{"product":{"product_id":"1444187104","title":"Stoicism and the Art of Happiness: A Teach Yourself Guide","price":"7.02","image_url":"https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qCPai1XzL._SL500_.jpg","url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1444187104"},"comments":[{"body":"Judging yourself by your perception of other peoples \"standards\" of living is always a route to the place where you are now. No one is perfect and the people who appear perfect are just hiding their fuck ups that tiny little bit better.\r\n\r\nThe only things in the world you can control are your own thoughts and responses to events. Everything else you have no control over. You can't even stop your body getting unwell. That probably sounds scary but its incredibly liberating as it means that if you can't control something you don't have to let it concern you.\r\n\r\nSomeone has bigger muscles than you? You can't control that so why bother about it. You can be glad for them and admire the hard work they have put in to get there but there is no reason for you to feel bad about yourself as your muscles are smaller. Someone is \"funnier\" than you? Watch and learn from them but don't bring yourself down that you can't be as funny.\r\n\r\nIf you have gone through CBT or DBT (Cognitive or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) this will be very familiar to you. Take a look at this book  [Stoicism and the Art of Happiness](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-perseverance-philosophy/dp/1444187104/ref=sr_1) for an easy introduction into all this.\r\n\r\nYou can change the way you think with *effort*. You can become a better person with *effort*. It's not easy but you have plenty of time, the rest of your life.\r\n\r\nFinally.... if you are currently not getting any medical help for your mental health please go and see your GP. They will sort out something for you. If you are in a really bad place then call the Samaritans on 116 123 as you are in the UK.","subreddit_name":"EOOD","author":"rob_cornelius"},{"body":"The best book I can recommend is Donald Robertson's [Stoicism and the Art of Happiness](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Yourself-Philosophy/dp/1444187104/ref=sr_1_1). I have met Don a couple of times and he is a well respected therapist as well as a philosopher","subreddit_name":"EOOD","author":"rob_cornelius"},{"body":"All of those are good. All of them will help. I do all of them.\r\n\r\nIf you like what I have been talking about so far you might want to take a look at [Stoicism and the Art of Happiness](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Yourself-Philosophy/dp/1444187104/ref=sr_1_1) The author is a world renowned expert on Stoicism and a world renowned therapist too. I met him a while ago and he is a nice guy too.\r\n\r\n","subreddit_name":"EOOD","author":"rob_cornelius"},{"body":"No worries, I hope that helps. You can check out his book \"Stoicism and the Art of Happiness\". http://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104/\r\nIt's on the recommended reading list too for this sub. Personally, I've found the book a bit on the boring side so i haven't been able to get through it yet though lol\r\n","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"cujo9k"},{"body":"A classic solution for panic attacks is in fact a Stoic one, because of the structure of a panic attack.\r\n\r\nA panic attack generally works like this: I start to feel anxious, and then I become afraid that this anxiety will be overwhelming, and as a result I become afraid of my fear, which then causes my anxiety to increase, and so on. It is a classic feedback loop.\r\n\r\nThe solution is paradoxical: whenever you start to feel anxiety or fear, feel the anxiety in your body (usually in the chest or belly) and say to the fear, \"thank you, please give me more.\"\r\n\r\nIt seems ridiculous, but it totally works.\r\n\r\nIf the feeling increases, it means you are in conscious control of it. If it decreases or stays the same, you can feign disappointment: \"Aww, come on. I wanted more fear please.\"\r\n\r\nEither way, you are no longer afraid of fear, and thus no panic attack is possible. The feeling might not go away right away, but it also won't spiral out of control.\r\n\r\nThe idea is based on the fact that no unpleasant feeling will kill you. When having a panic attack, it feels like you are going to die. But nobody ever died from feeling fear.\r\n\r\nTry that, as well as reading some Stoics (I recommend Epictetus or [Robertson's book](http://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Relationships-Self-Help/dp/1444187104)).","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"duffstoic"},{"body":"Hi /u/mcnelton - I hope you read this comment because none of the so far suggested books come from an academic approach.\r\n\r\nI would recommend the (perhaps poorly titled) *[Stoicism and the Art of Happiness](https://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104)* by Donald Robertson.\r\n\r\nIt's extremely well sourced and references a significant number of modern of academic and psychology texts as well as ancient ones. Each section contains practical exercises, and the book covers the whole historical context as well as the modern development of psychology treatments such as REBT and CBT which are based on the Stoic tradition.