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The Stoic Handbook with Jon BrooksAuthor: Jon Brooks
Modern practical breakdowns of the best ideas in ancient Stoicism. Language: en Genres: Education, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Anxiety Trap: Why Fighting Makes It Worse
Wednesday, 6 May, 2026
Watch the video version of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/cY4AMcWhSko---For most of my adult life, I had this low-level hypervigilance running in the background. I tried everything to fight it — books, breathwork, control techniques, willpower. The harder I fought, the worse it got.In this episode, I share the breakthrough that came when I stopped fighting and started welcoming. It's a Stoic-Nietzschean reframe called amor fati — the love of fate — and it changed my relationship with anxiety completely.We'll explore:— The two layers of suffering, and why fighting anxiety creates the second one— What Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus understood about welcoming difficulty— Why Nietzsche called amor fati "the formula for greatness"— The Stoic concept of indifferents — and why anxiety isn't intrinsically bad— A daily practice for treating anxiety as a training partner rather than an enemy—If you'd like to go deeper into Stoic practice, the Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge walks through the core practices step by step.→ stoicchallenge.co—Sources referenced:Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Hays translation)Epictetus, Discourses & Enchiridion (Hard translation)Nietzsche, The Gay ScienceDonald Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor—Thanks for listening. Go well.
