foreign says nowhere you can go is more peaceful more free from interruptions than your own soul Retreat to consult your own soul and then return to face what awaits you Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 after Christ he is considered the last of the five good emperors during his time he wrote a series of autobiographical writings known as meditations in which he consistently advocated for the pursuit of Tranquility in life while his meditations often emphasize the importance of rising early and seizing the day he also highlighted the significance of taking time
to withdraw inwardly and find calm thanks to his records we have a reasonable idea of what his nighttime routine would have been like in this video we will explore seven different things that Marcus Aurelius would have done in the evening or late afternoon and how we can follow or adapt this routine for our modern lives let's begin the only thing I ask of you is not to skip this video in any way if you're here consider yourself different from the majority consider yourself an exception now act like one and don't skip any chapter [Music] thank
you [Music] number one eliminate external stimuli Marcus Aurelius says it is in your power to withdraw into yourself whenever you desire it is known that Marcus Aurelius used his evenings to disconnect while he is particularly known for his philosophy advising us to live each day as if it were the last he also believed in setting aside time to find Retreat within his own mind in order to renew himself he did this as an effort to free himself from stress or negative feelings disconnecting from external stimuli and seeking value in introspection external stimuli are the changes
outside the body or the knowledge conveyed to us through the senses nowadays we constantly face external stimuli especially when interacting with people and Technology in order to meet The Superficial demands of our modern society we overload ourselves and our days have become filled with tasks commitments meetings emails and deadlines we lose our freedom and peace of mind and even though we strive to create a balance between work and personal life it's inevitable that we return home feeling exhausted overwhelmed and stressed our nighttime routine usually involves catching up on social media watching television or attempting to
respond to those last minute emails we need to reduce the stimuli and declutter our minds Therefore your nighttime routine should be the time you dedicate to yourself this likely means eliminating many of the evening activities you've become accustomed to and replacing them with new ones that will truly help you disconnect and focus on yourself this means putting your technology to sleep at least half an hour before you go to bed and seeking tranquility this can be as simple as a guided five-minute meditation a body scan or a breathing exercise mindfulness meditations help calm an overactive
mind and tune into your physical body this type of meditation can be a retreat within ourselves and the impact of incorporating it into your nighttime routine can be incredibly beneficial meditation is known to reduce anxiety improve mood and also significantly enhance sleep your bedtime routine should be a pause from The Busy World and a retreat to your peaceful self while indulging in TV show marathons playing video games hanging out with friends or scrolling through social media might seem like a personal break these activities don't actually help you achieve tranquility in fact they distract you from
finding it and while sleep is important it often isn't enough to restore you after a hectic day a truly relaxing nighttime routine needs to involve something that allows your mind to switch off number two engage in physical exercise Marcus Aurelius tells us it is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable even though Marcus Aurelius lived nearly 2 000 years ago he understood the importance of physical exercise he believed that a healthy mind cannot exist without a healthy body the stoics believed that even
a simple exercise routine can teach us virtuous life skills such as perseverance self-improvement discipline overcoming challenges and building self-confidence they understood that it was more important to exercise for these self-mastery skills than for external approval despite what the media might lead us to believe the stoics knew back then that striving for a perfect body just to show off rarely leads to true happiness often we avoid our exercise session with excuses like I'm too tired I have a big meeting tomorrow and don't want to be sore I'm so stressed at work that I can't even think
about exercising although many of us avoid exercise for various reasons it holds incredible benefits for both physical and mental health and we shouldn't completely disregard it as part of our routine any form of exercise whether it's playing sports or going to the gym is beneficial as it releases a flood of brain chemicals that make us feel good known as endorphins which reduce stress levels and improve mood if you exercise in the evening it might even help you fall asleep faster leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to face the next day you can also incorporate the
concept of taking a Brisk evening walk to clear your mind and as you walk notice the air and the environment around you let your mind shift from ruminative thoughts of the day to observing the night sky under which you walk gently moving your body and appreciating the beauty of nature around you will help clear your mind from a busy day and prepare you for a good night's rest number three review your day according to Marcus Aurelius nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under
