“Other people’s views and troubles can be contagious. Don’t sabotage yourself by unwittingly adopting negative, unproductive attitudes through your associations with others.”

“Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company.”

“Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realise how unnecessary many things are. We’ve been using them not because we needed them but because we had them.”

Stoics believed that your health and your money can be taken away from you at any time – but no one can take your character from you. So you need to nurture it. In today's situation related to the spread of the virus, demonstrating good character might involve not hoarding scarce goods ( i.e toilet paper), not taking all the pasta and rice for yourself and leaving none for others and it might mean self-isolating, for your own good and for the safety of others.

Ethics

We can create our own heaven or hell with our thoughts. Stoics prized rational thinking, acting on good information and contemplating the situation fully rather than acting rashly or from a place of panic and anxiety. A Stoic's recommendation for the pandemic would be to carefully choose what media and opinions you consume.

Calm and tranquility

The Stoic philosophy reflects our deep and profound interconnectedness. We are highly social animals, and we exist and find meaning within our communities. It's up to us to act out of love, not fear and consider the wider good whenever we take action during crises.

Connectedness

“Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself.”

“We are often more frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in the imagination than reality.”

“The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skilful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.”

This technique involves thinking about what you value most in life, then imagine losing that thing. This was a common practice for the Stoics. This includes not only exposing us to the inevitable losses we may suffer in life but also enabling us to appreciate the people and things we love. We are less likely to take someone for granted if we are aware that they may not be in our life forever.

Negative visualization

Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that was founded by Zeno of Citium, in Athens, in the early 3rd century BC. It is an ancient tool for remaining calm in adversity, a philosophical framework, useful in providing an ethical scaffold for both everyday life and in times of difficulty.

Stoicism: the art of staying calm

People around the world are feeling rudderless and adrift. There's conflicting information about the pandemic - but it's not just about health. People losing work, feeling frightened, being isolated at home, worried about their loved ones and wondering about getting basic supplies. We all must make ethical decisions in this pandemic.

Self Improvement

How not to panic during the pandemic: welcome hard times like a Stoic

<ul><li>Loneliness and isolation. And loneliness is associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms like random pain.</li>
<li>Anxiety and pressure. The boundary between work and home life is not very clear. And switching between different roles and skills during the day will wear you out.</li>
<li>Depression. Besides the anxiety and loneliness that may lead to depression, sometimes work from home can make you feel stuck, like you are not achieving as much as the others.</li>
</ul>

Psychological Effects of Working from Home

<ul>
<li>Angry outbursts, irritability, or frustration, even with unimportant matters.</li>
<li>Loss of interest or happiness in activities such as sex or hobbies.</li>
<li>Sleep disturbances, including insomnia and sleeping too much.</li>
<li>Tiredness and lack of energy for even the smallest activities.</li>
<li>Increased cravings for food.</li>
<li>Anxiety, agitation, and restlessness.</li>
<li>Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things</li>
<li>Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches</li>
<li>Avoiding people.</li>
</ul>

Symptoms of Depression

...while working from home:<ul>
<li>Create a schedule and stick to it. Scheduling your tasks (and breaks) will help you to mentally prepare for the day.</li>
<li>Have a dedicated comfortable workspace, with a door that closes, preferably.</li>
<li>Fight the urge to stay sedentary and schedule active time to get your heart pumping.</li>
<li>Foster social connections (on the phone or via the internet, if physical contact is not possible).</li>
<li>Learn to say no. Know your limitations, set boundaries based on your schedule and workload, and don’t extend yourself beyond them.</li>
</ul>

Take Care of Your Mental Health

Take steps to improve your mental health when you work from home and you'll shrug off the anxiety, depression, and loneliness many remote workers face. [ Work From Home; Stay Happy] Have you noticed a change in your mental health now that you work from home?

We Work Remotely | How To Keep Your Mental Health in Check When You Work From Home

Muscles worked: hamstrings, chest, triceps. Start by standing up, legs a little bit less than shoulder-width apart. Bend over like you wanted to touch your toes, but instead, place your palms on the floor and walk forward with your arms until you reach the standard push up position. Do a push up then walk back with your arms and straighten back up. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Walkout push up

Muscle areas activated: triceps, delts, pecs, upper back. Box dips can be performed almost everywhere where there is an elevated surface (a chair, a sofa, a low wall, etc.): Rest your legs in front of you as you do your dips and concentrate on slow negative movement (as you go down) and explosive upward motion. Do 3 sets of 8 reps.

Triceps box dip

Before you start doing any exercises, make sure you're all warmed up. Do 5-10 minutes of cardio, just to get your heart rate up a bit. Motivation tip: Listening to music can help you feel motivated throughout your workout.

Get your body ready

Muscles worked: quads, glutes, calves, hamstring, core, inner thighs. As you are standing straight, take a big step forward and bend your knee so your rear knee almost touches the floor. Then kick yourself back up with your front leg and return to your original position. Do the same with the other leg. Once you did both legs, that's one rep. Do 4 sets of 12 reps.

Stationary lunges

Calisthenics is a form of fitness consisting of different movements that exercise large muscle groups: running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc. You don't rely on anything but a person's own body weight.

Calisthenics

Muscles worked: abs, obliques, quads, hamstrings, deltoids, biceps, triceps, and the chest. Start off in the standard push up position. Pull your knees up to your chest, one at a time, in quick succession. You want to keep your body in a push-up position all the way through the exercise, so don't bob your hips up and down as you're tucking your legs in.  Do 20 seconds three times.

Mountain climbers

Muscle areas activated: all your back muscles, biceps, forearms, core. You need is a surface you can hang from with your legs extended in front of you. Start by hanging onto the bar, heels on the floor, your back and legs straight, core engaged. Pull your body closer to the bar then straighten your arm again. The negative movement (as straighten your arms) should be slow and the positive very energetic. Do 3 sets of 8 reps.

Inverted rows

Calisthenics has a big buzz around it in exercise circles, and with good reason. Let this calisthenics home workout for beginners be your entry to the world of muscle ups and moves like the human flag... Calisthenics uses compound bodyweight exercises and focuses on increasing strength, fitness and flexibility.

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Self-Care At Home

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How not to panic during the pandemic: welcome hard times like a Stoic

We Work Remotely | How To Keep Your Mental Health in Check When You Work From Home

Best calisthenics home workout: 5 exercises and almost no equipment can get you ripped

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Self-Care At Home

21 STASHED IDEAS

How not to panic during the pandemic: welcome hard times like a Stoic

We Work Remotely | How To Keep Your Mental Health in Check When You Work From Home

Best calisthenics home workout: 5 exercises and almost no equipment can get you ripped

It's time to

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Bite-sized knowledge
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your career