Reasons Not to Worry: How to Be Stoic in Chaotic Times [9780063314825]

Overview

In this heartfelt and soul-searching work, brimming with warmth, humor, and insight, the beloved Guardian columnist spends a year exploring how to pursue a rich and meaningful life, turning to the practical philosophy and wisdom of the Stoics for insights into the deepest questions of existence.

Like many people today, Brigid Delaney was searching for answers to timeless questions: How can we be good? Find inner peace? Properly grieve? Tame our insecurities, such as the fear of missing out? Determine what truly matters?

Centuries ago, the Stoics pondered many of these same questions. And so, at an important inflection point in her own life, Brigid decided to let these ancient philosophers be her guide. Brigid is rash where the Stoics are logical; she runs on chaos, while the Stoics relinquish control of things beyond their reach. Over the course of a year, she dedicated herself to following the wisdom of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. She hoped to discover how best to live—how she could use this ancient wisdom to navigate life in the modern world.

In Reasons Not to Worry, Brigid shares what she learned, showing us how we, too, can draw on the Stoics to regain a sense of agency and tranquility and find meaning and personal growth in our lives. From learning to relinquish control to cultivating daily awareness of our mortality to building community, Brigid’s insights are very funny and very wise.

Stoicism can be a tough medicine to swallow, but no longer. Thoughtful, timely, surprisingly practical, and filled to the brim with ways to learn how best to be in the world, Delaney’s self-help guide provides compelling and sensible reasons not to worry.

This surprisingly practical guide to living a good life reveals:

• Ancient Wisdom for Modern Anxiety: Discover how the teachings of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus can provide a clear path to tranquility in our chaotic modern world.
• A Practical Philosophy for Life: Join the author on her hilarious and heartfelt year-long experiment to see if a rash, chaotic person can really live like a Stoic.
• Tools for Resilience: Learn to cope with life’s biggest challenges—from grieving loss to beating the fear of missing out (FOMO)—and regain a powerful sense of agency.
• Finding Inner Peace: Answering the timeless question of how to be good, this warm and insightful guide helps you work out what truly matters for a meaningful life.