Marcus described several different Stoic strategies for dealing with pain and illness in The Meditations. The most important thing he observed in those individuals who coped well was their ability to “withdraw” or “separate” their mind from bodily sensations. We’ve already introduced this Stoic technique, which I’ve called cognitive distancing. It requires learning to withhold value judgments from unpleasant feelings, viewing them as morally indifferent, neither good nor bad in themselves, and ultimately harmless.
