Utilising Philosophy to Overcome Life’s Challenges

Philosophy & self-restraint are useful tools for jumping day to day hurdles.

“Life is a continuous battle. It doesn’t matter how many battles you’re winning or losing; what matters is that you fought, learned, and survived.”

It would be false to say there is no human being who hasn’t gone through a problem before. As the saying goes: life is a battlefield.

We all face challenges from time to time: be that in work, relationship, or business contexts.

It’s not that you can’t overcome life’s challenges, however, the problem is that you often find yourself faced with the same challenges over and over again, and that’s when you start to lose motivation to face the issue and lose sight of the potential lesson. At that point, challenges can become problems, causing you to spiral into despair and frustration.

Most of life’s problems are like weeds — they find a way to grow irrespective of how many times you cut them down and it’s your job to always cut them down anytime it grows.

Epictetus the stoic philosopher put it best when he said:

“Don’t you know life is like a military campaign? One must serve on watch, another in reconnaissance, another on the front line. So it is for us — each person’s life is a kind of battle, and a long and varied one too. You must keep watch like a soldier and do everything commanded. You have been stationed in a key post, not some lowly place, and not for a short time but for life.”

Here is what you need to win it.

1. Have a Philosophy

Nothing gives a person a sense of purpose like a distinct understanding of where they’re going.

A philosophy of life is an overall vision or attitude toward life and the purpose of it. Philosophy then, helps you build principles in fighting these life adversities.

Your philosophy is what you know, how you hold what you know, and how it affects what you do. All our actions and principles stem from our philosophy-to not have a philosophy is to not know how to live.

If you don’t know how to live, how then can you solve life problems when it shows?

Ever since I started studying philosophy and applying the wisdom to my life-not only do things changed for me but my values, perception and way of doing things change for the better.

If philosophy is anything, it’s an answer to that question about how to live.

“Would you really know what philosophy offers to humanity?” Seneca asks in his Moral Letters, “Philosophy offers counsel.” It gives us advice. It consoles us.

Philosophy might be simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, it’s supposed to be tough. It’s supposed to challenge you — even painfully so — in the pursuit of a better life. It brings with it a variety of lessons that can be utilised to better ourselves.

To achieve change, Thomas Oppong writes we must allow ourselves to undergo paradigm shifts, and adapt ourselves fundamentally — rather than just alter our attitudes and behaviours on the surface.

“Friends, the philosopher’s lecture-hall is a hospital — you shouldn’t walk out of it feeling pleasure, but pain, for you aren’t well when you enter it.” — Epictetus

Your philosophy guides your perception and influences your reality. And recognizing your own limits is the first step to improving your perception.

What are your values

When you develop the right values towards life, your philosophy is the framework that will keep those values central to your decisions and actions. And when your decisions and actions support your life, only then can you become equip towards solving life problems.

According to Eleanor Rosevelt —

One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words, rather, it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

Clarity

A clear, well-defined philosophy gives you the guidelines and boundaries that keep you on track which is the precise reason why you should have one that would guide and drive all your actions.

Boundaries are a healthy and important way of building your autonomy, your safety, and your dignity. And we teach people how to treat us by showing them how we treat ourselves. And we best treat ourselves right by gaining clarity of our values.

“Those [principles] to do with good and evil. That nothing is good except what leads to fairness, and self-control, and courage, and free will. And nothing bad except what does the opposite.” — Marcus Aurelius

If there’s anything Philosophy equips you with, it’s that it strengthens your ability to remain steady in the chaos and rush of life.

2. Practice Self-Restraint to Achieve Freedom.

“By constant self-discipline and self-control, you can develop greatness of character.” — Grenville Kleiser

It is not the privilege of choosing everything you want, but rather having the power to choose what to give up.

Real freedom itself is a form of denial. Author Mark Manson writes the only true form of freedom, the ethical form of freedom is through self-limitation.

What are you willing to give up to remain sane and purposeful?

We are controlled by our desires and our desires are insatiable.

Fundamentally, it’s your self-control that allows you to enjoy life’s great pleasures, without wanting too much u have had enough.

The saying more discipline equals more freedom holds true because at it’s best, self-control doesn’t revolve around deprivation, denial or chastising but clarity, intention, and attunement.

We don’t disown elements of ourselves but get clear about what role we want them to have in our decision-making.

We don’t punish ourselves or take pride in how little we can force ourselves to live with. We create an over-arching vision for our lives and make choices that take care of our needs in ways that also serve that plan.

Focus Only on What’s Within Your Control.

I still desire for things out of my control and the only thing it always brings back to me is a disappointment.

Our excessive desire for more is the reason we find it difficult to focus on what’s within our control. Until you move from “I want everything” to “I appreciate what I have”, life will always beat you down.

“Freedom is secured not by the fulfilling of men’s desires, Arian said but by the removal of desire.” And real freedom is seeing the world unconditionally with the only victory being over your own desires.

Self-restraint then is what you use against your desires. Learn to develop it.

These two skills above once developed and put to use will not only help you fight life battles but also help you avoid it by winning the battle with yourself.

The Apeiron Blog — Big Questions, Made Simple.

We know that Philosophy can seem complicated at times. To make things simple, we compile together the best articles, news, reading lists — and other free recourses to guide you on your journey. To continue with us, follow us on Medium and sign up to our free mailing list.