I deeply enjoy sharing Stoicism, a philosophy meant to guide us to a flourishing life. I believe that the ideas and practices found within this philosophy can change our lives for the better. Stoicism can calm anxiety and anger. It can untangle the mess of thoughts in our head and help us thrive. That doesn't mean we can pick up the Enchiridion and fix all our damage alone. You should seek professional treatment if you have an emotional issue that significantly disrupts your daily life.
Immoderate Stoic and Good Fortune are not a substitute for professional health advice. I want to be clear about that. I don't want anyone to read into my projects and assume I advocate a Stoicism only approach to mental health. I do not. I have a whole blog category entitled Depression and Anxiety to back me up on this. Therapy helps people. Medication helps people. I've used both and benefited greatly from doing so. Please, never deny yourself proven options by bending to a misguided 'do-it-yourself' mentality.
I wanted to share this because Good Fortune is, in many ways, a self-help podcast. However, I'm more of a GET HELP than a SELF HELP sort of person. I want anyone who has stumbled across this project to understand that seeking professional guidance is a brave action. If you're finding that Stoic practice resonates with you, there are a variety of modern therapies that are closely related to Stoic thought. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, pairs very nicely with Stoicism and has the bonus recommendation of being provably effective at tackling a variety of emotional disturbances. CBT, with medication, rescued me from a dark place years before I learned about Stoicism. If you are dealing with real difficulties, never deny yourself the powerful solutions offered by modern medicine.
I certainly hope that the practices I share are helpful. I am grateful for the feedback I've received saying that they are. I simply want to be clear that, for all the healing Stoicism can provide, modern medicine works. Take advantage of it.
