Whenever I’m in a relationship or situationship or talking talking to someone, I am prone to extreme anxiety. The worst thoughts about our relationship always seem to come to the forefront of my thoughts, or rather, in alignment with stoicism, I let myself be preoccupied with these thoughts because I have labeled them as bad and allowed myself to become attached to the idea of avoiding them.

I have only recently found stoicism (within the past two weeks) but have already seen great progress in applying it to a variety of situations in my life. The issues comes when trying to conquer the most difficult thoughts, as since they are so deeply ingrained into my person - I have placed my happiness in these externals - they are obviously harder to unlearn or become detached from them.

“While the body requires many things to be healthy, the mind grows by itself, nourishes itself, trains itself. A great deal of food and drink is necessary for athletes, and a lot of oil, not to mention a lot of work, but you can achieve virtue without equipment and free of charge.” - Seneca

I know that I will attain the good life rather than the good mood in that regard, because I am determined to not be attached to externals. But in the meantime, it’s hard. Having to consciously think about my worst thoughts in order to face them, and reason them down, is very taxing to a new student. I would like some confirmation that it does get better, and possibly some insights :)