thy observation in life the stoics believed that the two best moments for reflection were in the morning and at night preparing for the upcoming Day by jotting down your thoughts in a Morning Journal and reviewing the day that has passed Marcus Aurelius wrote his meditations with the intention of reviewing his own daily life and thoughts to Achieve Personal Clarity he kept a steady watch on his daily actions and choices the stoics emphasized The Importance of Being mindful of one's own actions and highlighted the significance of setting aside time at the end of each day to
review what happened as a way to become more aware overall the stoics referred to this kind of attention as an attention aimed at bringing self-awareness to one's actions and checking whether they align with one's higher self -stoics likened this type of Daily Reflection to presenting a case in a court you recall and judge your day through self-examination of your daily actions and choices and then review them systematically this isn't meant to be a practice of judgment but rather a compassionate review that will guide you to make better decisions in the future you can incorporate this
kind of Daily Review into your nighttime routine by setting aside time before bed to recall the day that has just passed review each moment of the day from the time you woke up to the present moment meditate on the various choices and actions you made what did you do well today what emotions did you experience which parts of your day brought discomfort how can you learn from what happened today what didn't you accomplish today that you would have liked to Daily Reflections play a pivotal role in stoic philosophy they help us prepare for the next
day by jotting down what we would have liked to accomplish today they are also crucial for assessing whether our daily actions are aligned with the person we truly want to be for example during the review of your day you might recall an event like an unpleasant interaction you had due to a misunderstanding while buying your morning coffee you'll be able to pinpoint how this interaction left you uncomfortable and irritated you'll highlight the time you spent dwelling on the encounter and how it affected your mood during the morning you can reflect on how you would have
liked to handle the situation differently or how that interaction ended up being insignificant in the overall context of your day by becoming aware of this event the next time you face a similar situation you'll approach it with greater mindfulness setting aside time at night to review your Daily Progress is a crucial step toward leading a stoic life before we move on to number four I want to thank each and every one of you for joining us seeking knowledge and abandoning ignorance is the best thing a human being can do and you've done it please check
your channel subscription and if you can like the video number four contemplate your inner wisdom in the words of Marcus Aurelius Mastery of reading and writing requires a master even more so life a sage is someone considered experienced in a particular field and is revered for their wisdom judgment and expertise for many people this Sage is a role model stoic's dedicated time to reflect on their sages and whether their own actions were in alignment with those of the sage Marcus Aurelius considered his Sage to be Zeno the founder of stoic philosophy and often asked himself
what would Xeno do the contemplation of the sage should essentially be a nightly moment where you reflect on your day or on the person you are and ask yourself what would your role model do Your Role Model could be someone you know or just a concept of an ideal person it's important to have a clear definition of this person so you can reflect if your actions align with your role model as part of your nighttime routine set aside a few minutes to recall your role model and ask yourself did you act as your role model
would have in what ways can you improve tomorrow so your life is more aligned with your role models what characteristics of your role model did you identify in yourself today incorporating a few minutes into your nighttime routine to consider the situations you experienced today and whether you reacted as you believe your role model would have can heighten your awareness of your choices for tomorrow and make you a better person the kind of person you deeply admire number five Embrace a higher perspective in the words of Marcus Aurelius consider the matter in its entirety of which
you possess the smallest part and time in its entirety of which a brief and momentary period has been assigned to you and the works of Destiny and how small is your portion in them Marcus Aurelius advises us to contemplate life from the cosmic point of view or to have a view from above A View from Above means adopting an expanded perspective of your life and looking at yourself and your day as if observing from a third person perspective to remove personal emotions and anxieties it is known that in his evenings Aurelius reflected on his life
from the standpoint of the cosmos to overcome his limited personal perspective in today's world there are many distractions whenever we step out of the house we are bombarded with advertisements news opinions and distractions when we're not at work or with our family we're on our phones listening to the radio watching TV or using the computer all of this leads to mental fatigue it's hard to find Space to think and breathe our attention is captured by apps games videos and TV shows and the fact that our attention is often directed towards other things makes it difficult
