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COURSE

Sleep Better With Stocism

With Douglas Robson

Join me on this 7-day journey into restful nights, guided by ancient wisdom. Sleep is so important to our overall health, and at the centre of it is how we think. Learn how to calm your racing mind, release worries, and build a Stoic mindset for deep, uninterrupted sleep.

Using Stoic philosophy to rethink sleep and improve your rest.

7 Days

1.6k students

4.8 stars

5 min / day

English

About this course

Journaling Practice

Memento Mori Reflection

Breath Focus

Meet your Teacher

Douglas Robson

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London, UK

Doug Robson is a Stuntman, Yoga and Meditation teacher who holds a diploma in counselling and mental health first aid as well as a Masters in Psychology and Neuroscience. He has a passion for learning and is continually adding to his wealth of knowledge of well-being. He has over 20 courses with an average rating of 4.8. He produces high-quality and interesting content designed to motivate and empower others to fulfil their ultimate potential.

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7 Days

1.6k students

4.8 stars

5 min / day

English

Lesson 1

Go With The Flow

In this first episode, we return to the foundational Stoic idea from Zeno of Citium: that the goal of life is to live in agreement with nature. You’ll learn how human sleep is deeply connected to natural rhythms—like light, temperature, and instinct—and how modern life often interferes with those rhythms. Discover simple yet powerful ways to work with your body’s natural clock to improve your sleep, from controlling light exposure to using your breath to calm the nervous system. Tonight, give in to your nature instead of fighting it—because happiness, as Zeno says, is a good flow with nature.

Lesson 2

Let The Lion Stop Running

Tonight, we learn from Epictetus and Seneca how Stoic wisdom can help us put our worries to rest—literally. When Epictetus discovered his lamp had been stolen, he simply accepted the loss and went back to sleep. That response wasn’t weakness—it was rational strength. In this episode, you’ll explore how our modern “lions” are abstract stressors like deadlines, arguments, and worries that activate our threat system and sabotage sleep. Learn how to offload your mental clutter with a simple Stoic journaling practice that helps calm the amygdala and bring peace to your night.

Lesson 3

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

As children, we fall asleep to comforting bedtime stories. But as adults, the stories shift—they become anxious inner monologues about money, health, or frustration with the neighbour’s barking dog. This episode explores how the Stoics, especially Epictetus and Seneca, handled inner peace amid outer chaos. You’ll learn how to identify the unhelpful stories you tell yourself before bed, separate fact from judgment, and use a two-step Stoic process to calm the mind and invite rest. Remember: the noise isn’t the problem—your mind’s reaction to it is.

Lesson 4

Love The Hand Fate Deals You

Tonight’s lesson comes from Cleanthes, who compares us to dogs tied to a moving cart—unable to control the direction, but fully able to choose how we move with it. In this episode, we explore how surrendering to what we can’t control (like a sleepless night) and reframing it with gratitude can transform our experience. From baby prams to quiet reflections in the dark, you'll see how cultivating a willing attitude softens life’s bumps. As Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Love the hand that fate deals you, and play it as your own.”

Lesson 5

The Gift Of The Sleepless Night

Exiled to a barren island, Musonius Rufus turned hardship into growth and discomfort into a path to wisdom. In this episode, we explore how sleepless nights—far from being a curse—can be a gateway to self-awareness. Building on the Stoic idea that pain and anxiety signal areas for improvement, we learn to view insomnia not as an enemy but as an enforced meditation. Night strips away distraction and allows us to listen closely to what’s going on within. As Seneca says, “Night brings our troubles to the light,” and Musonius invites us to look—and learn.

Lesson 6

The Art Of Being Alone

Seneca believed that true peace is proven in quiet moments, when we can sit still and be content with our own company. In this episode, we confront our shrinking tolerance for boredom in the age of screens and endless distraction. You’ll reflect on how your mind, like your lungs, is designed to work naturally when not overloaded—and that bedtime might be the only time your unconscious gets a voice. Instead of filling every quiet moment with scrolling, discover the value of being alone with your thoughts. Who knows what ideas or wisdom might rise to the surface when you finally stop reaching for your phone?

Lesson 7

Sleep, Death, And The Miracle Of Morning

In this final episode, we explore the deeply Stoic reflection that sleep is the cousin of death—and that each night offers us a chance to let go, just as death eventually will. Drawing on Seneca’s calm final hours and Marcus Aurelius’s reminder that each morning is a gift, this episode reframes bedtime as a spiritual practice of acceptance, clarity, and preparation. When you see each day as a miracle and each night as a letting go, your priorities sharpen, your regrets soften, and your mind finally quiets. Sleep, then, becomes more than rest—it becomes readiness.