tamhonkhoe.comCourses · Stoicism · Course KK1 · Open
What is in our power
Slow reading of Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius to tell apart what is up to us and what is not.
Lessons with a link are published. Lessons without a link are still a planned outline; their titles and passages may change during writing and review.
| For | Adults learning on their own; each lesson has a short kids’ corner |
|---|---|
| Length | 6 weeks · 10–15 min/day |
| Level | 1 |
| Status | Open – All 6 weeks published |
| Publishing | Published once the project owner approves |
| Expected | Nov 2026 |
Plan: 6 weeks
| Week | Lesson | Passages | Measurable goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Up to us, not up to us | Enchiridion 1 | Sort at least three worries a day, on 5 of 7 days |
| 2 | Time is ours | Seneca, Letter 1 | One protected hour a day, on 5 of 7 days |
| 3 | Suffering in imagination | Seneca, Letter 13 | Rate how likely three worries are, each week |
| 4 | Preparing the morning | Meditations II.1 | Read the morning preparation on 5 of 7 mornings |
| 5 | Those ‘below’ us | Seneca, Letter 47 | One act of respect for someone who serves you, each day |
| 6 | Evening review | Seneca, On Anger III.36 | Three evening questions on 5 of 7 days |
What science finds
- Pre-registered study, 1,307 people in 3 countries: a popular but mistaken reading of Stoicism (wanting to show fewer emotions and to feel less) went with lower well-being. This is a correlation. (Karl et al. 2022, Journal of Happiness Studies 23(7) · source)
- Review of 20 meta-analyses: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) works for anxiety, depression and chronic pain, about as well as CBT. This is guided therapy. (Gloster et al. 2020, Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 18 · source)
- 27 experiments, 4,045 people: acts of kindness raise well-being by a small-to-moderate amount; the studies are often small. (Curry et al. 2018, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 76 · source)
Limits, honestly
We have not found a peer-reviewed review of Stoic programmes as such. The approach is close to cognitive therapy, but that is an inference.
Stop practising if
Stop or shorten practice and talk to a professional if you notice: rising anxiety or panic; low mood that lingers; feeling that you or the world is ‘not real’; flooding memories of trauma; several nights of poor sleep; hearing or seeing things others do not; thoughts of harming yourself. People with a history of psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe PTSD should ask a doctor before practising more than 20 minutes a day.