\r\n\r\nIf you want to take a step further in the academic direction but away from the practical, I would recommend the truly excellent *[Stoicism](https://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Ancient-Philosophies-John-Sellars/dp/0520249089)* by John Sellars.","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"illegalUturn"},{"body":"**Stoicism And The Art Of Happiness — Donald Robertson** \r\n\r\nWithout a doubt this is the best for learning Stoicism as a subject as opposed to just reading about the philosophy. The book is structured as a self-teaching guide breaking down Stoicism into it's fundamental components to then revise through key ideas, illustrations, chapter summaries tables and exercises. Donald also has free courses on his website.\r\n\r\n[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-perseverance-philosophy/dp/1444187104](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-perseverance-philosophy/dp/1444187104)\r\n\r\n[https://learn.donaldrobertson.name/courses](https://learn.donaldrobertson.name/courses)\r\n\r\n**Live Like A Stoic: 52 Exercises for Cultivating a Good Life — Massimo Pigliucci** \r\n\r\nThis is set out as a practical workbook. It has 52 week-by-week exercises to practice Stoicism. Massimo also has a separate book called *How To Be A Stoic: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Living* to learn Stoic theory, but I don't find it as well structured as Donald Robertson's book is. \r\n\r\n[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Like-Stoic-Exercises-Cultivating/dp/1846045967](https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Be-Stoic-Ancient-Wisdom/dp/184604507X)\r\n\r\n**The Daily Stoic — Ryan Holiday** \r\n\r\nGreat for bite-size pieces of Stoicism each day if time is limited; his journal workbook is also pretty good too.\r\n\r\n[https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Perseverance/dp/0735211736](https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Perseverance/dp/0735211736)\r\n\r\n[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daily-Stoic-Journal-Writing-Reflection/dp/1788160231](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daily-Stoic-Journal-Writing-Reflection/dp/1788160231)\r\n\r\n\u0026amp;#x200B;\r\n\r\nFor me personally, the best way to learn Stoicism is to revise it and practice it again and again, and the books above are the best ways of doing this. Hope this helps.","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"rua_donn"},{"body":"[The Stoic Handbook](http://collegeofstoicphilosophers.org/books/10) by Erik Wiegardt  \r\nThe good folks at the “[The College of Stoic Philosophers](https://collegeofstoicphilosophers.org/home)” put this short PDF together for the expressed purpose of introducing western readers to the philosophy. It’s written in plain, straightforward English and lays out the basics concepts in about as obvious a manner as you could hope. Free.\r\n\r\n[Stoicism and the Art of Happiness](http://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8\u0026amp;qid=1460296752\u0026amp;sr=8-1\u0026amp;keywords=stoicism+and+the+art+of+happiness) by Donald Robertson  \r\nThis book follows a similar modernistic model as “The Stoic Handbook”, but goes a little deeper. The author is a psychotherapist of the Stoic-Inspired CBT method and you can see it in the scientific references he brings to bear in explaining why the philosophy works. Nor does he skimp on the history behind each of the principles he discusses. Complete with exercises at the end of each chapter to help you start seeing how the whole thing fits together, this is an excellent way to get started. Around $14 for the paperback on Amazon.\r\n\r\n[Enchiridion](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Epictetus,_the_Discourses_as_reported_by_Arrian,_the_Manual,_and_Fragments/Manual)  by Epictetus  \r\n“Enchiridion” literally translates to “Handbook” and was compiled by Epictetus’ students from the larger body of his “Discourses” for the expressed purpose of introducing the prokopton (one who is making moral progress) to the essentials of Stoicism. I started with the George Long translation, one of the more popular ones, but that’s largely because it is no longer under copyright. There are more recent translations of this, and many other older Stoic writings, and some would argue that a nominal charge is worth the additional clarity. Your mileage may vary. Free from Wikisource.\r\n\r\nDespite the popularity of Meditations, Discourses, and Letters, these are not good places to start. They were not written for a beginner in 2020.","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"GreyFreeman"},{"body":"[The Stoic Handbook by Erik Wiegardt](http://collegeofstoicphilosophers.org/show_book/books/01_Handbook)  \r\nThe good folks at the “[The College of Stoic Philosophers](http://collegeofstoicphilosophers.org/home)” put this short PDF together for the expressed purpose of introducing western readers to the philosophy. It’s written in plain, straightforward English and lays out the basics concepts in about as obvious a manner as you could hope. Free.\r\n\r\n[Stoicism and the Art of Happiness by Donald Robertson](http://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8\u0026amp;qid=1460296752\u0026amp;sr=8-1\u0026amp;keywords=stoicism+and+the+art+of+happiness)  \r\nThis book follows a similar modernistic model as “The Stoic Handbook”, but goes a little deeper. The author is a psychotherapist of the Stoic-Inspired CBT method and you can see it in the scientific references he brings to bear in explaining why the philosophy works. Nor does he skimp on the history behind each of the principles he discusses. Complete with exercises at the end of each chapter to help you start seeing how the whole thing fits together, this is an excellent way to get started. Around $14 for the paperback on Amazon.