Stoicism

Yes, I'm talking about the Stoicism taught by the ancient Greeks and practiced by leading citizens in the Roman Empire, most notably the emperor Marcus Aurelius. I became interested in the subject a few months ago after a recommendation from a friend, who said that Stoicism is not just a dead mouse for academics to bat around; it was and can still be a philosophy for living. And by practicing Stoicism, we can become better, more resolute people. If we can do that, our work of improving our health can only benefit.

A lot of people think that being stoic means keeping emotions repressed and behaving in a robot-like way. That's far from the original intent of Stoic teaching. Stoicism claims that most of the things we desire, like fame and fortune, are not worth pursuing. Instead the pursuit of tranquility is valued, not the kind brought on by a tranquilizer, but a state marked by the absence of negative emotions such as anger, grief, anxiety and fear, and the presence of positive emotions, like joy. Stoics distinguish between things we can control and things we can't, so that we won't worry about the things we can't control and instead focus on the things we can control. Stoics also practice strategies that prevent other people from upsetting us and disturbing our tranquility.

I just paraphrased from a book I'm recommending: "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy," by William Irvine. As I read the book, while checking on this site daily, I noticed some of the Stoic principles for living a good life (good in the sense of quality, not partying or getting rich) resonated with me and my struggles with the sleeve. I had been on a 2-month stall when I started reading. The ideas in the book made so much sense that I started trying to use them in my own life. My first step was to eliminate, as much as possible, self-pity. It's indulgent and it makes me feel good for a short time, but as a strategy for actually doing something worthwhile? It had to go.

How has Stoicism helped me so far? Today I finally stepped on a scale and found that I've now lost more than 100 pounds. Stall is over. I'm taking responsibility for my actions, and I feel much more confident than I did just a few months ago. Eating with the sleeve is one of the things I have control over, and I plan to use my new-found strength to keep working toward goal and maintenance.

I have to give kairk a lot of credit, too, with his no-nonsense advice about the sleeve and his emphasis that we can choose what we wish to eat, even when it's an occasional off-plan food. I think maybe kairk is a Stoic in disguise. 

psychoticparrot

Thank you for this insightful post!  I am still pre-op and very nervous and the ideas in your post really resonated with me.  Congratulations on your success with the sleeve!

You give me far too much credit, but I'll gladly accept the kindness! Thanks so much!

I'll have to investigate this Stoicism in its original sense. I think perhaps my journey has/is taking me in that direction on some level.  

During your investigation, you'll find out that Stoics are immune to praise and censure alike. 

Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" are also worth reading -- wisdom right from the horse's mouth, so to speak. But be sure to get the translation from the original Greek by Gregory Hays. The others are almost unreadable.

My next read will be Epictetus's "The Art of Living."

psychoticparrot