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Train Your Mind to Adapt to Any Circumstance

  • Writer: Deric Hollings
    Deric Hollings
  • 9 hours ago
  • 6 min read

 

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

 

It isn’t uncommon for people to reach out to me regarding care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), as they seek advice. Regarding such behavior, authors of The Daily Stoic quote ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus who stated (page 184):

 

In this way you must understand how laughable it is to say, ‘Tell me what to do!’ What advice could I possibly give? No, a far better request is, ‘Train my mind to adapt to any circumstance.’ . . . In this way, if circumstances take you off script . . . you won’t be desperate for a new prompting.

 

Concerning this quote, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines adaptability as “the capacity to make appropriate responses to changed or changing situations” and “the ability to modify or adjust one’s behavior in meeting different circumstances or different people.”

 

Often referred to as “flexibility” (the quality or state of being flexible—characterized by a ready capability to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements), training your mind to adapt to any circumstance is far more beneficial to your mental health than any advice I could give.

 

I won’t always be around. Inevitably, I’ll die. Suppose I was in the business of advice-giving and you then no longer had access to my counsel. Then what? The rigidity of your advice-seeking behavior wouldn’t serve you well. In this vein, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 184):

 

It would be nice if someone could show us exactly what to do in every situation. Indeed, this is what we spend a good portion of our lives doing: preparing for this, studying for that. Saving for or anticipating some arbitrary point in the future.

 

Even with adequate preparation and all the advice one may receive, life is in a dynamic state of flux (a continuous moving on or passing by). Thus, advice in this moment may not be applicable in that moment. Therefore, authors of The Daily Stoic advocate (page 184):

 

Stoics do not seek to have the answer for every question or a plan for every contingency. Yet they’re also not worried. Why? Because they have confidence that they’ll be able to adapt and change with the circumstances.

 

Instead of looking for instruction, they cultivate skills like creativity, independence, self-confidence, ingenuity, and the ability to problem solve. In this way, they are resilient instead of rigid. We can practice the same.

 

Being flexible is achieved by training your mind to adapt to any circumstance—especially during situations with which discomfort is typically associated. The more you prepare, with flexibility regarding the ever-changing experience of life, the better your mental health will be.

 

Admittedly, this may seem counterintuitive (contrary to what one would intuitively expect). After all, what I’m inviting you to entertain (i.e., chosen suffering in order to improve resilience) isn’t what popular (“pop”) psychology advocates. Of this term, the APA expands:

 

[Popular psychology is] psychological knowledge as understood by members of the general public, which may be oversimplified, misinterpreted, and out of date [and it regards] psychological information intended specifically for use by the general public, such as self-help books and television and radio advice programs.

 

Typically, pop psychology sources advise people to do things which lead to feeling better – not actually getting better. Such nonsense isn’t how REBT is structured! With this psychotherapeutic modality, people are taught to challenge their beliefs and expose themselves to discomfort.

 

Rather than short-lived advice-seeking behavior, people then learn to become self-reliant. This is how to actually improve one’s own mental health. Furthermore, this is a strategy for not becoming dependent on a therapist. Conclusively, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 184):

 

Today, we will focus on the strategic [of great importance within an integrated whole or to a planned effect] rather than the tactical [of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose]. We’ll remind ourselves that it’s better to be taught than simply given, and better to be flexible than stick to a script.

 

When training your mind to adapt to any circumstance, you can better navigate the meandering path of life. This is an arguably healthier approach to rational living than to plan direct travel from point A to B, only to find oneself stuck when a proverbial tree obstructs one’s path.

 

Bear in mind that no advice is given by me herein. I haven’t told you what you should, must, or ought to do. If you find yourself stuck on your path with a tree blocking your way, then you may be prepared to navigate around it if you’ve trained your mind to adapt to any circumstance.

 

Ultimately, as a self-determined and autonomous individual, it’s up to you as to how you’ll react. I’ve trained my mind for such events. You’re welcome to do the same, or to do nothing at all. Likewise, if you’d like to know more about REBT, then I look forward to hearing from you.

 

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

 

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

 

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

 

 

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW


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References:

 

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Adaptability. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/adaptability

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Popular psychology. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/popular-psychology

Daily Stoic. (n.d.). Translating the Stoics: An interview with “The Daily Stoic” co-author Stephen Hanselman. Retrieved from https://dailystoic.com/stephen-hanselman-interview/

Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

Hollings, D. (2025, October 19). Adhering to invisible scripts. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/adhering-to-invisible-scripts

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Hollings, D. (2025, November 13). Problem solving in regard to anger: How to eat an elephant. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/problem-solving-in-regard-to-anger-how-to-eat-an-elephant

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