It can be hard to resist going along with the crowd. Sometimes following the crowd can be fun, as when joining in on the excitement of cheering for the home team in sporting events. Sometimes it can be useful, as you might push yourself harder in an exercise class. But it’s often problematic. Alex considers himself relatively introverted and reserved, but when he hangs out with some of his old friends, he finds himself acting much more aggressively and boisterously than usual. He often insults people, once even narrowly avoiding a fistfight. As you’ll see this week, the Stoics were well aware of others’ ability to influence our own thoughts and behaviors and held fast to the old saying: “You are the company you keep.”

Social media has allowed unprecedented connection between people throughout the world. But are these connections always worthwhile? Jamal’s newsfeed is abuzz with people sharing their opinions on everything from politics to the latest superhero movie—that is, when it’s not filled with chatter about a photogenic meal, or a friend’s vacation. What would the ancient Stoics have to say about the quality of our social media feeds and social interactions today?

Many of us live in a culture where being busy is a badge of pride. Having full days means you get things done. This signals that you’re a productive member of society and value hard work. However, being busy has its downsides. Liam lives a productive professional and family life, and his days are always packed. He often has to turn down spending quality time with friends, and also loses out on time for himself. While the Stoics valued making the most of your time, can taking things on be taken too far?

As we go about our day, our minds naturally turn toward accomplishing our goals. This can be useful in achieving those goals, but can also come at a cost. If all we think about is accomplishing the goal, we put our mental well-being in the hands of chance. This is what happened to Ameerah as she felt her anger rising as she considered the guy using the squat rack for bicep curls. Her main goal was to get her squats in, and by chance someone was using the equipment for something he didn’t need it for. While curling in the squat rack is definitely bad gym etiquette, the Stoics would caution that anger isn’t useful in this situation. How can we maintain our composure when coping with the frustrations we encounter while going about our day?

That’s amazing, thinks Yael as she watches her friend Abigail hand the homeless man a $100 bill. Yael was more concerned with avoiding the stench coming from the man, but not Abigail—she can’t help but give to those in need. Abigail is the kindest person Yael knows. I want to be more like that, Yael thinks to herself, and smiles.

We know at some level that we’re going to die. How deep does that knowledge go? We sometimes obsessively pursue health or beauty in an attempt to delay the inevitable. Even though we can take precautions, we still don’t have complete control. Katie found this out the hard way, seeing both of her parents die of cancer at a young age. Since then, she’s been focused on health, carefully monitoring her food intake and exercising daily. A long, prosperous life is a preferred indifferent according to the Stoics; they were more focused on quality of life over quantity. They didn’t think one’s quality of life depended on health or traditional notions of success. Instead, they thought it consisted of quality of thought and character. This week you will focus on ingraining this concept ever more deeply into your psyche.

At some level, we know that nothing lasts forever, but the fact that we haven’t fully accepted that truism becomes apparent when we get upset at losing something we cherish. For some, breaking a favorite possession stings. The most painful types of losses, however, are of the people we love, especially if the loss is unexpected. This helps explain why Yu Yan couldn’t cope while attending her son’s funeral after an unfortunate motorbike accident. The death of a son or daughter is the biggest tragedy a parent can endure, even a practicing Stoic parent. However, the Stoics did suggest exercises that take the bite out of losses. This week, you will practice working with one such exercise, starting with small mishaps and moving up to larger calamities.

There are two types of goals that the Stoics believed to be harmful to pursue: those where you aren’t likely to succeed, and those you will likely regret if you do succeed. As he slips off his wedding ring and approaches the attractive woman at the bar, Troy’s current goal checks both of these boxes, although checking only one would have been more than enough for the Stoics to consider it harmful. But Stoicism isn’t about judging Troy’s desires; it’s about judging your own. This week, you’ll examine your own desires to see how fruitful they really are.

Temptations are, well, tempting! They can be especially hard to resist when they’re easily accessible. Romain knows this all too well. For convenience, he keeps some snacks at work in case he gets hungry. Plus, it gives him some semblance of pleasure during the work day. He always keeps his home pantry well stocked with snacks, too, so he doesn’t have to run out when he has a craving. While keeping snacks around makes things easier for Romain in some ways, his doctor demurs after seeing his creeping weight and poor lipid panel results. The Stoics understood that sometimes the best way to deal with temptations is to put them out of sight. You’ll test this idea yourself over the next week.

For many, food isn’t just a source of sustenance, it’s also a source of pleasure. Take Thomas, for example, who is a philosophy major. He’s heard of Stoicism before, but he strongly prefers the epicurean lifestyle—not like the ancient Epicureans practiced it, mind you, but in the modern sense. When he’s not out hitting the latest restaurant, Thomas can be found in his state-of-the-art kitchen cooking up Ragù alla Bolognese in his Dutch oven. Food is one of the pleasures of life, but the Stoics thought there were many pitfalls surrounding it, too, as we’ll soon see.