January 1st: the Stoic Routine of Seneca
By: Un Regard Stoïcien, A Stoic Perspective
Tags: New Year, Self Improvement, Stoicism, Philosophy, Habits

Seneca is a Stoic philosopher, a Roman statesman, Nero’s tutor and a prolific and recognized writer. The Letters to Lucilius have a special place in his work because they are both the testimony of a notable Roman about his time and his own life and the correspondence of a master of philosophy to a disciple.

In Letter 83 (10) to Lucilius, Seneca describes what he used to do in the New Year:

“I, a great lover of cold baths, who used to celebrate the new year by taking a plunge into the canal, who, just as naturally as I would set out to do some reading or writing, or to compose a speech, used to inaugurate the first of the year with a plunge into the Virgo aqueduct [part of the Roman baths]”

Each January 1st thus implies, for Seneca, the following practices:

Reading;

Writing;

Discourse;

Cold bath.

However, the actions he lists are not specific to the New Year. They are already more or less integrated into his daily life. Seneca does not make new resolutions but commits himself to maintain and anchor habits already present. By taking care of his mind (reading, writing, speeches) as well as his body (cold bath), Seneca has put together a set of practices to make January 1st a healthy day. This gives a certain dynamic for the days that follow.

Seneca’s 4 habits on January 1

But what does Seneca refer to concretely when he explains that he inaugurates the year with a reading, a written composition, a speech and a cold bath?

The sources are lacking to be precise, but one can imagine that Seneca reads books that are useful for the conduct of his life rather than entertaining: “ut it is quality, rather than quantity, that matters; a limited list of reading benefits; a varied assortment serves only for delight” he says in Letter 45.

The content of his writing is known to us through the texts that have survived: letters, plays, essays, consolations, etc. Perhaps the New Year was also an opportunity for him to carry out the exercise of self-examination by taking into consideration the whole past year; and not only of the past day.

Reconstruction of the Agrippa thermal baths where Seneca used to bathe (By ColdEel — Personal work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17400144 )

As for the practice of speeches, it is possible that they were voiced. The exercise is natural for Seneca since shortly before he was sentenced to death by forced suicide, Tacitus reports that he called secretaries and dictated a long speech to them. Above all, as a statesman, January 1 also obliges him to participate in certain rites that sometimes involve speeches. The Latinist Pierre Grimal thus formulates the hypothesis that the treaty Of Clemency is the reflection of an official speech delivered by Seneca on January 1 56.

Finally, one should not imagine Seneca going to swim alone in a lake in the middle of nature. The practice of cold bathing is institutionalized through the existence of the cold water room (frigidarium) in the Roman thermal baths. He probably shared this New Year’s moment with some of his fellow citizens. Other passages in the Letters indicate that Seneca switched to lukewarm baths towards the end of his life.

3 ways to be inspired by Seneca’s routine

What can we learn from this routine today? In a very simple way, you can, right now:

Identify a reading that you would like to start in the New Year and that will provide you with useful elements to lead your life;

Prepare the self-examination of the past year to best prepare for the coming year;

Tone up your body by taking a cold bath and/or another physical exercise.

These exercises will allow you to stimulate your body and mind and start the year on a positive note, for your own inner balance… without falling into austerity! While recovering from a possible hangover is not on Seneca’s agenda, the Romans did celebrate the transition to the New Year with various social, religious and festive rituals.

In short, instead of making good resolutions, think about a set of healthy activities that you could do on the first day of the new year. These activities can be a set of good practices that you have already more or less incorporated and/or new actions. Just don’t think of them as resolutions! It’s all about living a full day for body and mind. That’s how to get the year off to a good start!