Many of us have experienced it. Feeling stress from a situation or a series of events starts to affect us. One of the effects is a headache.

Headaches are one of the bodily responses to stress. Tension headaches are dull pain, tightness, or pressure around your forehead or the back of your head and neck.

Stress and increased frequency of headaches seems to be a given association. After all, stress does cause changes to our body and brain that can favor the development of headaches, so it isn’t farfetched to regard stress as one of your triggers.

Even worse, stress can promote the development of migraines, much worse varieties of headaches that can result in your immobility and loss of countless work hours.

The practice of Stoicism can be seen as a measure to prevent stress. It is through its teachings a course of action to find tranquility and living a happy life even through suffering. When stress starts affecting you with headaches it is a sign that things are affecting you.

It takes discipline and self-control to have a happy life.

Moral Letters 93. 3. What is the happy life? It is peace of mind, and lasting tranquillity. This will be yours if you possess greatness of soul; it will be yours if you possess the steadfastness that resolutely clings to a good judgment just reached. How does a man reach this condition? By gaining a complete view of truth, by maintaining, in all that he does, order, measure, fitness, and a will that is inoffensive and kindly, that is intent upon reason and never departs therefrom, that commands at the same time love and admiration. In short, to give you the principle in brief compass, the wise man's soul ought to be such as would be proper for a god.

Reasoned choices also play a role in getting headaches. Think of unhealthy choices in dealing with stress like consuming alcohol. Consuming too much gives the old hangover and the splitting headache.

Luckily, salvation may come by helping reduce the effects of stress, as the frequency of headaches decrease once the stress response is eliminated.

Donald Robertson’s book How To Think Like A Roman Emperor offers great insight into the life and mindset of Marcus Aurelius. You get a sort of look at the man behind the book Meditations. 

When you read the book Meditations you can really see the insight and reflection that went into this. Imagine the Emperor journaling about events and experiences of the time. Constantly under stress in his position he puts his thoughts in writing that becomes the inspiration for Stoic philosophy even today. 

The stress of his life certainly affected him psychologically. In Meditations 3.16 he writes  Body, soul, intelligence: to the body belong sensations, to the soul appetites, to the intelligence principles. To receive the impressions of forms by means of appearances belongs even to animals; to be pulled by the strings of desire belongs both to wild beasts and to men who have made themselves into women, and to a Phalaris and a Nero: and to have the intelligence that guides to the things which appear suitable belongs also to those who do not believe in the gods, and who betray their country, and do their impure deeds when they have shut the doors. If then everything else is common to all that I have mentioned, there remains that which is peculiar to the good man, to be pleased and content with what happens, and with the thread which is spun for him; and not to defile the divinity which is planted in his breast, nor disturb it by a crowd of images, but to preserve it tranquil, following it obediently as a god, neither saying anything contrary to the truth, nor doing anything contrary to justice.

As emperor he had to perform his duties from a sense of strength and authority. People may not have seen the psychological effects of his position affecting him.    

The truth is, many of the adverse effects associated with stress are psychological in nature, not easily seen by others. Regardless, this does not make it any less serious, as these same psychological issues take their toll on the health and wellbeing of the afflicted, and can result in marked changes to the personality of that individual. 

And even though you may not notice changes immediately, it is imperative that you be able to detect and make changes to your life in order to overcome the stress load urgently. 

Many people do not consider the serious repercussions of suffering from long-term stress, as the acute stress response is what most people are accustomed to. This acute response could be elicited from something as simple as rushing to catch the train for your morning commute, or completing a work assignment during the last hour of the day.

Chronic stress is an entirely different beast. If you’ve ever seen someone change after being bombarded with a heavy stress burden, then you have observed the negative changes that may have happened to the brain.

Chronic stress affects almost every part of the body, inside and out and the brain is certainly one of the parts that suffers numerous serious consequences.

However through the use of Stoicism we have the ability to train ourselves to not let chronic stress affect us and help protect the reasoning mind.

Enchiridion 12 states If you wish to make progress, dismiss all reasoning of this sort: "If I neglect my affairs, I shall have nothing to live on." "If I do not punish my slave-boy he will turn out bad." For it is better to die of hunger, but in a state of freedom from grief and fear, than to live in plenty, but troubled in mind. And it is better for your slave-boy to be bad than for you to be unhappy. Begin, therefore, with the little things. Your paltry oil gets spilled, your miserable wine stolen; say to yourself, "This is the price paid for a calm spirit, this the price for peace of mind." Nothing is got without a price. And when you call your slave-boy, bear in mind that it is possible he may not heed you, and again, that even if he does heed, he may not do what you want done. But he is not in so happy a condition that your peace of mind depends upon him.

To make progress with Stoicism you need to let go of things in life that could affect you. There is certain value in what is in your control. Are you troubled, happy or miserable at certain times? What causes this? We can be affected by people and situations around us but only if we let them. You and only you let things affect you.

We must be realistic in whatever environment we are is. Let go of things that do not matter and this will help to get peace of mind.

If not there are serious consequences from chronic stress to be aware of.

