“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it.”
— Marcus Aurelius
Pain. Stress. Anger. Fear.
Most of it doesn’t come from what happens, it comes from how we interpret what happens.
A missed opportunity? A setback? A rude comment?
The Stoics remind us: those things only hold power if you give them power.
You can’t control the world.
But you can control your judgment, your reaction, your frame.
And that’s where your freedom begins.
Challenge your interpretations.
Catch yourself in the moment. Step back.
Ask: “Is this as bad as I’m making it out to be?”
99% of the time, it’s not.
What do you most often overreact to?