You get to choose the severity of your own thoughts & emotions. You have the power to choose the level of importance of your own thoughts & how you feel about them. You have the power to create any emotion you desire to any idea or thought you have, whenever you want, in any situation you desire & you get to decide how powerful that emotion is & how long you choose to feel that emotion for.
You can think of anything you desire, only as long as you believe it can be thought about. The boundaries of your possible thoughts your brain can think of has the potential & capability of limitless ways of expanding & extending to any amount you believe is possible.
The level of difficulty of how we understand things depends on the way we approach whatever it may be.
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Is that analogous to comments of Epictetus (c. 50-130 CE)?
"Remember that foul words or blows in themselves are no outrage, but your judgment that they are so. So when any one makes you angry, know that it is your own thought that has angered you. Wherefore make it your first endeavor not to let your impressions carry you away."
Be that as it may, I think versus is too strong, the relationship between the two is more complimentary. Being ruled primarily by the subconscious, we are all, at times, out of conscious control, regardless of the "approach." Although philosophy provides guidance for the approach. But the level of difficulty in understanding can depend on ones personal philosophy, which may be at variance from those they deal with; and, whether or not the other's philosophy should be of concern in how we behave.