The immune system is unique. It consists of a team including white blood cells, organs, chemical mediators, and antibodies, which collectively try to safeguard the body from foreign invaders that may occur in cells or in the blood.

In addition, while the immune system is very efficient at removing these invaders, including bacteria, viruses, or cancer cells, it can become compromised because of external interference, in this case chronic stress.

Acute stress is not harmful to the immune system, but long-term stress has a way of suppressing the immune system so that it does not react in the method it was supposed to.

Aspects of Stoicism can help reduce stress and therefor help our immune system. It results in the cultivation of peace of mind and tranquility in life. This can also help with development of better health.

Moral Letters 78.3. states Now I shall tell you what consoled me during those days, stating at the outset that these very aids to my peace of mind were as efficacious as medicine. Honourable consolation results in a cure; and whatever has uplifted the soul helps the body also. My studies were my salvation. I place it to the credit of philosophy that I recovered and regained my strength. I owe my life to philosophy, and that is the least of my obligations!

By letting stress affect us negatively it can impact not only our decision making and reasoning but also our health.

There is no denying the importance of sleep. Just think of when you had a hard day. It carries into the night and evening. There are two results that will happen with sleep. You can let it go and have a good night’s sleep. Or it can eat away at you to where you can’t sleep.

Practice of Stoicism can help with this. Look at the exercise of evening reflection. You look back on your day. What worked and what did not work. You also become aware that the day is done and cannot be reversed no matter what happens.

There is great recuperative powers of sleep. It regenerates you both physically and emotionally and gives the potential start of the day with clear thinking and focus. Even if dreams creep in during sleep that are not favorable to the individual, each new day is like a clean slate.

Meditations 6.31 states Return to thy sober senses and call thyself back; and when thou hast roused thyself from sleep and hast perceived that they were only dreams which troubled thee, now in thy waking hours look at these (the things about thee) as thou didst look at those (the dreams).

If stress is not dealt with effectively it will affect sleep. Stress and sleep loss start a vicious cycle, with one feeding the order and ensuring it gets even worse. Think about it, when you are stressed, you can’t sleep.

This lack of sleep then makes you feel more stressed, making it even less likely that you will sleep well the following night. On and on it goes indefinitely, unless you take matters in hand and stop it dead in its tracks.

Luckily, unless you been having sleep disturbances for years and years upon end, there are things you can do about it.

The brain may be arguable the most important organ in the human body. It controls our thoughts, emotions and movements. The heart may come in as a close second.

But the heart and mind have a connection that is important to understand. Your brain's  nervous system signals your heart to pump its oxygen-rich blood, and your heart responds by delivering blood to your entire body, including to your brain.

Perception plays a part with the nervous system. Some stimulus causes the sensory cell to produce an action potential that is relayed into the central nervous system where it is integrated with other sensory information and to become a conscious perception of that stimulus.

When our perception or impression from some stressful stimuli kicks a negative or irrational assessment means that our body reacts. Maybe we over exaggerate. Maybe we fear something that may not happen. Physical reactions occur like increased heart rate and blood pressure as a response.

Enchiridion 9 states Sickness is a hindrance to the body, but not to your ability to choose, unless that is your choice. Lameness is a hindrance to the leg, but not to your ability to choose. Say this to yourself with regard to everything that happens, then you will see such obstacles as hindrances to something else, but not to yourself.

This passage discusses the relationship between choice and what we think we dread or may be bad for us. There are things that seem like a hindrance. The questions is do they hinder you?

If you develop moral purpose through Stoicism than the answer is no. Unless you consent to what hinders you it does not really hinder you. We can make changes in life that determine what is best for ourselves. In other words stress does not affect you unless you let it affect you.

Chronic stress can be fatal. Chronic stress can contribute to health issues and what role it plays in dysfunction of the heart. For years, people have attributed heart disease to consumption of too many fats, when there is actually much more at play. Fat is merely one part of the complete picture, with stress actually having a much more prominent role in development of heart failure.

There have been comparisons made between Stoicism and Buddhism. At Stoicon 2018 Antonia Macaro gave a presentation on  "How Buddhist is Stoicism? There is a Youtube video of a conversation between Robert Wright & Massimo Pigliucci comparing the two.

One practice that is popular with both disciplines is meditation. In this sense it is simple mindfulness meditation a few minutes in the morning or a few moments when stressful situations occur.

Although not specific to Stoicism as a practice it does complement Stoicism in two ways. It raises awareness of the present moment and maintains focus.

Why is this important? In today’s world we have a lot of noise. Work, family, relationships, responsibilities keep us busy. Distractions abound with our personal interactions, social media and other areas. These distractions and noise can impact our attempts to virtue by overwhelming us and our reasoning minds.

Seneca wrote about the importance of this in Letter 56 On Quiet and Study. Verse 11-12  states  Men think that we are in retirement, and yet we are not. For if we have sincerely retired, and have sounded the signal for retreat, and have scorned outward attractions, then, as I remarked above, no outward thing will distract us; no music of men or of birds can interrupt good thoughts, when they have once become steadfast and sure. The mind which starts at words or at chance sounds is unstable and has not yet withdrawn into itself; it contains within itself an element of anxiety and rooted fear, and this makes one a prey to care.

