{"id":31896,"date":"2021-04-10T10:53:57","date_gmt":"2021-04-10T14:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=31896"},"modified":"2021-04-18T13:10:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-18T17:10:41","slug":"stoicism-emotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/stoicism-emotions\/","title":{"rendered":"Stoicism and Emotions: Are You Allowed to Feel?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Stoicism’s take on emotions? How would a true Stoic deal with an unhelpful emotion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Stoicism, emotions aren’t something you are supposed to mute or suppress. The Stoic approach is to feel the emotions but to take a pragmatic approach to deal with them. When unhelpful emotions take over, feel them but don’t be swamped by them\u2014control them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn about Stoicism’s take on emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Emotions and Stoicism: Feelings Are Fine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stoicism isn’t about muting or suppressing negative emotions. Rather, it’s about redirecting focus when unhelpful emotions take over. By doing so, you can focus your energy on solving problems rather than reacting to them. This can be learned with practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preventing Panic in Space<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the early years of the space race<\/a>, NASA focused on training astronauts in one skill above all others\u2014controlling their emotions so they would stay calm in any situation. When driven by fight-or-flight instincts, people stop thinking, deviate from rules and procedures, and make mistakes. In space, such a reaction could be fatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To train astronauts to control their emotions, NASA simulated numerous crisis scenarios and drilled astronauts over and over in how to respond, until the right responses became second nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dealing With Emotions: The Stoic Way <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most of us react to everyday events\u2014for example, addressing a crowd, dealing with an angry customer, getting an email from the boss or a call from the bank\u2014with more stress or panic than astronauts experience in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some ways to control your emotions<\/a> and redirect your focus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n