How to practice Stoicism every day: 9 simple exercises

Stoicism was never meant to be studied like a textbook. The ancient Stoics called philosophy a way of life, and they trained it daily, the way an athlete trains the body. Reading about it helps. Practicing it is what changes you.

Here are nine exercises the Stoics actually used, each with a simple way to start today.

1. The morning premeditation

Before the day begins, take two minutes to picture it. Marcus Aurelius reminded himself each morning that he would meet people who were rude, ungrateful or dishonest, and that none of them could damage his character unless he let them.

Try it: before you open your phone, ask yourself what today might throw at you and how you want to respond.

2. The dichotomy of control

Epictetus opens his handbook with one distinction: some things are up to us, and most things are not. Our judgments, intentions and actions are ours. Everything else, including other people and outcomes, is not.

Try it: when something bothers you, sort it into two columns, “up to me” and “not up to me”, and act only on the first. We wrote a full guide on the dichotomy of control.

3. Pause before you judge

Epictetus taught that we are disturbed not by events, but by our opinions about them. The Stoic skill is to notice the first impression (“this is a disaster”) and pause before agreeing with it.

Try it: the next time you feel a jolt of anger or fear, say to yourself: “This is an impression, not necessarily the truth.” Then look again.

4. Negative visualization

The Stoics called it premeditatio malorum, the rehearsal of misfortune. By imagining losing what you have, you appreciate it more and fear its loss less.

Try it: for one minute, imagine your day without something you take for granted: your health, a friend, your home. Then notice that you still have it.

5. The view from above

Marcus Aurelius often pictured human life from a great height: cities, crowds, wars and weddings, all tiny and brief. Seen from there, most of what upsets us shrinks to its real size.

Try it: when a problem feels huge, imagine zooming out from your room, to your city, to the planet. Ask how big it looks from there.

6. Voluntary discomfort

Seneca advised a friend to set aside a few days each month to live on the plainest food and rough clothing, and then to ask: “Is this what I feared?” Small, chosen hardships make you less afraid of losing comfort.

Try it: take a cold shower, skip a meal, or leave your phone at home for an afternoon. Notice that you are fine.

7. The reserve clause

The Stoics planned carefully but added a quiet condition to every plan: “if nothing prevents it”. Seneca recommended it so that setbacks do not feel like betrayals.

Try it: when you set a goal today, add “fate permitting” in your head. Do your best, and hold the outcome lightly.

8. Memento mori

Remembering that life is short is not morbid. For the Stoics, it was the clearest way to stop wasting time on what does not matter. We explain the idea in depth in memento mori: meaning and practice.

Try it: ask yourself once today, “If this were my last week, would I still spend this hour this way?”

9. The evening review

Seneca ended each day by reviewing it in the dark, asking what he had done well, where he had failed and what he would do better. It is the oldest form of journaling we know of.

Try it: before sleep, write three answers: what went well, what did not, and what you will change tomorrow. Our list of Stoic journal prompts has forty more questions if you want variety.

Start with two, not nine

Nine exercises is too many to start at once. Pick a morning one and an evening one, for example the morning premeditation and the evening review, and do them for a week. Add others when those feel automatic.

The Stoics did not expect perfection. Epictetus told his students they would fail often, and that the point was to start again. A daily practice is simply a promise to keep starting.

If you want a little structure, Stoxia gives you a short morning and evening prompt every day, with a quote from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca or Epictetus to reflect on.