The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

Send us a textIn today’s Q&A, I discuss a question I had from a Stoic Handbook reader on “pornography addiction.” This is a very important and nuanced topic that I try my best to offer guidance on. I consider pornography addiction to be a “continuum addiction,” meaning there are no clear boundaries around it. This makes it extra problematic compared to more binary-type addictions. This episode will be useful to listeners who have any kind of compulsive behavior. Related posts from The Stoic Handbook:On Aversion and DesireHow to Gain the Powers of a Stoic GodOther Helpful Resources:What would a Stoic say about porn? (Reddit thread)Morning Pages / Daily Journal (Website)Recommended Compassion Meditation (Insight Timer)Your Brain on Porn by Gary Wilson (Book)Atomic Habits by James Clear (Book)The Mind Illuminated by John Yates (Book)Pornography Can Ruin Your Sex Life by Mark Manson (Article)How to Break a Bad Habit by Garry Keller (Article) 🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a textIn today’s podcast, I discuss my thoughts on how we can best manage our work-life balance. What I reveal in this lesson will be helpful for any busy people who want to maximize their output while minimizing their stress. Other posts you may want to read: My Insanely Productive Stoic Morning RoutineHow to Turn Stress into TranquilityResources mentioned:Alain de Botton Ted Talk on SuccessEssentialism by Greg McKeownBill of RightsBoundaries by Henry Cloud🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a textI recently published a post explaining My Insanely Productive Stoic Morning Routine.During this article, I provide the morning writing prompts I use. One of those prompts is“What three things will make up my power hour?” If you’re wondering what exactly a power hour is, and how I use it to maximize my productivity while caring for a 2-year-old half of the week and running multiple business projects on the side… …give this short podcast a listen. 🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a textThis meditation is one of the most powerful of all the Stoic techniques. The Stoics realized that when you mentally step back and away from a difficult situation— sometimes called cognitive distancing, disassociation, and detachment—you are able to see what is happening with more objectivity and less stress. In other words, this technique allows you to put things in perspective, make better decisions, and live with more tranquility. Have you ever had a situation happen in your life that made you see very clearly that many of the things you were worrying about or spending your time thinking about were actually in fact… meaningless? This happened to me the moment my son was born. In that instant, so many petty concerns and disagreements seemed completely insignificant. By training with The View From Above regularly, you can begin to make this wise and objective perspective your default state.🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a text“When the light has been removed and my wife has fallen silent, aware of this habit that’s now mine, I examine my entire day and go back over what I’ve done and said, hiding nothing from myself, passing nothing by.”— SenecaLast week, I shared with The Complete Stoic Morning Meditation. Following on from this, I will share the evening contemplation. Both are fantastic standalone contemplations, but work even better when combined. If our goal is to develop excellence of character (virtue), we must do three things: Reinforce good behavior Notice poor behavior Set goals to improve behavior This is exactly what Seneca recommended. I have put together this short contemplation for you to listen to every night to review your day. Imagine if, for the next 365 days, you took an honest look at your character each night and set small realistic goals for the next day… Those 0.1% changes would lead to a significant change in behavior. 🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a textThis is a Stoic contemplation you can do every morning before you start the day. It is based on Marcus Aurelius’ “premeditation of adversity” excerpt from his book Meditations;"When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly." By practicing in this way you will be prepared to meet any event with ease. Read this Stoic breakdown for more information on the technique.🌙  Listen to the nighttime reflection here. 🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a textI was recently alerted to the following tweet by Tucker Max:"I've been trying to tell this to my friends for years. There is a reason it's a dead philosophy. "He cited a study that had the following conclusion: A naive endorsement of stoic ideology might have negative wellbeing consequence.In this episode, I dig into this study, Tucker Max, and the misconceptions of Stoicism to get to the bottom of all this. Does Stoicism cause more harm than good?🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a textThe Stoics used a technique called “Premeditation of Adversity.” By reflecting on the possible misfortunes that await us, we benefit in three ways: We are more prepared and therefore protect ourselves against misfortune We practice virtue in the face of misfortune so it affects us less We become more grateful because that misfortune is not here yet In today’s meditation, we imagine an apocalyptic scene to help us focus on our most important life values. Many of us waste time because we fall prey to the faulty belief that we will live forever. By reflecting on the shortness of life, we can gain motivation and gratitude to steer our lives in much more fruitful directions.🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a textIn today’s audio lesson I read out and reflect on the following quote by Seneca: “This is the touchstone of such a spirit; no prizefighter can go with high spirits into the strife if he has never been beaten black and blue; the only contestant who can confidently enter the lists is the man who has seen his own blood, who has felt his teeth rattle beneath his opponent's fist, who has been tripped and felt the full force of his adversary's charge, who has been downed in body but not in spirit, one who, as often as he falls, rises again with greater defiance than ever.”Make sure to click the “play button” to listen to why I find this quote so meaningful, and why if applied to your own life, can radically transform it.🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit

Send us a textIn Chapter 4 of the Enchiridion, Epictetus shows us the three-step process for making plans.In this audio lesson, I elaborate on that process and guide you through it. This is an extremely powerful exercise, but the power comes from actually practicing it as with any powerful exercise.So make a commitment to start running through this process every time you make a plan.With enough practice, this process will become an automatic habit you do whenever you make plans, and that’s when the magic happens.Read this Stoic breakdown to go along with this episode: https://www.stoichandbook.co/how-to-plan-your-day/🔥 🧰  Free SPQR Stoic Reset Kit — 5-min audio + 1-page protocol to stop anxiety spirals fast. → stoichandbook.co/toolkit