Every day every one of us are faced with challenging situations. Any situation will trigger any number of different emotional responses from our endocrine systems, which we then react to externally.

The reasoning mind is essential to living a good life through Stoicism.

Enchiridion 5. states Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things. Death, for instance, is not terrible, else it would have appeared so to Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death that it is terrible. When therefore we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never attribute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own principles. An uninstructed person will lay the fault of his own bad condition upon others. Someone just starting instruction will lay the fault on himself. Some who is perfectly instructed will place blame neither on others nor on himself.

It is our judgements of things that are the cause of trouble. We internalize things to center on us. It is not things themselves that upset us but our interpretation.  Our judgements make us fearful. Worry about things that have not happened. Our thoughts contribute to how we react.

We do not have to deal with negative emotions. We have a choice. Out thoughts can contribute to anger and fear. We can be responsible and act accordingly. The problem rests in us. We can choose to be free and undisturbed if we wish.