How to choose your mood | Jonny Thomson #Philosophy

Key Concepts:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A talking therapy focused on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors.
• Stoicism: An ancient philosophy emphasizing virtue, reason, and acceptance of what we cannot control.
• Acceptance: Acknowledging and accepting things beyond one's control.
• Rationality: The ability to understand and analyze one's own emotions and motivations.
• The Gap/Space/Pause: The interval between an external event and our reaction, where we have the opportunity to choose our response.

Similarities Between CBT and Stoicism:

The speaker draws parallels between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Stoicism, highlighting three key commonalities: acceptance, rationality, and the concept of the gap or pause.

1. Acceptance:

• Stoicism emphasizes accepting aspects of life that are beyond our control.
• Example: Other people's opinions are beyond our control, so we must accept them.
• This aligns with CBT's focus on accepting uncontrollable situations to reduce distress.

2. Rationality:

• Both Stoicism and CBT emphasize the importance of self-awareness and understanding one's emotions and motivations.
• We can distance ourselves from our feelings to analyze them objectively.
• This distance is crucial for both philosophies.

3. The Gap/Space/Pause:

• This concept, popularized by Epictetus, is fundamental to CBT.
• It refers to the interval between an external event and our reaction to it.
• Within this pause, we have the power to choose how we respond.
• This challenges the idea that our reactions are predetermined.

Personal Anecdote:

• The speaker recounts an experience from their youth when their mother, a therapist, told them to "Choose your mood."
• At the time, this irritated the speaker, but in hindsight, they realize their mother was likely applying CBT principles.

Conclusion:

The speaker concludes that, based on the principles of CBT and Stoicism, it is possible to choose one's mood by utilizing the gap between an event and our reaction.