One Week to a Calmer Mind
Each day introduces one Stoic practice. The practices build on each other. By the end of the week, you'll have a complete foundation for Stoic living.
Time required: 10-15 minutes per day
What you need: Just yourself (a journal is helpful but optional)
Before your day begins - before email, before news, before anything - spend 3-5 minutes preparing your mind.
Sit quietly and think through these three things:
1. Acknowledge what's coming:
"Today I will encounter difficulties. People will frustrate me. Things will go wrong. This is normal. This is human life."
2. Remember your power:
"I cannot control what happens today. I can control how I respond. My peace is not dependent on external events."
3. Set one intention:
Choose ONE virtue to focus on today:
Say to yourself: "Today, I will practice [virtue], especially when it's difficult."
Marcus Aurelius did this every morning. By acknowledging difficulties before they arrive, you're not caught off guard. By remembering your power, you reclaim it. By setting an intention, you have direction.
Complete the morning preparation tomorrow morning. Set an alarm 10 minutes earlier if needed.
Throughout the day, notice what's in your control and what isn't.
Morning: Review the dichotomy:
Throughout the day: When something bothers you, pause and ask:
Evening: Write down (or think through):
Most of our stress comes from trying to control the uncontrollable. This practice reveals where your energy is actually going - and where it could go instead.
Catch yourself at least 5 times today worrying about something outside your control. Each time, consciously release it.
Create space between stimulus and response.
When you feel a strong emotional reaction today (anger, frustration, anxiety, irritation):
Seneca said the greatest remedy for anger is delay. In the pause, you remember who you want to be. You choose your response instead of being hijacked by reaction.
Practice the pause at least 3 times today. Notice what happens when you create that space.
Briefly imagine losing what you have - to appreciate it more fully.
Morning (3 minutes):
Choose one thing you take for granted:
Spend 2-3 minutes imagining it gone. Not morbidly dwelling - just acknowledging impermanence.
Then: Return to your day with renewed appreciation.
Throughout the day:
Notice moments of ordinary goodness. A working body. Hot coffee. A friend's text. Someone who loves you.
Evening:
Write down three things you appreciated today that you might normally overlook.
The Stoics called this "premeditatio malorum" - contemplating adversity before it arrives. It sounds dark, but the effect is gratitude. We stop taking things for granted. We appreciate what we have while we have it.
Do the morning negative visualization. Notice if it changes how you experience your day.
Zoom out to gain perspective.
When something feels overwhelming or all-consuming:
1. Zoom out in space:
Imagine yourself from above - in your room, then your building, then your city, then your country, then Earth from space. Your problem gets smaller as the view expands.
2. Zoom out in time:
Ask: "Will this matter in a week? A year? Ten years? A hundred years?" Most of what consumes us today is forgotten tomorrow.
3. Remember the humans:
Right now, billions of people are struggling. Billions have faced worse and found peace. You are not alone in difficulty. You are part of a vast human story.
Marcus Aurelius practiced this constantly. He wrote about seeing human affairs as if from above - the smallness of our dramas, the vastness of the universe. It creates perspective without dismissing genuine concerns.
When something stresses you today, try the view from above. Zoom out until the problem reaches its proper size.
Choose one small discomfort on purpose.
Today, deliberately do something slightly uncomfortable:
Physical options:
Mental options:
Seneca regularly practiced poverty, hunger, and discomfort - not because he had to, but to prove he could handle it. Voluntary discomfort builds capacity. It proves that you can do hard things. It reduces fear of future difficulty.
Choose one voluntary discomfort. Do it. Notice what you learn.
Review your day with honest reflection.
Before bed, spend 5-10 minutes going through your day:
1. The Scroll-Through:
Mentally walk through your day from morning to now. See it like a movie.
2. Three Questions (from Seneca):
"What bad habit did I curb today?"
"What virtue did I practice?"
"In what way am I better than yesterday?"
3. Tomorrow's Intention:
Based on today, what will you focus on tomorrow?
Seneca did this every night for decades. The practice creates a feedback loop - you learn from experience, you improve over time. Without reflection, we make the same mistakes indefinitely.
Complete the evening review tonight. Consider making it a permanent practice.
Over seven days, you've practiced:
These aren't separate tools. They're one system. Morning preparation sets the day. The dichotomy and pause guide your responses. Negative visualization and the view from above maintain perspective. Voluntary discomfort builds strength. Evening review closes the loop.
Keep practicing. Don't try to do everything every day. Instead:
Go deeper. Read the primary sources:
Stay connected. Join the newsletter at iamromanstone.com for weekly Stoic wisdom.
| Day | Practice | Time | Core Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morning Preparation | 3-5 min | "What's my intention today?" |
| 2 | Dichotomy of Control | Throughout | "Is this in my control?" |
| 3 | The Pause | As needed | "How do I want to respond?" |
| 4 | Negative Visualization | 3 min | "What am I taking for granted?" |
| 5 | View From Above | As needed | "How big is this, really?" |
| 6 | Voluntary Discomfort | Once daily | "What hard thing can I choose?" |
| 7 | Evening Review | 5 min | "How did I do? What did I learn?" |
"No man is free who is not master of himself." - Epictetus