\r\n\r\n[Enchiridion by Epictetus](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Enchiridion)  \r\n“Enchiridion” literally translates to “Handbook” and was compiled by Epictetus’ students from the larger body of his “Discourses” for the expressed purpose of introducing the *prokopton* (one who is making moral progress) to the essentials of Stoicism. I started with the George Long translation, one of the more popular ones, but that’s largely because it is no longer under copyright. There are more recent translations of this, and many other older Stoic writings, and some would argue that a nominal charge is worth the additional clarity. Your mileage may vary. Free from Wikisource.\r\n\r\nFinally, I would direct you to the “Resources” section of our very own Reddit [Stoicism FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/faq#wiki_resources), which offers a number of suggestions on various topics.\r\n","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"GreyFreeman"},{"body":"Robertson's [*Stoicism and the Art of Happiness*](https://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104) is quite good for beginners. He explains all the Stoic ideas that Marcus writes about but doesn't explain.","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"duffstoic"},{"body":"Well, it's long because there are a lot of different options. What are you looking for? Something for newbies, or for more mid-tier? Deep or easy? Here's something I put together a while back for people just starting:\r\n\r\n***\r\n\r\nThe Stoic Handbook by Erik Wiegardt\r\nThe good folks at the “The College of Stoic Philosophers” put this short PDF together for the expressed purpose of introducing western readers to the philosophy. It’s written in plain, straightforward English and lays out the basics concepts in about as obvious a manner as you could hope. Free (http://collegeofstoicphilosophers.org/books/10).\r\n\r\nStoicism and the Art of Happiness by Donald Robertson\r\nThis book follows a similar modernistic model as “The Stoic Handbook”, but goes a little deeper. The author is a psychotherapist of the Stoic-Inspired CBT method and you can see it in the scientific references he brings to bear in explaining why the philosophy works. Nor does he skimp on the history behind each of the principles he discusses. Complete with exercises at the end of each chapter to help you start seeing how the whole thing fits together, this is an excellent way to get started. Around $14 for the paperback on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104).\r\n\r\nEnchiridion by Epictetus\r\n“Enchiridion” literally translates to “Handbook” and was compiled by Epictetus’ students from the larger body of his “Discourses” for the expressed purpose of introducing the prokopton (one who is making moral progress) to the essentials of Stoicism. I started with the George Long translation, one of the more popular ones, but that’s largely because it is no longer under copyright. There are more recent translations of this, and many other older Stoic writings, and some would argue that a nominal charge is worth the additional clarity. Your mileage may vary. Free from Wikisource (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Enchiridion_(Epictetus)).\r\n\r\n***\r\n\r\nI also wrote this thing about Stoic practices:  \r\nhttp://c0c0c0.net/practical_stoicism\r\n\r\nHopefully, one of those is what you're looking for.","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"GreyFreeman"},{"body":"[Stoicism and the Art of Happiness by Donald Robertson](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1444187104/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Q73gCbNHNVTRB)\r\n\r\nOr\r\n\r\n[Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Teach Yourself by Christine Wilding](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1473607922/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_O-3gCbJT5DAH0)\r\n\r\n","subreddit_name":"booksuggestions","author":"ijustd16"},{"body":"While Mediations is wonderful, it doesn't actually teach you Stoicism.\r\n\r\nI'll copy and paste my list from another post. I would encourage you to check out 1 and 3. Both are available for free from Overdrive if your library supports that.\r\n\r\n1 is more thorough but a bit heavier. 3 is very very easy to read and a fantastic introduction.\r\n\r\n*[Stoicism and the Art of Happiness](https://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104)*, easily my number one. It's good for a newbie and great for even a years long practitioner to revisit over and over again. Could not recommend it enough.\r\n\r\n*[Discourses](https://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Selected-Writings-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140449469)*. So much in there that you simply have to read and re-read.\r\n\r\n*[Unshakable Freedom](https://www.amazon.com/Unshakable-Freedom-Ancient-Secrets-Applied/dp/0920219187)*. This is the one I usually give to complete newbies. For me it's the best and most accessible introduction.\r\n\r\nAnd I can tell you from personal experience that it becomes wonderfully easy to not be annoyed by people like your coworker :)","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"illegalUturn"},{"body":"[Stoicism and the Art of Happiness](https://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104) by Donald Robertson is a well regarded book that gives a practical overview. But it's important to read the original sources as well.","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"runeaway"},{"body":"I like Donald Robertson's work, so maybe try his introductory book - https://www.amazon.com/Stoicism-Art-Happiness-Teach-Yourself/dp/1444187104 \r\n\r\nIrvine I haven't read, but I've read criticisms that it diverges from classical Stoicism too much - https://philosophy-of-cbt.com/2013/05/17/review-of-irvines-a-guide-to-the-good-life-the-ancient-art-of-stoic-joy-2009/\r\n","subreddit_name":"Stoicism","author":"tre3211"}]}