tamhonkhoe.comCourses · Stoicism · Course KK4 · Open
Stoicism at home and at work
Work, anger, the people we work with, family and the circles of concern.
Lessons with a link are published. Lessons without a link are still a planned outline; their titles and passages may change during writing and review.
| For | Adults learning on their own; each lesson has a short kids’ corner |
|---|---|
| Length | 6 weeks · Fits daily life |
| Level | 4 |
| Status | Open – All 6 weeks published |
| Publishing | Published once the project owner approves |
| Expected | Nov 2026 |
Plan: 6 weeks
| Week | Lesson | Passages | Measurable goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rising to do human work | Meditations V.1 | Name one piece of ‘human work’ each morning and take 30 minutes off each evening, on 5 of 7 days |
| 2 | Anger | Seneca, On Anger II.28–29 | Note one delay before reacting when annoyed, on 5 of 7 days |
| 3 | The people who work with us | Seneca, Letter 47 | One action a day that treats someone you work with as a person, on 5 of 7 days |
| 4 | Family | Meditations VI.39 · Encheiridion XXX | One task from a role and 10 full minutes with family a day, on 5 of 7 days |
| 5 | The circles of concern | Hierocles (Taylor) · Meditations VI.44 | One small thing a day for someone in an outer circle, on 5 of 7 days |
| 6 | Review | Meditations V.1, VI.39 | Rate five habits, keep two, on 5 of 7 days |
What science finds
- 38,124 workers: people who detach from work when off duty report less exhaustion and better sleep. This is a correlation. (Wendsche & Lohmann-Haislah 2017, Frontiers in Psychology 7 · source)
- Meta-analysis of 154 studies, 10,189 people: activities that calm the body (slow breathing, mindfulness, relaxation) reduced anger and aggression moderately (g = −0.63); arousal-raising activities (hitting a punch bag, running to let off steam) were ineffective overall. (Kjærvik & Bushman 2024, Clinical Psychology Review 109 · source)
- 27 experiments, 4,045 people: acts of kindness raise well-being by a small-to-moderate amount; the studies are often small. (Curry et al. 2018, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 76 · source)
- Pre-registered study, 1,307 people in 3 countries: a popular but mistaken reading of Stoicism (wanting to show fewer emotions and to feel less) went with lower well-being. This is a correlation. (Karl et al. 2022, Journal of Happiness Studies 23(7) · source)
- 5 cohort studies: volunteers had lower mortality. This is a correlation; randomised trials have not shown clear benefit. (Jenkinson et al. 2013, BMC Public Health 13:773 · source)
- 33 studies of self-control training: a small effect, smaller still after correcting for publication bias. (Friese et al. 2017, Perspectives on Psychological Science 12(6) · source)
Limits, honestly
Acute anger and quick calming skills have their home on daynentang.com; we only link there. The course does not follow the passages about working without eating or sleeping, the treatment of slaves in Roman times, or submitting to a father who strikes you; no exercise is meant for situations involving violence, threats or harassment. No study has evaluated this programme directly.
Stop practising if
Stop or shorten practice and talk to a professional if you notice: rising anxiety or panic; low mood that lingers; feeling that you or the world is ‘not real’; flooding memories of trauma; several nights of poor sleep; hearing or seeing things others do not; thoughts of harming yourself. People with a history of psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe PTSD should ask a doctor before practising more than 20 minutes a day.