He writes further in verse 14 You may therefore be sure that you are at peace with yourself, when no noise reaches you, when no word shakes you out of yourself, whether it be of flattery or of threat, or merely an empty sound buzzing about you with unmeaning din.

Meditation can help but techniques like muscle relaxation technique for stress can add additional benefits. One of the common methods is progressive muscle relaxation, which uses subtle movements to relieve tension and achieve relaxation.

The method is based on the idea that it’s easier to relax muscles by making smaller movements to relieve tension. It’s the type of tension in the muscles that causes body aches and headaches that you have probably had for days or at least so long you haven’t even realized they were there.

Acute stress is the most common form of stress. It comes from demands and pressures of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future. Acute stress is thrilling and exciting in small doses, but too much is exhausting.

Chronic stress is the response to emotional pressure suffered for a prolonged period of time in which an individual perceives they have little or no control.

Most people make the incorrect assumption that all stress is the same, when in fact there is such a thing as bad stress and good stress. The stress response in a primal reaction that ensured our survival, but in today’s world, we do not require this response as much, if ever. Instead, our response to stress has been overwritten by being late for work, or experiencing social alienation.

While serious in their own right, they do not warrant a massive release of stress hormone, but is even worse when it becomes chronic. With that said, there are ways to determine if your stress is chronic or acute in nature, as there are clear differences in their manifestations.

Sometimes it is hard to see the difference in the situation we are in. Something that produces short term stress may seem worse than it is. Issues with chronic stress may be affecting us but we may not even realize it.

It requires attention in the present moment for clarity of thought. Practice of Stoicism helps to see things clearly and without judgement.

Moral Letters 53.6 states A slight ague deceives us; but when it has increased and a genuine fever has begun to burn, it forces even a hardy man, who can endure much suffering, to admit that he is ill. There is pain in the foot, and a tingling sensation in the joints; but we still hide the complaint and announce that we have sprained a joint, or else are tired from over-exercise. Then the ailment, uncertain at first, must be given a name; and when it begins to swell the ankles also, and has made both our feet "right" feet, we are bound to confess that we have the gout.  The opposite holds true of diseases of the soul; the worse one is, the less one perceives it.

What may be acute stress if not dealt with can become chronic. If it is ignored or just accepted consciously or not it will become worse.

The evolution of technology, and with it the appearance of social media has taken the world by storm. Things that seemed impossible at the turn of the millennium are now common place- and while this can, and should be used for your personal gain and growth, often it serves the purpose of just self-sabotage.

The result? Overwhelm, and worsening of chronic stress, even though these developments are at their root core, innovations to make our life easier. It’s no surprise that before the advent of the industrial age people slept better and were just in better health excluding the poor access to medicine. Sometimes, simplicity is best, as it turns out.

Enchiridion 47 states “When you have become adjusted to simple living in regard to your bodily wants, do not preen yourself about the accomplishment; and so likewise, if you are a water-drinker, do not on every occasion say that you are a water-drinker. And if ever you want to train to develop physical endurance, do it by yourself and not for outsiders to behold; do not throw your arms around statues, but on occasion, when you are very thirsty, take cold water into your mouth, and then spit it out, without telling anybody.”

This passage involves our faculty of choice and judgement. It talks about the body and now displaying outward show and vanity with this. This certainly pertains to social media as social media is embedded with this.

Stoicism teaches us that we should not be showing off our lifestyle. Do not do anything that may damage your integrity and moral character. We cannot control the opinions of others so do not worry what other people are thinking or seeing about you. With social media however this is difficult to do.

There is a question that comes up sometimes on forums like reddit and Facebook Groups dedicated to Stoicism. What kinds of food does a Stoic eat or what kind of diet do they follow?

Some offer suggestions like a Mediterranean Diet or fish because this was what was available to people at the time of the ancient Stoics. The fact is it depends on reasoned choices for what is best for you.

Health and the body are considered indifferents. They do not lead to virtue themselves. But good health is a preferred indifferent that can help us. And we do have choices in what we eat.

There is an old saying you are what you eat and to some degree this is true. Stoicism is the Art of Living and how we eat can be a reflection of this. For example eating healthy  and avoiding comfort foods requires discipline and self control. We can enhance our practice of self control through the practice of Stoicism. It also gives a sense of gratitude with being able to decide what we can eat and what is available.

Moral Letters 123. 2 states My baker is out of bread; but the overseer, or the house-steward, or one of my tenants can supply me therewith. "Bad bread!" you say. But just wait for it; it will become good. Hunger will make even such bread delicate and of the finest flavour. For that reason I must not eat until hunger bids me; so I shall wait and shall not eat until I can either get good bread or else cease to be squeamish about it.

It’s no secret that many people turn to food as a means of comfort when they feel stressed out, but there’s good news, food can keep you calm when you’re under pressure. Before you get carried away, though, you should know that doesn’t mean heading out for fried chicken or mac and cheese.

That type of eating will lead to anxiety and guilt. No, there are foods that reduce stress and boost your levels of happiness! Your diet can help you fight stress!