I know I am not the only one glad to be rid of 2017. It was a year of massive disappointments and grief. 

All of it led me down the path of philosophy and, eventually, while trying to decipher ‘Genealogy of Morality’ I found Stoicism.

Stoicism teaches that all things are beyond our control. We cannot rely on external events, only on ourselves. Through perseverance we will overcome hardship, and through self control we will come out stronger in the end.

I think I was in a really low place, and I was looking for something to believe in. Stoicism has definitely helped me muddle through all the crap that happened last year, and taught me that I am stronger than I know and that I can and will overcome whatever is thrown at me.

I think some people have the wrong idea about Stoicism, believing that Stoics just put on a facade of calm acceptance and deny themselves the ability to feel. 

The ancient Stoics teach that acceptance of events outside of our control (the most common and inescapable being death) will lead to a happier life. Most of the the things we concern ourselves with cannot be controlled. 

Seneca says, “if an evil as been pondered beforehand, the blow is gentle when it comes.” 

A common teaching of Stoicism is to mentally prepare oneself for the worst each day. Seneca, adviser to Emperor Nero in Ancient Rome, would actually set aside days in the year to ‘practice’ misfortune. He would live in poverty so as to really see what it was he feared.

Maybe you don’t need to go to that extreme. Just thinking of all the things that could go wrong and accepting that it is outside your control will take the fear out of the day.

As someone prone to attacks of anxiety, I have moments when I need to ask myself, ‘what is the worst thing that could happen?’ Accepting that it might happen, and being prepared for it, make the thing seem less scary.

Fear is something I want to let go of this year. I want to embrace life without the constant worry about what’s going to happen in the future. Easier said than done, I know. 

“Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present and fear the future.” 

Seneca

In an effort to put aside all the bad stuff from last year, I am trying just to be the best version of myself. I am not going to make resolutions I have no hope of keeping, because that would be counter-productive. But I will make small goals, and gradually increase them, and you never know!