Jenny Southan reveals how philosophy can help you to maintain mental well-being on the road.
Most people, after a stressful experience or some bad news, will have been told by a well-meaning person to “try to be philosophical about it”. But what does it mean, and can philosophy really help to improve our mental state?
Plenty has been written on the subject of living a happy, fulfilled life – from as far back as the ancient Greeks it has been hotly debated – but not everyone seriously asks themselves the kinds of questions that might lead them to making the best choices.
Last year, an Office for National Statistics (ONS) report on UK well-being found that, of 4,200 people surveyed, 73 per cent rated themselves as seven or more out of ten for how happy they felt (where ten was completely and zero was not at all), and 78 per cent ranked themselves seven or more when asked how worthwhile they considered the things they did in their life to be.
The results might seem surprisingly positive, but most of us would agree there is always room for improvement. A Lloyds TSB poll in January showed that only 10 per cent of high-income British expats thought quality of life in the UK was better than in other developed countries. In the UN’s first Global Happiness report, published in April, the UK was ranked 18th (the top five were Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada).
The indicators of well-being that the ONS identified were related to our relationships, health, how we spend our time (both work and leisure), home, financial situation, education and skills, as well as three wider influences – governance (trust in democracy and institutions), the economy and natural environment. However, even a scientific approach to measurement relies on a subjective view of what happiness is – after all, different things make different people feel good.
Mental health can be defined in many ways – the dictionary might explain it as “the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment”, while the World Health Organisation describes it as “a state of well-being in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.
Ask a philosopher and they will take the concept further. Antonia Macaro, philosophical counsellor and co-writer of the Shrink and the Sage column in the Financial Times Weekend magazine, says: “Often, we equate mental well-being with a feeling of happiness, but I think this ‘happiness as mood’ is overrated in our society. There are other things that are more important, like doing things we value and consider worthwhile, and having meaning in our life.”
Mark Vernon, author of Plato’s Podcasts: the Ancients’ Guide to Modern Living, agrees happiness is overrated. “It comes and goes. If happiness means feeling good, which is probably the modern idea that we have, it wasn’t really the idea the ancient Greeks had. The word that is often translated as happiness, eudaimonia, literally means ‘good godedness’, meaning a capacity to live life well, like the gods.
“Sometimes that will involve pleasure, but sometimes it will involve the capacity to bear suffering, but suffering that can lead to better things. If you are a parent you will know that having children will bring you a lot of pain but it will also brings deep fulfilment. Mental health comes about by an ability to pay attention to life, to your inner experience and gradually sort through and prioritise it in a way that makes you flourish.”
One modern philosopher bringing the subject into the mainstream is Alain de Botton. His works include A Week at Heathrow Airport, a “meditation on travel, work, relationships and our daily lives”, and The Art of Travel, which asks how we can find fulfilment from our trips abroad.
“Journeys are the midwives of thought,” he writes in the latter. “Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than moving planes, ships or trains. There is an almost quaint correlation between what is before our eyes and the thoughts we are able to have in our heads: large thoughts at times requiring large views, and new thoughts, new places. Introspective reflections that might otherwise be liable to stall are helped along by the flow of the landscape.”
Travel, it would seem, provides an excellent opportunity for “being philosophical”, and for the frequent flyer with many hours on a plane at his or her disposal, spending time contemplating one’s own thoughts, or reading someone else’s, may be highly beneficial.
Vernon says: “Because we are physical beings, being on the way somewhere can be a wonderful moment to reflect on where we are headed in the more metaphorical sense. So rather than reaching for the in-flight entertainment, you could do a meditative reading. Read reflectively, slowly, allowing it to sink in and your own thoughts and responses to emerge.”
If you want a little guidance in your quest, London’s the School of Life (theschooloflife.com), founded by Alain De Botton in 2008, offers regular evening classes (£31.50) on everything from “How to be confident” to “How to face death”. It also hosts “Sunday sermons” (£12.50) as an alternative to going to church, with lectures from the likes of Will Alsop (on boredom) and David Shrigley (on vice).
A selection of sermons can also be viewed online for free at vimeo.com/channels/theschooloflife. If you need some direction in your reading, you could sign up for a course of “bibliotherapy” (£40 over the phone). Non-profit organisation TED also has dozens of thought-provoking lectures on the topics of philosophy and happiness at ted.com.
