In this episode of Navigate the Day, I explore one of the most challenging Stoic ideas I’ve wrestled with: suspending judgment. Marcus Aurelius reminds us that events themselves don’t disturb us—our opinions about them do. Between what happens and how we react, there’s a brief pause where choice exists. And lately, I’ve been realizing just how rarely I use that pause.
I have a strong pull toward negativity. When something goes wrong, I feel almost obligated to label it as bad, unfair, or proof that I’ve failed. Part of me resists the Stoic idea of withholding judgment because I’ve spent years ignoring my emotions, and I’m afraid that suspending opinion means silencing them again. This episode is me trying to untangle that tension—how to acknowledge emotions without letting them run the show, and how restraint doesn’t have to mean denial.
Over the past week, I’ve noticed how fear, anxiety, and overthinking have been shaping my choices—or more accurately, my lack of choices. I worry about the future, regret the past, and end up living reactively instead of intentionally. I talk openly about how avoidance, distraction, and impulsive habits have become ways I cope with discomfort, even though they keep me stuck in the same patterns I complain about.
Suspending judgment, for me, isn’t about pretending things don’t hurt or forcing optimism. It’s about questioning the stories I automatically tell myself—that I’m powerless, that it’s too late, that nothing I do will matter. When I rush to those conclusions, I hand over what little agency I do have. But when I slow down and refuse to label every experience as a verdict on my worth or future, something softens.
This episode isn’t about mastering emotional control or eliminating anxiety. It’s about practicing restraint in small moments—pausing before spiraling, before blaming, before assuming the worst. I’m still struggling. I still doubt my ability to choose well. But I’m beginning to see that not every situation needs my opinion attached to it.
Suspend Your Opinions is a reminder that peace doesn’t come from fixing everything or having certainty. Sometimes it comes from letting things be what they are, loosening our grip on the judgments that exhaust us, and learning—slowly—to trust that clarity can exist without a verdict.
Thank you for listening and joining me on my journey of self-discovery!
Mediations and Prompts influenced from The Daily Stoic Books
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