Life lessons from ancient Greece

Stoicism is famous for its practicality and focus on the here and now. It tells what is worth having in your life and gives you a way to get there; being satisfied with what you’ve got.

Stoicism is centered around developing the ability to focus on what matters most and what you can control and ignore the rest. This is a rational approach to managing expectations and preparing for the inevitable difficulties of life. 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), is a “problem-focused” approach to psychological therapy and is seen as very effective against depression, anxiety and every kind of unhelpful thinking.

Like stoicism, CBT encourages distinguishing between events and perceptions, and most CBT textbooks contain one of the core teachings of the Stoics: our perception hurts us more than the things themselves.