10 Insanely Useful Stoic Exercises to Apply In Modern Life

4 min readNov 3, 2021

While many other practices and principles can be applied from Stoicism, these can have the most impact and on people’s lives. These are things that need to be done daily and weekly. Both ancient source material and modern guides are incorporated in these 10 stoic exercises.

1. Negative Visualization

To fully appreciate your blessings, imagine your life without them.

For example, if you live in a region prone to tornadoes, imagine that your house is destroyed, along with everything you own. Obviously, this is a kind of sad thought experiment, but chances are you’ll actually come to appreciate your home and the things in it more.

This exercise is, of course, harder to perform on your loved ones, but it’s very worth it. It’s more of an acknowledgment that you just never know when the things and people you love won’t be there anymore. It will make a difference in your thinking and your general gratitude. You will appreciate more all the blessings that life has to offer.

2. Meditate on Death

Memento mori is about meditation about your own death not about the death of your loved ones.

Meditating on your own death is not the same as asking yourself, “If you knew this was your last day on Earth, what would you do?” Instead, the question is more like “If you didn’t wake up in the morning, would you be happy with how you spent your last day?” Did you love your family and your friends? Have you contributed to the greater good of society?

As you go through your daily activities, or at the end of the day, think about your activities and decisions, both good and bad. If this day was your last, would you be happy with its outcome? What would you do differently?

3. Set Internal Goals And Detach Yourself From The Results

One of the pillars of Stoic philosophy is not to allow circumstances beyond your control to upset your balance. Admitting that much of life is out of your control doesn’t mean giving up a sense of management. It means focusing it on the areas where you have complete control: your own actions.

Instead of setting a goal to win the match, set a goal to prepare the best you can, practice as much as you can, and then play the best you can. If you do those things, but still lose, there’s simply nothing else you could do, so why get upset?

4. Voluntarily Submit To Discomfort

Stoics used to voluntarily bring a certain degree of discomfort into their lives. They would spend some time without certain pleasures — food, drinks, sex.

For example, you want to stay fresh when it’s hot outside. So turn on the air conditioning in the house at a cold 18˚ while outside it’s a dizzying 35˚. Nice feeling, isn’t it? But now, to feel comfortable, you also have to feel that fresh wherever you go. A friend invites you to a ball game outdoors? You will go, but you won’t enjoy it, because it will be too hot for you. That’s all you’ll be able to focus on.

Consider an alternative scenario. You accept to be hot every now and then, so you can feel at peace in any situation. Invited to a ball game during the heatwave? Yes! You are happy to be in the game at all, no matter the weather. You are a calm man who is not bothered by the weather conditions.

5. Strive For The Development Of Character And Virtue

For the Stoics, the best way to live well was to strive for virtue. If we try to become a better person, we will naturally find fulfilment, but we will also make a greater contribution to society as a whole.

How does a man become more virtuous? How to develop your character and how to practice it in everyday life? Ask yourself regularly, “What would my best version do in this situation?” We all have an ideal version of ourselves in our heads. This version eats better, exercises more, is a little more patient with his wife and children, does not waste time at work, etc. Ask yourself what your best version would do, or how that best version would decide, in any scenario.

6. Stop Procrastinating

An important principle of Stoicism is to stop wasting time and to live each day as if it were our last. The idea of becoming aware of your mortality may scare some people, but it should have a positive effect and motivate you to live in the present and not procrastinate.

In a letter to his brother, Seneca describes a method that helps him make the most of each day. He would ask a few questions at the end of each day:

How did I get better today?

What did I do with my time?

What were my results?

Incorporate this into your daily routine and you will develop a greater sense of responsibility and you won’t leave tasks unfinished.

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