The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

By Jon BrooksSociety & Culture Health & Fitness Mental Health Education Self-Improvement Philosophy

The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks episodes

June 09, 2023 Writing to Resilience: Inside My Daily Stoic Journaling Practice
This is a behind-the-scenes look at the Stoic morning journal I actually do, not an idealised version. I walk through how I lay the page out to set the day, remember what matters, and meet whatever comes with a bit more steadiness.
The thread running through it is intention over perfection. I would rather you do a scrappy version most days than a perfect version you quit in a week. I cover the apps and templates I use, how I prioritise the one task that actually matters, how I work Stoic quotes into the reflection, and the triple-column technique I borrowed from David Burns for catching and challenging irrational thoughts. As the line I keep coming back to puts it, I can choose how I respond to external events, and whether I am harmed or not.
Tools and resources mentioned:
Craft: craft.do
Notion: notion.so
Intelligent Change (Productivity Planner): intelligentchange.com
Productivity Planner: on Amazon
Massimo Pigliucci: massimopigliucci.com
The Five Precepts: on Wikipedia
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
16 min
May 09, 2023 How To Support Someone Without Taking On Their Pain
People think Stoicism means going cold. Caring about the right things, feeling nothing for the rest. I think that gets it backwards.
In this episode I look at how to hold space for someone who is suffering without getting pulled under by it. The Stoic move is to wish them well and feel for them, but not to adopt their judgments as your own. Seneca wrote letters to do exactly this. I find that distinction, feeling empathy for the person while not taking on their distorted view of the world, is one of the more useful things Stoicism gives you. I use a parenting analogy to make it concrete.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
9 min
April 11, 2023 How Self-Reflection Shapes Happiness | Justin Noppé
Which emotions make a life feel good, and how much of that is in your control? Justin Noppé and I use that question to examine self-reflection, journalling and the role of anticipation in happiness. We discuss Barbara Fredrickson’s work on positive emotion, the way physical health affects emotional steadiness, and what Justin has learned from leadership development. The thread running through it is practical: reflection should help you see and choose more clearly. If it becomes another way to circle the same thoughts, it has stopped doing its job.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
45 min
March 27, 2023 AMA #3: How to Escape Intrusive Negative Thoughts
You cannot stop intrusive thoughts from arriving. What you can change is what happens next. In this AMA I take questions on how to stop getting hooked by negative thoughts, and how the Stoic view of judgment gives you a way out that does not rely on forcing the thought away.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
16 min
March 16, 2023 How To Turn Stoicism Into A Daily Practice | Allan From WhatIsStoicism
Allan found Stoicism through Tim Ferriss and William Irvine, then had to work out how to make it part of an ordinary day. We spend most of this conversation on the practice that stuck: journalling. Allan explains how he started, why rereading his notes changed the learning, and how writing about Stoicism helped him use it in work and entrepreneurship. We also talk about what caring for a dog can teach you about attention and responsibility. This is a conversation for anyone who knows the ideas and still wants a repeatable way to live them.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
1 hr 34 min
February 15, 2023 The Ultimate Stoic Daily Routine
Most advice on Stoic routines stays vague. In this one I walk through a full day, hour by hour, with specific practices you can use straight away. It is built around four moments: how you start the morning, how you work, how you show up at home, and how you close the day.
Treat it as a menu, not a rulebook. Take what fits your life and leave the rest.
Read the companion article: www.stoichandbook.co/ultimate-stoic-daily-routine
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
28 min
February 07, 2023 Anxiety is Your Friend: Rapid-Fire Anxiety Q&A
I tend to think anxiety gets a worse reputation than it deserves. Handled well, it is information, not an enemy. In this fast-paced Q&A I sat down with my HighExistence colleague Mike Slavin to answer rapid-fire questions about anxiety, where it comes from, and what to actually do when it shows up.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
42 min
January 23, 2023 When Someone You Love Is Suffering: A Stoic Response (AMA)
Someone you love is suffering and you cannot fix it. What does the dichotomy of control ask you to do then? This episode is a preview of a longer listener Q&A covering that question, holiday indulgence without guilt, and the ways I have leaned on Stoicism in my own life. The final question is the one that matters most: how to stay useful, loving and steady when another person’s pain is outside your control. I do not have a neat answer. I work through the distinction the Stoics make between caring deeply and trying to control what was never yours to control.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
21 min
December 24, 2022 How Desire Takes Control: Three Stages Of Stoic Practice
Desire becomes a problem when wanting an external result starts to run your life. This episode maps three stages of attachment and three ways the Stoics worked with desire so it loosened its hold. I originally used the word enlightenment loosely. The subject is more ordinary than that: noticing when a preference has become a demand, separating what you want from what you need, and getting less yanked around by outcomes you cannot control. Use the framework on one desire that keeps stealing your attention.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
10 min
December 13, 2022 Marcus Aurelius Morning Meditation For Difficult People
Marcus Aurelius began the day by reminding himself that he would meet meddling, ungrateful and difficult people. This guided morning contemplation turns that note into a practice. You will picture the social friction ahead, notice the judgements you are already making, and prepare to meet people without giving them control of your state of mind. Use it before work, family time, or any day when you know patience will be tested. Find somewhere quiet and give yourself a few minutes before the day starts.
Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co
The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
15 min

About The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

From the publisher's feed

You've read the books. You know what Marcus Aurelius would do. But when life gets hard, the philosophy disappears. This podcast is for people who want to close the gap between knowing Stoicism and…