In this blog, we will answer, “What is Stoic Morning Routine?”, and also cover healthy habits according to stoicism, stoic practices to include in your day, how to wake up like a stoic, and answer frequently asked questions about the stoic practice.
What is a Stoic Morning Routine?
Stoic morning routine refers to a routine that is followed on the principles of stoicism that is all about self-development, self-control, and fortitude.
Let us explore it in further sections.
Importance of a morning routine
Rising early with strong habits that unlocks a kind of joy in you that is only believed when experienced. It’s only when we live with joy that we can become our best selves.
What traits do successful people have in common? They are, without a doubt, hard workers. They’re enthralled. They’ve devised a strategy. Surprisingly, the majority of them follow a similar morning ritual.
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Square and the founder of Twitter, meditates every morning before jogging six kilometers. Jeff Bezos avoids early morning meetings in favor of spending time with his family and enjoying a delicious lunch. The Stoics recognized that our morning routines determine how we spend the rest of the day.
In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius states, “When you wake up in the morning, think of what a magnificent privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to appreciate, to love.”
We’re granted an arbitrary amount of time, and because our mortality is never far away, making the most of each day becomes our primary priority.
So many of us rush to get ready in the morning, hastily gathering our belongings just to be stressed for the rest of the day. Mornings, on the other hand, were viewed differently by the Stoics, who saw them as opportunities for training and advancement.
Stoic practices we should include in our daily life
- GET OUT OF BED AND GET GOING
Each morning, we all have trouble getting out of bed. The warm blankets keep us warm and protect us from the cold of the day, as well as the heaviness of our eyelids as we fight to keep them open. Do these blankets, this suffocating warmth, assist us? No, they take advantage of us. They make us unruly and prevent us from accomplishing our goals.
“So you were born with the ability to feel good?”
“Don’t you see the plants, birds, ants, spiders, and bees going about their business, doing their best to keep the world in order?” And as a human being, you’re unwilling to fulfill your job?” Stoics strive to live in harmony with nature at all times. Our nature as humans is to carry out our responsibilities—to labor. The beauty of this remark is that it applies to every living creature on the planet. Pollination by bees is in full swing. Trees are working hard to provide us with oxygen. Our soil is fertilized by cows, horses, and goats. The sun provides us with light and life, while the moon is responsible for the night shift. So, what are we up to? We can’t even get out of bed because it’s so warm.
Marcus, the Emperor of Rome and one of the most powerful people in antiquity, recognized his responsibility to his country and the rest of the world. He could have slept in, or he could have been selfish and self-destructive like the previous Emperors who came before him.
- REFLECT ON WHAT THE DAY WILL BRING
They believe the punch you don’t see coming is the one that hurts the most. When the Stoics spoke about the premeditation of evils or Premeditatio Malorum, they meant the same thing.
Every day, we should take a moment to realize the possibility of encountering something unexpected or undesirable. On our way to work, we might have a flat tire. Perhaps we’ll fail a test or perform poorly at work. Those who are unfamiliar with or misinterpret this strategy frequently mistake it for a morbid or extremely negative activity. The goal of this activity isn’t to foster pessimism or negativity. In fact, the reverse is true. We might prepare our thoughts for the inevitable by picturing what could go wrong.
- EMBRACE DISCOMFORT
In police enforcement and military circles, there’s a slogan that goes, “Embrace the suck.” It’s typically chanted during exercises or when performing a difficult activity. What does it mean, though, to embrace the suck? Modern Stoics understand that life is unpredictably unexpected. We know how to appreciate life while it’s nice and absorb the blows we knew would come. Accepting the suck entails making the best of a bad circumstance. One of the ways the Stoics did this was by indulging in what is known as intentional discomfort.
Starting each morning with a cold shower is one modern form of deliberate discomfort. Of course, having a cold shower isn’t enjoyable. Cold showers not only help you achieve the mental and physical fortitude that Stoics aim for, but they also help you lose weight, reduce depression, reduce stress, and enhance circulation.
- PAY ATTENTION—BE MINDFUL
The ancient aphorism te nosce ipsum, or “know myself,” was surely a favorite of the Stoics. Marcus was the one who said that it’s not the events that bother us, but rather our reactions to them. To make correct judgments about others and the numerous events that life throws at us, we must first understand ourselves. As a result, the Stoics often spoke of traveling through life with prosoch. The term refers to a type of awareness in which we are continually aware of our current desires, behaviors, and impressions. Many of us get caught up in anticipating future occurrences or obsessing on past experiences, neither of which serves us well in the present. By paying extra attention, we bring ourselves one step closer to mastering our worldviews.
How to wake up like a stoic?
The path to stoic mastery is difficult, but that is precisely why it is worthwhile to pursue. Having the discipline to put the ideas described above into action can prepare our minds and bodies to resist the numerous challenges we all face. Are you worried about seeing your parents for the holidays, especially if you have a strained relationship with them? Consider what lies ahead. Are you having trouble keeping up with your workload at school or at work? It can’t possibly be worse than the icy shower you took this morning. A morning ritual isn’t supposed to be simple or relaxing. Not at all. It’s to prepare our minds and bodies for the daily battle. Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL and best-selling author, nails it.
We have to earn the sunrise.
We give ourselves the notion that we can manage our world when we stay in our comfort zone. We go about our daily routines in a certain way, repeating tried and true behaviors, without questioning why we do things the way we do them, without challenging ourselves in any way, taking a lot of things for granted, and with the expectation that the best way to move forward is not to move forward at all.
