#12 Stoic practice: put temptations out of sight

This series of articles is my feedback on A Handbook for New Stoics, a book on the practice of Stoicism, by Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez. For one year, every week, I will experience the Stoic practices proposed by the handbook and I will share with you my weekly review. This will provide you with an overview of the different Stoic exercises and the benefits (or not) they can offer you. Welcome to week 12 of my diary!

💬 A practice presented by Seneca

Just as he who tries to be rid of an old love must avoid every reminder of the person once held dear (for nothing grows again so easily as love), similarly, he who would lay aside his desire for all the things which he used to crave so passionately, must turn away both eyes and ears from the objects which he has abandoned. The emotions soon return to the attack; at every turn they will notice before their eyes an object worth their attention. Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, 69.3–4

🔥 How to apply this practice?

This week, we first had to identify the triggers of our behaviors that we’d like to change. Then, the idea was to write down what we could do to remove the trigger. For example, if I have a habit of snacking between meals, and I know that seeing something to nibble on is enough to…