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Marcus Aurelius says “Nowhere you can go
is more peaceful, more free of interruptions,

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than your own soul.

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Retreat to consult your own soul and then
return to face what awaits you.”

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Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor from 161
to 180 AD and is considered as the last of

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the Five Good Emperors.

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During his time, he constructed a series of
autobiographical writings known as the Meditations,

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in which he constantly advocated for finding
stillness in life and while his meditations

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regularly speak of the importance of waking
up early and seizing the day, he also stressed

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the importance of taking time to retreat into
oneself and find stillness.

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Thanks to his journalling, we have a fair
idea of what his evening routine would have

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looked like and in this video we will be diving
into 7 different things Marcus Aurelius would

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have done in his evenings and how we can follow
or adapt that routine to our modern day lives.

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1.

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Eliminate external Stimuli
Marcus Aurelius says, “It is in your power

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to retire into yourself whenever you choose.”

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It is known that Marcus Aurelius used his
evenings to disconnect.

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While he is particularly known for his philosophy
advising us to live everyday like it could

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be your last, he also believed in taking time
to find retreat within his own mind in order

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to renew himself.

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He did this in an effort to cleanse himself
from stress or negative feelings by disconnecting

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from external stimuli and finding value in
looking inward.

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External stimuli are changes outside the body,
or knowledge that is passed to us through

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our senses.

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Today we face constant external stimuli especially
when engaging with people and technology and

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in order to meet the superfluous demands of
our modern day society, we overcommit and

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our days have become jam-packed with tasks,
to-dos, meetings, emails, and deadlines.

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We have lost our freedom and our peace of
mind and even if we work hard to create a

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work-life balance, it’s inevitable that
we come home feeling exhausted, overworked,

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and stressed.

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Our evening routine then typically involves
catching up with social media, watching television,

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or trying to answer those last minute emails.

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We need to cut down on these stimuli and declutter
our brain.

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Hence your evening routine should be time
you spend with yourself.

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This probably means eliminating many of the
night time activities you’ve gotten used

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to and replacing them with new ones that will
actually help you disconnect and focus on

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yourself.

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It means putting your technology to bed at
least half an hour before you go to bed yourself,

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and instead seek stillness.

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This can be as simple as a 5 minute guided
meditation such as a body scan or breathing

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exercise.

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Mindfulness meditations help to slow down
an overactive mind and tune into your physical

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body.

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This type of meditation can serve as a retreat
within ourselves and the impact of incorporating

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this into an evening routine can be incredibly
beneficial.

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Meditation is known to reduce anxiety, improve
mood, and also significantly improve sleep.

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Your bedtime routine should be a vacation
from the busy world and a retreat into your

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peaceful self.

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While indulging in binge watching shows, playing
video games, catching up with friends, or

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scrolling through social media may feel like
taking a personal break these activities aren’t

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actually helping you achieve stillness.

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In fact, they are distracting you from finding
it, and while sleep is important, it’s often

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not enough to restore you after a busy day.

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The ultimate relaxing evening routine actually
needs to contain something that allows your

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mind to switch off.

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2.

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Get some physical Exercise
Marcus Aurelius tells us “It is a shame

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for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty
and strength of which his body is capable”

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Even though Marcus Aurelius lived nearly two
thousand years ago, he understood the importance

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of physical exercise.

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He believed that a healthy mind cannot exist
without a healthy body.

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Stoics believed that even a simple fitness
routine can teach us virtuous life skills

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such as perseverance, self-improvement, discipline,
overcoming challenges, and building self-confidence.

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They understood it was more important to exercise
to achieve these skills of self-mastery, rather

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than for the sake of external approval.

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Despite what the media might have us believe,
Stoics knew even then that trying to have

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‘beach-ready bod’ just to show off rarely
leads to true happiness.

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We often skip our workout session with excuses
like "I'm too tired."

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"I have a big meeting tomorrow, so I don't
want to be sore."

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oh ah "I'm so stressed at work I can't even
think about exercise".

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While most of us dread exercising for various
reasons, it has too many amazing physical

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and mental health benefits to ignore it as
a part of your routine completely.

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Any form of exercise routine - whether you
play a sport or go to the gym is good for

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you as it releases a flood of feel-good brain
chemicals — known as endorphins — that

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reduce your stress levels and boost your mood
and if you work out in evenings, it can even

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help you fall asleep faster, leaving you feeling
refreshed and ready to take on the next day.

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You can also incorporate the concept of having
a quick mind-cleansing evening walk outside

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and while walking, notice the air and the
environment that surrounds you.

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Let your mind shift from ruminating thoughts
of the day to observing the night sky you

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walk under.

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By gently moving your body, and taking in
the beauty of the nature around you will help

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you clear your head from a busy day and prepare
you for a good night’s rest.

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We should exercise to lead a better life in
accordance with Nature – that is, keeping

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our bodies ready for when we need them and
keeping them in good working condition.

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3.

