Navigating Chaos: Stoicism’s Wisdom for Overwhelmed Parents and Professionals

2020 was a particular year for all of us. Like many other humans, I had to juggle my family, homeschooling, work, being a good boss and having enough time for self-care. Stoicism is a philosophy designed to make us more resilient, happier, virtuous and wiser–and, as a result, better people, parents and professionals.

Stoicism frames that you can control only your thoughts and actions. Life is complex, messy and complicated. But if we can learn to separate what we can control — our thoughts and actions — from all else beyond our control, we can find a surer footing to greet the world and experience our concept of happiness.

COVID was a considerable challenge for me as a boss. I couldn’t have wished for a better team. With all our challenges, we stuck together, and they held their heads high and tried to see the positive. Nevertheless, so many things were fundamentally broken in our work context — small, big, many things, and too many things that I could tackle. Many of these were also out of my control. So, reframing how I approach the problems served me well.

You may be aware of the IT Crowd sketch, an English comedy show where there is a fire in the office. If not, I recommend you watch it.

Some things need fixing. The questions you should ask yourself are:

• Do I have to fix it?
• Is it something I can fix?
• If I put in some effort…