7 Stoic Philosophies To Boost Your Health And Happiness

We’re always looking for new ways to be happy and healthy. Just take a glance at the number of self-help and positive psychology books there are, clearly it’s answer we have yet to find, given that if we had surely there’d be no need for the constant influx of new ideas. But, if we don’t know what makes ourselves happy by now, perhaps the answer lies not in the future but in the past.

Philosophy goes back thousands of years, and brought us some of the most renowned thinkers and tinkerers we’ve ever known. What’s more, many of the teachings of philosophy have remained somewhat stable over time, while technology and science progress rapidly, perhaps philosophy had some answers right?all along. Mark Sisson has put together a great list of 7 tips to bring these philosophies into your life, including the importance of resilience:

5. Develop a resilience discipline.

I don?t think I?m being too controversial when I say we?ve gone soft. Yup, with our climate control and advanced weather wear, our motorized transit, tap water and shopping ? even delivery ? conveniences. For many people, it?s entirely doable if not easy to live without?walking, lifting, shivering, sweating or otherwise being in touch with the ?hard? parts of having a physical body.

Likewise, getting out of our comfort zones and doing something that exposes us to the aspects of life and community we?d like to pretend don?t exist (ideally with the point of interacting and helping rather than simply observing) can get us in touch with a reality larger than our own and build mental fortitude as well as emotional resilience.

While there are many answers to the question “what will make me happy?” Given that our bodies and minds are still in a state that was developed to thrive in the distant past, looking back may be the best option there is. Check out the full post for all of Mark’s tips.