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Review your day
According to Marcus Aurelius, “Nothing has

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such power to broaden the mind as the ability
to investigate systematically and truly all

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that comes under thy observation in life.”

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The Stoics believed that the two best times
for reflection were in the morning and evening:

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Prepare for the day ahead by journaling in
the morning and reviewing the day that just

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passed.

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Marcus Aurelius wrote his meditations with
the intention of reviewing his own daily life

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and thoughts to achieve personal clarity.

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He kept a constant eye on his daily actions
and choices.

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Stoics emphasized being mindful of your own
actions and stressed the importance of taking

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time at the end of each day to review what
happened as a way to become more mindful in

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general.

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Stoics called this type of mindfulness ‘Attention’
which is meant to bring self-awareness to

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your actions and whether they are aligned
with your higher self.

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Some stoics compared this type of daily self-reflection
to pleading your case to a court.

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You recall and judge your day through taking
the time to self-examine your daily actions

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and choices and then systematically review
them.

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This is not meant to be a judgmental practice,
but instead a compassionate review that will

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guide you into making better choices in the
future.

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You can incorporate this type of daily review
in your evening routine by setting aside some

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time before getting into bed to recall the
day you just had.

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Go through each moment of the day from the
second you woke up to the moment you are in

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now.

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Meditate on the various choices and actions
you made: What did you do well today?

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What emotions did you experience?

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What parts of your day brought you discomfort?

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How can you learn from what happened to you
today?

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What did you not get done today that you wish
you had?

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Daily reflections serve a critical role in
Stoic philosophy.

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They help us prepare for the day ahead by
noting what we wish we had gotten around to

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today.

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They are also key in assessing whether our
daily actions are in line with the person

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we actually want to be.

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For example, while reviewing your day you
may recall an event such as an unpleasant

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interaction you had over a miscommunication
while buying your morning coffee.

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You’ll be able to identify how that one
interaction left you feeling uneasy and annoyed.

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You’ll be able to highlight the time you
spent dwelling on the encounter and how it

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impacted your mood throughout the morning.

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You can take time to reflect on how you wish
you’d handled the encounter differently

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or how insignificant the interaction ended
up being in your day overall.

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Just by becoming aware of this event the next
time you face a similar situation you can

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approach it with heightened mindfulness.

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Setting aside time at night to review your
daily progress is an important step in leading

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a Stoic lifestyle.

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It may also serve you as a chance to catch
up on your daily journaling if you were unable

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to journal in the morning.

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4.

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Contemplate your personal sage
In the words of Marcus Aurelius “Mastery

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of reading and writing requires a master.

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Still, more so life”

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A sage is someone who is considered to be
wise or experienced in a certain field, and

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who is revered for their wisdom, judgment,
and expertise.

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For many people this is a role model.

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Stoics spent time reflecting on their sages
and whether their own actions were consistent

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with those of their sage.

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Marcus Aurelius considered the sage to be
someone full of wisdom and knowledge.

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His sage was Zeno, the founder of Stoic philosophy,
and he would often ask himself ‘What would

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Zeno do?’.

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Contemplation of the sage should essentially
be a period of time in the evening where you

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reflect on your day, or the person you are,
and ask yourself ‘What would your role model

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do?’.

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Your role model could be someone you know
or maybe just a concept of an ideal person.

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It is important to have a clear definition
of this person so that you reflect on whether

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your actions are in line with your role model.

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As part of your evening routine take a few
minutes to recall your role model and ask

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yourself - Did you act as your role model
would?

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In what ways can you improve tomorrow so that
your life is more in line with your role model?

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What traits does your role model have that
you saw in yourself today?

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Incorporating a few minutes in your evening
routine to consider the situations you experienced

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today and whether you reacted as you believe
your role model would have may boost your

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awareness in your choices for tomorrow and
make you a better person - the kind of person

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you admire so deeply.

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5.

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Take a view from above
In the words of Marcus Aurelius “Think of

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substance in its entirety, of which you have
the smallest of shares; and of time in its

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entirety, of which a brief and momentary span
has been assigned to you; and of the works

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of destiny, and how very small is your part
in them”

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Marcus Aurelius advises us to contemplate
life from ‘the point of view of the cosmos’

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or to take ‘a view from above.’

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A view from above means taking a zoomed out
perspective of your life and looking at yourself

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and your day as if you were watching from
a third person's perspective to remove personal

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emotions and anxieties.

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It is known that in his evenings, Aurelius
would reflect on his life from the point of

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view of the cosmos to overcome his own limited
personal perspective.

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In today’s world, there’s a lot of “noise”.

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Every time we step out the door we’re presented
with advertising, marketing, news, opinion,

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and distraction.

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When we’re not at work, or with our family,
we’re on our phone, or our radio is on,

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or the TV is on, or on the computer.

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All of this causes “Mental Burn out” It
is difficult to find space to think, and breathe.

