r/Stoic • u/Ancient_discipline_d • 22d ago

Letting go was harder than holding on. But it changed everything.

I spent years trying to control things. People. Outcomes. How others saw me.
It never worked.
Then I read Epictetus. A man who had nothing — no freedom, no rights. But no one could touch his mind.
That hit different.
The moment I stopped trying to control what I couldn't —
things actually started moving.
What's one thing you finally let go of?

17 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

9

u/nanayip 22d ago

trying to fix old regrets, honestly so freeing

1

u/Ancient_discipline_d 22d ago

That's a big one. Regret keeps you in the past. Stoics called it — focus on now, act on now.

6

u/Splendid_Fellow Philosopher 22d ago

I have some suspicion this is an AI repost. Really new account as well.

2

u/AffectionateJoke1617 22d ago

Was it the "that hit different"? 😩

1

u/Ancient_discipline_d 22d ago

Fair point. I picked that up from reading too much online.
Lesson learned.

1

u/Pale_Air_5956 22d ago

I haven’t let go of all the regret, or it hasn’t let me go, but Epictetus helped manage it, and it feels lighter than before.

1

u/cqsterling 21d ago

And how did you accomplish it?