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15 Short Stoic Rules I Try to Live By in Difficult Times

Thomas Oppong
Personal Growth
Published in
7 min readMar 26, 2025
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

When things are falling apart, I turn to stoicism. The Stoics — Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus lived through war, exile, and suffering. But they stayed strong. They didn’t just talk about resilience; they lived it. I try to do the same. These are the Stoic rules, among other mental philosophies, I try to live by in difficult times. They help me stay calm, focused, present and keep moving forward — no matter what. They bring clarity when my mind wants to spiral out of control.

  1. “Be indifferent to what makes no difference.” Marcus Aurelius said that. Not everything deserves my attention. Most things don’t. I save my energy for things that matter. My health. My values. My work. My family. My growth. Everything else is background noise. I try not to waste time on things outside my control. I don’t want to react to every minor annoyance. I keep my focus where it belongs — on the things that actually move my life forward.
  2. When things fall apart, focus on your circle of influence. What can I do now becomes the only question that matters. It stops me from overthinking. Epictetus said, “Some things are up to us, and some things are not.” I focus on what’s up to me. When external difficulties get overwhelming, I get back within. And think internal solutions. The key is practice. Every time I let go of what I can’t change, I take back control of stress.
  3. Find wisdom in obstacles. Marcus Aurelius wrote, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” I try to see that. I’ve never stopped reminding myself of that quote. When I face setbacks, I think of them as training. A rude comment? Training for patience. A sudden illness? Training for gratitude. When I fail, I look for the lesson. When I feel stuck, I focus on the teaching lesson. I don’t enjoy hard times, but I respect them. They show me who I really am. Or I transcend the inevitable, the more capable I feel.
  4. Memento mori — “remember you must die.” I don’t like thinking about death. The stoics thought it was a humbling perspective. One day, I won’t be here. That fact makes life urgent. In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote “You could leave life right…

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Personal Growth
Personal Growth

Published in Personal Growth

Practical wisdom for life drawn from philosophy, psychology, spirituality and personal experiences.

Thomas Oppong
Thomas Oppong

Written by Thomas Oppong

The wisdom of great minds. My essays cross between psychology, philosophy and self-improvement.

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