Man seeks retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such thing very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For no where either with more quite or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul.

This speaks to the need to meditate and to the Stoic tenant that a thing is not the cause of your emotional state, but your judgment of that thing. All of the time and trouble you spend to perfectly compile your retreat would be time better spent learning how to retreat into yourself.

I don’t believe in much but I really believe in the power of mindful meditation. Spending a few minutes to sit in quiet awareness helps me not just see the emotional state that I’m caught in but also escape it. It seems odd but I sometimes go for long stretches in a fog and then realize that I’m angry/anxious/depressed. Recognizing these states seems to dissipate the emotion. Mindfulness allows for a fast track of this mechanism for me. I can figure out what’s going on and shut it down in a matter of minutes rather than it floating over me for hours. Sometimes I do recognize it immediately and can come back but not always. Sometimes I still need to sit down and just be for a few minutes to get a handle on what’s corrupting my mental clarity.