A Stoic tip for managing stress

📓 Today’s tip: Track your your reactions to stressful moments.

So many of our daily stressors fall into patterns that are actually quite predictable — and the key to managing your stress is to identify the patterns, something Forge senior editor Amy Shearn found while studying the ancient (and now popular again) philosophy of Stoicism.

The technique Shearn discovered is simple: Keep a “self monitoring record” throughout the day—write it down, keep an email draft, make a note on your phone—of moments that cause you stress or discomfort, noting what triggered that stress, what thoughts and emotions it led to, and how much control you do or do not actually have over the event.

As the Forge writer (and Stoicism devotee) Ryan Holiday tells Shearn, “The most important daily practice for the Stoic life is tracking small revelations.” Stoic or not, reminding yourself of what’s outside your control in moments of stress is a timeless, and useful, habit.

✍️ We want to hear from you. Send us an email at forge@medium.com and tell us your best tip for managing stress. We may feature some of our favorite answers on Forge’s Instagram.

📚 More from Forge on Stoicism in daily life:

Stoic Wisdom for Times of Chaos
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Welcome to the Eternal Now
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The Stoic Case For Cutting People Some Slack
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