Five Stoic Reminders That Saved Me From Overthinking

Описание: There are five reminders that saved me from drowning in my own thoughts. Not insights from a book or downloaded from a guru, but truths I discovered through years of overthinking every decision, catastrophizing every outcome, and exhausting myself by living everywhere except the present moment.
These reminders emerged slowly from different struggles—each one addressing something I couldn’t see when I was trapped inside it.
First, I learned that I shape my reality not through what happens, but through the stories I tell myself about what happens.
Second, that capability isn’t something I feel before I act—it’s something I build by acting, especially when I don’t feel ready.
Third, that every excuse I make hides a fear worth facing.
Fourth, that the only moment I have power in is this one, right now.
Fifth, that I don’t control whether emotions arise, but I do control what I do with them—the stories I construct on top of those feelings.
Each reminder connects to ancient Stoic wisdom from Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca—philosophers who understood these struggles two thousand years ago. Their insights cut through modern anxiety in ways that still work today.
Key moments:
0:00 Introduction
1:08 Reminder One: I Shape Reality Through The Stories I Tell
4:57 Reminder Two: Capability Is Built Through Action, Not Confidence
8:12 Reminder Three: Every Excuse Hides A Fear Worth Facing
10:55 Reminder Four: The Only Moment I Have Power In Is This One
14:17 Reminder Five: I Control My Response To Emotions
17:33 The Ongoing Practice
I didn’t master these reminders once and move on. I forget them constantly and have to rediscover them again and again. But they’ve become the framework that keeps me from disappearing into catastrophic thinking.
If you’ve ever been paralyzed by overanalysis, suffered more in imagination than reality, or felt exhausted trying to control things beyond your control, these reminders might offer the same lifeline they offered me. Subscribe to The Unshakeable Life for more honest reflections on living with clarity.
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