The Stoics advocated enjoying the pleasures of life when they were available. They already warned of its dangers, since if we allow ourselves to be trapped by pleasure and comfort, we can become slaves to these things.
Set aside from time to time a few days during which you will be content with the simplest food and the roughest clothing. Then you will ask yourself: Is this what I feared so much? – Seneca
To avoid falling into the traps of pleasures, the Stoics proposed a very efficient strategy that consisted of temporarily avoiding some pleasures or comforts that we enjoy daily. Practicing this temporary deprivation gives us numerous physical and psychological benefits.
It prevents us from getting used to living in our comfort zone. By frequently leaving this area in which we feel comfortable and safe, we expand our “safety” environment and when we have to suffer involuntarily, we will suffer less as we are better adapted to that “pain.”
Temporarily depriving ourselves of things we think we need prepares us for the anxiety that fear of losing them can cause. And if we lose them, the negative feeling about their loss will be much lighter.
Therefore, temporarily and voluntarily giving up things helps us enjoy them more when we have them.
