In a post-pandemic world, where unfamiliar online systems, tight deadlines, and a one-size-fits-all approach to education collide with the constant pull of social media and ‘going out’ culture, it’s no wonder that students in 2024 find themselves feeling the strain. With mounting social anxiety and the pressure to seize every opportunity in such a limited time, university life can quickly become a breeding ground for stress and overwhelming thoughts.
Given the multitude of challenges that students face, trying to adjust lifestyle choices to each specific issue can be overwhelming, as focusing on one often causes the neglection of others. A better approach would be to shift our mindset and perspective, allowing us to address challenges as a whole, rather than tackling each one individually.
Thus, I would like to introduce Stoicism.
As much as it is a philosophical doctrine that stems from the great minds of Ancient Greek Philosophers, it is also a mental tool that pursues self-mastery, emotional control, and resilience, which the Greeks believed to be essential attributes or virtues that lead to a flourishing life. Note: the knowledge prescribed by the stoics is not propositional in the ways the laws of mathematics are, rather stoicism is acquisitional in that the knowledge received must be practised similar to a skill – through repetition and consistency, improvement will be visible.
How is Stoicism applied?
The dichotomy of control. One of the most significant stoic teachings is the importance of the ability to regularly distinguish between what is in and what is out of our control; it shows us what we have power over and what we do not, and thus what we can and cannot change. While external factors may sometimes contribute to a problem, dwelling on them distracts from what we can change. As the Stoics argue, the only productive path is to focus on what is within our control, as this promotes personal growth and forward movement. Fixating on uncontrollable circumstances, however true they may be, only prevents accountability and self-improvement.
Imagine you are in the airport about to board a flight, only to find out that it has been significantly delayed due to bad weather conditions. Suppose this flight delay meant that you would miss an important meeting. A stoic would recognise and accept that this delay is outside their control, and calmly contact the relevant people about the news. A non-stoic may be outraged, curse the flight attendant, and make a scene. Both individuals would eventually go on to their delayed flight, but one of them has gone through the entire process virtuously, with emotional control, and with unbothered peace. If these varying attitudes to challenges for both individuals were consistently applied, who would live a happier life?
“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems” – Epictetus
The Stoics believed that many of the issues we face seem greater in our minds than in reality because we internalise and cognitively fixate over them. A student may have difficulties with public speaking; perhaps they have a speech in a group presentation, and they can only envision it going wrong. They may generate fictional scenarios where they embarrass themselves or forget their lines. The recurrence of these imagined anxieties may alter the individual’s view of them from what could happen to what will happen.
Epictetus notes the distinction between these concerns to the actual problem – the problem here being the act of speaking in front of others. In reality, the issue is manageable with practice and preparation, but it is the student’s imagined anxiety about failing or being embarrassed that is far greater than the real challenge of public speaking.
Thus, the issue that the student faced was made significantly greater because of his perception of it. Here is an example thought process that a disciplined stoic might’ve used if they faced a similar situation:
- The emotions of nervousness that I am feeling is something that I cannot control and is perfectly normal. My nerves are creating recurring thoughts of the worst-case scenario for my presentation.
- I recognise that these thoughts are my own imagined anxieties and do not exist in reality.
- I consider the factors within my control in relation to this issue and conclude that all I can do is prepare and practise adequately.
The intention of this article was not to solve problems, but rather to provide the fundamental basis for an improved approach to them. There is good reason as to why advising others is easier than advising oneself; the emotional and subjective abilities of the mind are powerful. As opposed to getting lost in the stress of external pressures or imagined anxieties, grounding ourselves in reality often tears down barriers that seemed too high to climb, and allows us to think rationally in search of plausible solutions. I stress that these ideologies are skills that require practice and repetition, but skills that are priceless and timeless.