Stoicism, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. It all begins with a willingness to be uncomfortable.
- Accept the discomfort
Staying outside your comfort zone isn’t part of being stoic. That’s the place where you’re surrounded by objects, people, and memories from your past. If you’re accustomed to studying for 12 hours at your desk, you’ll continue to do so even if it makes you dizzy and demotivates you. Though you react the same way when you encounter an issue at work, you will continue to solve the problem in the same way, even if you know the outcome will be the same. Growth is the polar opposite of staying in your comfort zone.
You give yourself the opportunity to try something new as soon as you walk out of it. Yes, you’ll go through some growing pains. Yes, you will experience discomfort. Yes, you may feel out of place, insufficiently informed, or even foolish. All of them are positive attributes.
The more comfortable you become with discomfort, the more adaptable you’ll be when it comes to problem-solving. You can do the following:
- Allow yourself to experience emotions
Being a stoic does not imply denial. So that your thoughts and feelings do not overwhelm you, you must process them.
Giving yourself time to examine what you’re feeling is the greatest approach to do this. Are you afraid? Frustrated? Do you ever feel as if you don’t fit in? Are you afraid you’ll fail? Recognize your emotions. You will gain from your awareness.
Acquire the ability to rely on yourself. For example, before seeking assistance, try to handle a problem at work or school on your own. It’s fine if you make mistakes. You will eventually succeed as a result of your mistakes. You’ll be able to determine what works and what doesn’t. You will also be less reliant on others to solve your difficulties.
Don’t be scared to explore a new approach to overcoming a problem. Play around with it a little. Experiment with new ideas. Learn, practice, and improve at something.
- Develop a sense of self-discipline.
If you wish to practice stoicism, this is arguably the most important habit to develop. Why? Because deferring activities that make you happy and give you joy has its benefits.
You undertake something difficult early in order to reward yourself afterward when you give yourself a healthy dose of self-discipline.
Build a practice of completing deep work in the mornings to make the most of your time.
Read, write, and answer problems for the first four hours of the day. Your brain will be able to concentrate better.
Leave conversations, social media, and TV for the evening. Once you’re done with work for the day, of course, you need to rest and have fun. Hold yourself accountable and don’t do things just for the pleasure of it unless you’ve completed your daily work goals.
4. Don’t waste time on activities that have no value.
Seneca, the Roman Stoic philosopher, devoted a chapter of his work On the Shortness of Life to this issue. It turns out that wasting time on useless hobbies was a problem for many people during his time. He talks about gluttony, vanity, materialistic pursuits, and striving to impress people. It’s not that different from our world today if you think about it. There are ways to make better use of your time.
Reduce the amount of time you spend on social media. Do not engage in rumor-mongering or whining. What would be the goal of such an action, what would be the final result?
You can’t make people change their ways, and they don’t care what you think of them anyway.
Asking yourself, “What is the one thing I am committed to completing today?” is a wonderful habit to develop each morning.
Because your brain won’t have to constantly assess and make decisions, your answer will help you concentrate better. You’ll be aware of your task for the remainder of the day and will keep it in mind.
Is this a significant amount of effort? Maybe. I usually accomplish all of this between 6 and 9 a.m. on most days. On some days, I complete most of it in under one hour. Even 15 minutes of nibbling at the habits smorgasbord above could be beneficial.
I’m still working on perfecting my morning routine. I realize there is no finish line, but I plan to practice five days a week because I can guarantee that starting your day with a great morning will bring you ample joy and allow you to achieve your best work.
My aim is that by sharing these trials and errors, you will be able to create your own life-changing routine more quickly. Take what works for you and toss out the rest. One final piece of advice: it takes time to develop these habits, so be patient with yourself and enjoy the process.
We’ll meet up at sunrise 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): What is a Stoic Morning Routine?
What do Stoics do first thing in the morning?
The Stoics believed that you should begin each day with a ritual that reminds you of what you’re about to confront. Marcus Aurelius stated, “Today, the individuals you will meet will be.” and then goes on to describe every bad feature you could possibly encounter in a day.
When you wake up in the morning stoicism?
When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself, “Today’s people will be interfering, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, envious, and surly.” They are thus way because they are unable to distinguish between good and evil.
What steps do you take to establish a healthy morning routine?
- Steps to establishing the ideal morning routine:
- Maintain a consistent bedtime and wake hour.
- Determine how much time you’ll need.
- Don’t click the snooze button.
- Get out of your bed.
How do you relax stoicism?
- Practice — Saying things that are contrary to popular opinion.
- Practice imagining the worst-case scenarios that may occur in your day ahead – the worst — the death of a loved one, your own mortality.
- Practice entails strengthening the aspects of your life that you have influence over.
Is stoicism a religious belief?
The Stoics frequently equated the cosmos and God with Zeus, as the universe’s ruler and upholder, as well as its law. The Stoic God is not a transcendent omniscient entity standing outside of nature; rather, it is immanent—the divine element is embedded in nature.
How do you maintain your stoicism in tough situations?
You can maintain stoicism in tough situations by the following steps:
- Recognize that all emotions originate inside ourselves and that we alone have the capacity to govern our reactions to events.
- Staying present will help us to lessen our stress.
- After overcoming adversity, there is life.
References
Stoic practices: https://constantrenewal.com/stoic-practices/
Stoic schedule: https://mindandpractice.com/master-your-morning-evening-routine-with-the-ancient-stoics/
Stoicism https://www.stoicgrowth.com/fullbook/