Marcus Aurelius: Anger and grief often harm us more than…

A setback is one problem. The reckless reaction to it often creates three more. An angry reply can damage a working relationship; a night of spiraling can leave you unable to think clearly; blaming everyone nearby can turn a repairable mistake into a lasting conflict. This does not mean you should feel nothing. Initial disappointment, fear, and sadness are human responses. The Stoic warning concerns what you add after that first impact. Give yourself a pause before speaking, posting, spending, quitting, or sending the message you may regret. Drink water, take a walk, write down the facts, and wait until your body has stopped treating the moment as an emergency. Then decide what actually needs doing. Today, aim for a modest victory: do not enlarge any trouble with a response that your calmer self would have avoided.