This strategy echoes ancient Stoicism, where tranquility comes from aligning desire with what’s under our control. Epictetus’ *Enchiridion* (c. 125 AD) argues that distress arises when we treat externals—status, outcomes, others’ behavior—as necessities rather than contingencies. In that light, “low expectations” becomes a practical stoic move: reduce the list of things that must go right, and you reduce the number of ways the day can break you. The result isn’t passivity but emotional resilience. [...]
