I just released my book, Using Stoicism to Overcome Adversity: A Short Guide to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, for free on my blog. It is available to read online or download the audiobook in MP3, or read the PDF, EPUB, or MOBI formats. If you’d rather get the paperback, you can order it on Amazon.
Listen on YouTube below:
The book is a short guide to the use of stoicism from a modern perspective, with a specific bent towards the philosophy espoused by the psychotherapist Albert Ellis.
I first published it in 2016 and have made a few minor revisions since.
Since publishing, I’ve come to be a bit more reserved about my enthusiasm for stoicism. I still think it can be a useful approach to take if you are struggling with your so-called negative emotions, but I think that taking stoicism too far can foster a type of indifference that is not helpful in life.
For example, Todd Kashdan shows how negative emotions can actually be a good thing in his book, The Upside of Your Dark Side: Why Being Your Whole Self – Not Just Your “Good” Self – Drives Success and Fulfillment. Kashdan argues that many of our negative emotions have useful functions that help us thrive and get more out of life. I put a link to a podcast with the author below.
While I think the stoic approach to life’s problems has value and has been very useful for me, I see it as just one arrow in my quiver.
A while back I spoke with Scott Perry on my podcast. He is a musician who uses the practice of stoicism to be a more creative person. Check it out below.
If you are struggling with something in life, feel free to read my book for free on my site, perhaps the stoic approach will help you out. If you’re not sure, check out some of the reviews people have left for the book.
Aaron Olson 