Stoicism beliefs are a set of principles or ideals which help people lead a better life. The focus of the belief is on living without emotion, responding to events with equanimity and detachment and embracing negativity. These are the principles that can help you live a better life. Stoicism beliefs have been used by many people throughout history including Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus.
Let’s take a look at 9 Stoicism beliefs
1. The Stoic believes that everything comes to an end eventually
The stoics believed that life was made up of two parts: a visible part, which was the world we experience with our senses and a hidden part, which represented our true nature. The visible part came to an end eventually, because it will die or just disappear.
The belief that everything comes to an end is one of the most important stoicism beliefs. It represents one of the stoics’ main philosophies: As life would have no meaning without death, so death has no meaning without life.
2. The Stoic believes that emotions are irrelevant when making decisions
The Stoics believe that emotions are irrelevant when making decisions. There is one way to achieve the life we want and that is to live with contentment, without emotion, and without attachments. They believed when we follow this path our emotions will have no influence on what we do in life.
3. The Stoic believes that you can only handle a certain level of negative emotions
The Stoics believe that you can only handle a certain level of negative emotions. They have effectively tested the capacity of their own minds, allowing them to determine the level of consciousness at which they could remain detached from the outside world. They believed they could only live a reasonable life if they managed to keep their emotions in check.
4. The Stoic believes that everything changes
The stoics believed that everything changes. The world is constantly changing and this means that things we have come to rely on or even love may disappear, what is temporary will not last forever. We should learn to accept this as it is an inescapable reality of life.
5. The Stoic believes that the universe runs according to universal law
The Stoics believed that the universe runs according to universal law. They believed there is a universal law of cause and effect that determines all things, including the emotions we feel. The belief that everything happens for a reason also means you should remain calm in any circumstance and refrain from overreacting and panicking.
6. The Stoic believes that the world is indifferent to your well-being
The Stoics believed that the world is indifferent to your well-being. They believed that the actions of other people have little to no influence on the outcome of your life. This belief makes you feel more empowered and in charge of your own destiny.
7. The Stoic believes that all things are connected
The Stoics believed that all things are connected. They believed any action could lead to a chain of events that connects you to the actions or emotions of others. They believed the way you treat others is just as important as what happens to you.
8. The Stoic believes they should take responsibility for their life and not rely on fate.
The stoics believed they should take responsibility for their life and not rely on fate. They believed they have dominion over their own destinies and should be the only ones to blame for the outcome of their lives. They have been able to realise that even though events seem to happen for a reason, this is not always true and there are many other factors contributing to the outcome of these events.
9. The Stoic believes that they should exhibit self-control and willingly endure hardship as a form of practice for behaving well in the future.
The stoics believed that they should exhibit self-control and willingly endure hardship as a form of practice for behaving well in the future. They believed that by going through hardship and suffering, they are able to face any difficulty or problem in the future with more strength and fortitude.
5 Ways Stoicism Beliefs Can Help You Live a better life:
Here are five ways Stoicism beliefs can help you lead a better life:
1. You will feel less anger and frustration in life.
Honing the skill of focussing on what you can control leads to greater emotional control. Stoics believe that we control ourselves, not fate, and so we should focus our attention on what we can influence. It’s very common for people to get caught up in the emotions of others, especially anger and frustrations.
When you focus on what you can control you realise that you are not just reacting to external events in your life, but also to your own emotions. You find that you don’t experience the same uncontrollable rage and frustration as you do before.
You will feel less anger and frustration in life which can help you lead a better life.
It will be hard to control the emotions of others when you don’t understand the source of their anger.
2. You will feel better about yourself because you are more at peace with the world around you.
Life is an unpredictable rollercoaster ride that has many curve balls thrown at us over the years. We often blame other people for the things that happen to us and this leads to feelings of anger and frustration. The stoics believe that we should not be angry at the world around us because it’s out of our control.
Being at peace will allow you to feel better about yourself as you have more control over your own emotions.
3. You will feel less anxious about the future.
Thinking about the future causes fear and anxiety because we don’t know how it will turn out. The stoics believe that thinking about what’s in store for us in the future places us in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. They often recommend that we live in the moment, focussing on what’s right in front of us.
By living in the moment, you will feel less anxious about the future which can help you lead a better life.
4. You will feel more relaxed.
As we mentioned above, it’s very common to become caught up in the emotions of others. When we get upset about the things that happen to us, our minds tend to dwell on them and we go through a lot of mental and emotional turmoil.
Thinking about the future causes fear and anxiety because we don’t know how it will turn out. The stoics believe that thinking about what’s in store for us in the future places us in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. They often recommend that we live in the moment, focussing on what’s right in front of us.
Live in the moment, live your life and stop worrying about the future. You will feel less anxious about the future which can help you lead a better life.
5. A strong sense of confidence
By accepting that all things are predetermined, we will not be afraid to face even the most difficult of situations with confidence. We will realise that the outcome may not turn out in the way we want it to and we must accept this fact.
Embrace the uncertainty of life and you will feel more confident about yourself which can help you lead a better life.
Bonus: The 5 most powerful Stoic sayings
The following are the five most powerful Stoic sayings. These quotes are perfect for practicing stoicism in your life. They will prepare you for any problem or issue that arises and will help you lead a better life.
- “By nature, we each have within us to either please or displease the gods; but we can be neither long in misery nor long in pleasure, but are owned by them to be either friend or foe. Hence, we may act as if we are not going to live long, but must soon go from here; thus everything that happens around us becomes something that is nothing to us.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
- “Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labour does the body.”
― Seneca, Phaedra
- “How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. “
― Seneca, Epistles to Lucilius: To My Friends
- “We should not seek continuous joy and unbroken prosperity, but we should rather wish to be purified. And that will come about if we abstain from the pleasures which are unseasonable or unsuitable to us.”
― Seneca, On Holidays and Fasting: That Men Might Have More Joy in Abstaining Than in Observing Them
- “Dismiss your thoughts, or better still, turn them to useful matters. You have been thinking of things that are far away and will do you no good; turn your mind to living, not to dying. If you had thought about your anger instead of burying it, you would not now be suffering in silence as you are.”
― Seneca, On Anger: That It Is Merely an Immoderate Attachment to Life.
Conclusion
Life is hard. We have no control over what life throws at us and we often have to deal with many problems, hardships, and sufferings. This may make you wonder why we are born if there’s so much pain in the world?
If you are able to embrace stoicism as your lifestyle, you will be able to cope better with the bumps of life and lead a better life. You will feel less anxiety about the future because you understand that everything is predetermined.
The Stoics believe that we should not be angry at the world around us because it’s out of our control. Being at peace will allow you to feel better about yourself as you have more control over your own emotions. You will feel less anxiety about the future because you understand that everything is predetermined.
Live in the moment, live your life, and stop worrying about the future. You will feel less anxious about the future which can help you lead a better life.
