I couldn’t think of a more perfect book for the times. 🙏🏼 Brigid Delaney began a study into the Stoics a year or so before the pandemic, and unknowingly set herself up for the ultimate test in ancient Stoic philosophy. You can only control your actions, your reactions, and your character. Everything else is beyond your control, and worrying about it just makes you feel worse. So why would you? Easier said than done, but like all great philosophical discussions it’s the interrogation, the questioning, the application, and the experiencing of this that makes it such a rich read. These Stoics may have lived and ruminated on these ideas in Ancient Greece and Rome but they couldn’t be more fit for our 21st century. Brigid is also one of my favourite writers; her Guardian columns and tweets bring me so much joy, this is my first dive into her longer form writing and it won’t be the last. I loved this book. As soon as I finished it I wanted to start it again. Like all good practices, stocism must be revisited and reminded. I’ve applied the philosophies as I’ve gone along and it’s helped me let go of anxiety and stress and dark thoughts I’d sometimes barrel towards. It’s also given me a freedom and lightness that keeps me coming back for more. What a brilliant read. #zansbookclub