If you want some one-to-one time with an individual versed in the philosophical approach, perhaps to engage you in Socratic dialogue (the posing and answering of questions to stimulate critical thought), you could make an appointment with a psychotherapist – something De Botton believes should be incorporated into everyone’s life, like a visit to the barbers.
A philosophical school of thought and method of therapy, existential psychotherapy looks at the inner conflict arising within people as a consequence of their relationship with death, freedom, responsibility, isolation and life’s meaning.
“By building self-knowledge and self-awareness, clients are able to grow and conquer issues which may at times feel all-consuming or overwhelming,” writes London’s Harley Therapy on its website, harleytherapy.co.uk. While not affiliated with any one form of therapy, the School of Life offers individual “MOT consultations” for £76.60, and a referral service for those who want further treatment.
Macaro, who is an existential therapist and philosophical counsellor, says: “Philosophy can help by giving people tools to think more clearly about themselves and the world, clarifying confusions and conflict of values.” However, she adds that it could make things worse “by unsettling established ways of thinking”.
Vernon agrees: “The human condition is often about not knowing, of becoming conscious that you will die, and this is deeply frightening. But unless you are willing to go into the darkness and learn from it, rather than force it away, it tends to come back and haunt you.”
De Botton says: “Philosophy can’t miraculously solve all our problems but what it does urge us to do is to understand ourselves better and become better at working out what relationships we should get into and what projects we should focus on.
“Love and work are the two fundamental pillars of a satisfied life – and they only deliver on their promises if we take a lot of care in planning how we’re going to approach them.”Ten Books to Read
As prescribed by Philip Anthony and David Roberts, teachers of philosophy at Brighton, Hove and Sussex College
Stephen Covey, Principle- Centred Leadership
A mixture of philosophy and business know-how, this is a rare modern attempt to apply Aristotelian principles of fairness and probity into business management theory, the spin-off of which is said to be personal health and happiness.
£15, Simon and Schuster
Alain de Botton, The Consolations of Philosophy
A modern account of how Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche can help in confronting the problems of modern life and provide consolation when things don’t go according to plan – unpopularity, inadequacy and lovelessness are among the issues dealt with.
£11, Penguin
Alain de Botton, Status Anxiety
A handbook for those who worry about keeping up with the Joneses, this book looks at the way our fears about how others judge us affect our daily lives. With the help of philosophers, artists and writers, it reveals ways to find happiness by making us question our beliefs about success and failure.
£11, Penguin
Leon Kass, The Hungry Soul
A fascinating account of how the customs, taboos and rituals associated with eating offer a profound insight into what makes humans happy – this is particularly useful for travellers who want to understand the pleasure of eating exotic cuisine.
£16.50, University of Chicago Press
Simon Blackburn, Being Good
A modern attempt at interpreting philosophical ideas of mental health and happiness, this slender edition is an accessible introduction to the meaning of life. Covering topics from God and death to pleasure and freedom, it offers no easy answers but will make you think.
£8.50, Oxford University Press
Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
Written in the sixth century while Boethius was awaiting death under torture after being wrongly accused of treason, this is the original account of the ways in which philosophy can offer mental and spiritual consolation when things go very wrong. £9, Oxford University Press
Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics
The origin of most of our ideas about human happiness, The Nicomachean Ethics examines what the “good life” actually involves. Despite being written more than 2,000 years ago, Aristotle’s analysis of well-being and virtue can help us to think about how to improve ourselves, and achieve a flourishing life.
£9, Penguin Classics
Philippa Perry, How to Stay Sane
Under the stresses and strains of modern life it can be hard to feel calm, content and open to new experiences, but this easy-to-digest book, by psychotherapist Perry, explains how taking yourself out of your comfort zone, and observing yourself and the way you relate to others, can improve your mental health. It also has practical exercises to try. £8, The School of Life
Julian Baggini and Antonia Macaro, The Shrink and the Sage
Philosopher Julian Baggini and psychotherapist Antonia Macaro, authors of the Financial Times Weekend column The Shrink and The Sage, have put together a guide to the good life that combines the wisdom of the ancient Greeks and the insights of modern psychology. It covers everything from questions of existential unease to everyday issues such as how we present ourselves.
£10, Icon Books
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
A collection of aphorisms and wise sayings that put the vicissitudes of life into perspective, this work was written by an ancient Roman emperor?struggling to make sense of his place in the universe. A reflection on human rationality, virtue, the nature of the gods and emotion, this Stoic work has been held in high esteem for many centuries.
£8, Penguin Classics