for us to deal with our problems anxieties stresses and commitments to assist with this the stoic exercise of adopting a higher perspective can be used to alleviate the weight of our problems as it shifts our View to a level above ourselves you can begin by dedicating some quiet time in the evening to observe your immediate surroundings your body your home and the people you live with start thinking about what they might feel how you relate to them what problems hopes and fears they may have then expand your view to see your own City and how
all the people living around you have unique lives about which you know nothing they have hopes dreams and fears just like you keep expanding your perspective to see your country then even further encompassing the entire perspective of the whole planet considering all the people on Earth all our lives spread across countries social classes races and cultures think about the challenges some of the less privileged people are facing keep expanding to the solar system the universe and to the entirety of existence when we observe ourselves from above we realize that we are not separate individuals disconnected
from the things around us but part of a larger whole a participant in everything that surrounds us looking at ourselves from outside helps us see ourselves and our concerns more objectively when we distance ourselves from the worries anxieties and problems we Face we can see them more clearly with less emotion and have a better chance of understanding their causes and solutions it becomes easier to see things in context if you're feeling down because someone insulted you try this exercise it's much easier to overcome the emotional obstacles we experience when we put things into perspective arguments
and minor disagreements seem trivial in comparison many of our problems can dissolve when we compare them to the problems of others or to the vastness of space number six spend time with family Marcus Aurelius tells us those who live longer and those who will die soonest lose the same thing for the present is all that they can give up since that is all you have and what you do not have you cannot lose for Marcus Aurelius at the end of the day it was time to be with family he clearly loved his children and his
wife very much even though he was important famous and extremely busy he didn't neglect them in the evening he would tuck his children into bed and kiss them silently telling himself don't rush this it might be the last time you do it it's not guaranteed that both of you will make it through the night he loved them he valued that thing right in front of him which truly was the most important thing in his life and then he wished them good night he did this repeatedly for as long as he was fortunate enough to live
the stoics used the contemplation of death as a practice to remind themselves of the impermanence of life a well-known nurse in Australia who dedicated herself to the care of terminally ill patients said that one of the most common regrets of a dying person is the wish to have spent more time with family her patients often lamented missing out on their children's Youth and the company of their Partners due to the demands of Modern Life families are spending just over half an hour of quality time together during the week and even when families do come together
many parents say that time is spent in silence in front of the TV because they are busy reading playing computer games or simply too tired to talk just like the stoics if we regularly contemplate our own mortality and remind ourselves that there will come a day when we or our children won't wake up to enjoy the beauty of life we will start making some changes to spend more time with family and frequently tell our children or our family that we love them family time is an essential factor that helps build strong bonds love connections and
relationships among family members spending quality time with family helps deal with challenges instill a sense of security instill family values and give confidence to children number seven prepare for the mornings Marcus Aurelius says in your actions do not procrastinate Marcus are really a strongly advocated the importance of waking up early every morning he did this to establish a morning routine that maximized every living moment therefore sleep meant to be a restorative experience and not a time to give in to laziness a morning routine was crucial for Aurelius but part of this morning routine started even
before the morning as he prepared for the next day the night before the stoics used to prepare for the day by setting aside morning time to rehearse their days they did this by considering what they wanted to achieve that day preparing for different possible outcomes and reflecting on themselves these kinds of Reflections were done by many stoics in the morning and also in the evening to start you can prepare the night before to make waking up easier this could mean selecting your clothes for the next day preparing your bag for work or having a clear
morning routine to follow think of it as a checklist of actions to take but without having to use your brain to think about what to decide as it was already decided the night before remember this the more decisions you make throughout the day the less effective they become save your headspace for making small decisions like what to wear in the morning not only is this beneficial for your health but it will also make waking up a more pleasant experience preparing for the next day during your nighttime routine will not only assist you with your morning
routine but can also reduce anxiety about the tasks awaiting you when you wake up if you enjoyed this video be sure to check out our stoicism playlist and for more videos that will help you find success and happiness using ancient philosophical wisdom do not forget to subscribe that was my contribution thank you very much