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Our attention is being captured by apps, games,
videos, and shows and the fact that our attention

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is often on other things, makes it more difficult
for us to work through our problems, anxieties,

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stresses and commitments.

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To help with this, this Stoic exercise of
taking a view from above can be used to lessen

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the burden of our problems as it shifts our
perspective to a level high above ourselves.

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You can start by spending some quiet time
in the evening looking at your immediate surroundings

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and your body, your home and the people you
live with.

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We start to think about what they feel, how
we relate to one another, what problems, hopes,

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and fears they might have.

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Then zoom out to see your own city, and how
everyone who lives around you has a unique

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life that you know nothing about, they have
hopes, dreams and fears just like you.

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Then zoom out to view your country, then further,
broadening your perspective to the entire

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planet, considering all the people on Earth,
all of our lives spread across countries,

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social classes, races and cultures.

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Think about what hardships some of the worst-off
people are going through.

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You can keep zooming out to the solar system,
the universe and to the entirety of existence.

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When we look at ourselves from above, we see
ourselves not as individuals, disconnected

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from the things around us, but as part of
a greater whole - A participant in everything

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around us.

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Looking at ourselves from the outside helps
us to see ourselves and our concerns more

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objectively.

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When we distance ourselves from the worries,
anxieties, and problems we face, we can see

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them more clearly, less emotionally, and have
a better chance of understanding their causes

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and solutions.

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It becomes easier to see things in context.

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If you are feeling down because someone insulted
you, try this exercise.

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It is far easier to overcome the emotional
hurdles we experience when we put things into

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perspective.

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Bickering and minor disagreements seem silly
in comparison.

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Many of our problems can dissolve when we
hold them up to the problems of others, or

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the vastness of space.

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6.

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Spend time with family
Marcus Aurelius tells us “The longest-lived

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and those who will die soonest lose the same
thing.

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The present is all that they can give up,
since that is all you have, and what you do

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not have, you cannot lose.”

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For Marcus Aurelius, as the day came to a
close, it was time to be around family.

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Marcus clearly loved his children and his
wife dearly.

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Even though he was important, famous and extremely
busy, he didn’t ignore them.

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He would tuck his children into bed at night
and kiss them, he would say quietly to himself,

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“Don’t rush this.

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This might be the last time you do this.

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It’s not guaranteed that either of you will
make it through the night.”

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He loved them.

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He cherished this thing in front of him, which
really was the most important thing in his

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life, and then he said goodnight.

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He would repeatedly do this - for as long
as he was fortunate enough to live.

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Stoics used the contemplation of death as
a practice by which to remind themselves of

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the impermanence of life.

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Nurse Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse who
focused on caring for the terminally-ill,

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said that one of the most common regrets of
a dying person is they wished they had spent

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more time with their family.

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Her patients often complained about missing
out on their children's youth and their partner's

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companionship.

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Because of the demands of modern life, families
are spending a little over half an hour of

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quality time together during the week and
even when families do get together as many

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as seven in ten parents say the time is spent
in silence in front of the TV because they

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are busy reading, playing computer games or
simply too tired to talk.

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Like Stoics, if we regularly contemplate our
death, remind ourselves that there will be

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a day where we or our kids won't wake up to
enjoy the beautiful chaos of life, we will

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start making some changes to spend more time
with family, and often tell our children or

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our family that we love them.

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Family time is an essential factor that helps
to create strong bonds, love, connections,

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and relationships among the family members.

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Spending quality time with family helps in
coping with challenges, instilling a feeling

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of security, inculcating family values and
filling children with confidence.

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7.

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Prepare for mornings

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Marcus Aurelius says, “In your actions,
don't procrastinate.”

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Marcus Aurelius strongly advocated the importance
of waking up early each morning.

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He did this to create a morning routine that
would take the most advantage of every living

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moment.

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Therefore, sleeping was meant to be a restorative
experience and not a time to overindulge in

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laziness.

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A morning routine was essential to Aurelius,
however part of this morning routine started

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even before the morning as he prepared for
the next day the night before.

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Stoics often prepared for their day by setting
aside time in the morning to rehearse their

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days.

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They did this through considering what they
wanted to achieve that day, preparing for

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different possible outcomes, and reflecting
on themselves.

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These types of reflections were done by many
Stoics in the morning and as well in the evening.

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To start, you can prepare the night before
to make waking up as easy as possible.

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This may mean laying out your clothes for
the next day, packing your bag for work, or

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having a clear morning routine you stick to.

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This also means going to bed at a reasonable
time so that you get a good 6-8 hours of sleep.

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Not only is this beneficial for your health,
it will make waking up a more pleasant experience.

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Preparing for tomorrow during your evening
routine will not only help you with your morning

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routine, it can reduce anxiety about the tasks
that lay ahead of you when waking up.

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If you enjoyed this video, please do make
sure to check out our Stoicism playlist and

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for more videos to help you find success and
happiness using ancient philosophical wisdom,

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00:20:10,309 --> 00:20:12,360
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Thanks so much for watching.