfortunate event might be the start of a new life. Maybe you’ve wanted to move or travel for years. Perhaps material comfort had paralyzed you, and this flood removes that burden, giving you the push to chase a long-standing dream.
If you think about it, some difficult events in your life have probably brought unexpected benefits—a new connection, a change in mindset, a fresh start. To help you maintain this perspective, the Stoics suggest practicing the Dream Life Meditation.
This simple visualization exercise involves realizing that, at any moment, you might be living someone else’s ideal life. It’s a powerful way to gain perspective on your life and appreciate what you have, rather than focusing on your hardships.
To boost resilience, there’s also the concept of Memento Mori: remember that you and everyone around you will die. At first glance, this might seem depressing, but it actually helps put daily problems into perspective. Because, in the end, nothing is truly serious, and if death can come at any time, every moment becomes precious.
To help you remember this, Marcus Aurelius suggests practicing Last Time Meditations: live each moment as if it could be your last.
Are you tired of walking the same path every day? Change your perspective: imagine it’s the last time you’ll do it. Because every thought, action, event, word, and glance could be the last, and that’s what makes life so precious.
The third exercise, if you need to take a step back, is Progressive Distancing. Sit or lie down in a calm place, close your eyes, and visualize your position in space. Gradually imagine seeing the room from above, like you’re on the ceiling. Keep rising, seeing your house, your street, your city, your country, and finally, the world.
This exercise helps put your problems into perspective. In the vastness of the world, our issues seem much smaller.
If you need a deeper change to apply these principles in your daily life, check out the EMPOWERED program. Designed and led by David Laroche, this practical online training helps you reprogram your mind and overcome difficulties. No boring theory—only tested and approved coaching exercises and protocols from David Laroche’s extensive career coaching thousands of people.
These exercises can help you embrace resilience and face challenges with a stronger mindset.
.webp)
