Up late because I forgot to take my meds earlier

Recently I discovered Stoic philosophy which is very different from what I'd thought and has been inspiring and helpful to me mentally. My favourite character on Star Trek when I was a child was Mr. Spock and I loved how he approached everything with logic, and this is a very Stoic idea.

I don't want to get into what Stoicism is because anyone can get a definition, but one idea that struck home with me is that one must never react in anger, but pause and process before responding - respond rather than react. Stoicism isn't about suppressing emotions - it's about processing them. So with anger you may need to go for a walk, write in a journal, and/or wait until the next day, but respond with a cool head.


The other idea that galvanized me is "The obstacle is the way," that one should not avoid worthy tasks or situations because they are difficult. The idea is that you're going to suffer anyway if you avoid them. The hardest tasks often yield the biggest rewards. This is so true for me, and since reading this I have gone to the gym 3 times a week, stuck to my healthy diet and worked on my novel every day.


To a stoic, hard work is its own reward and you shouldn't rely on praise or acclaim from others. This is also helpful to me in writing my novel. I always worry if others will like my work. Now I know I don't have to.

There are some amazing parallels between Stoicism and Buddhism, which is fascinating since I know of no historical connection.

The ideas of stoicism are really helping my mood. If anyone is interested I recommend watching Ryan Holiday on YouTube or reading his books. But there are tons of articles and books by others also.