Modern life can seem utterly confusing, as if we are adrift on the sea, ignorant of what monsters and existential crises may come with each change of the wind. In which case, how about using Homer’s Odyssey as your guide, to withstand the buffeting storms, and keep your eye trained on life’s most sustaining goals.

Oxford classicist and clinical psychologist Dr Sam Akbar has done just that. The Odyssey Mindset: 7 Timeless Lessons on Resilience, Strength and Purpose in inspired by the fantastical adventures of Odysseus as he struggles over 10 years to return to his home on Ithaca from the Trojan War. It still speaks to us today as, no matter its origins in Ancient Greece “it addresses what it means to be a human being navigating life; we are still asking the same questions of ourselves as our ancestors did” even if we are living more than 3000 years later.

Dr Akbar points out that Odysseus, as described by the Greek poet Homer, is not always a noble, ethical man, and certainly no god. He struggles with his desires, both wanting to come home, and to while away the time with sirens and temptresses. Using the king of Ithaca’s slow voyage from one island to the next, the author helps us see how a person goes through many stages in their life, evolving and learning as they grow to understand themselves and the world around them better.

The psychological landscape of challenging times have six steps in common:

• Disruption
• Disorientation
• Resistance
• Acceptance
• Adaptation
• Integration

Through Odysseus’s physical journey he goes through each step, as will the reader today. You might not be disorientated by shipwrecks and a sorceress who can turn rivals into animals, but every reader will find their own examples of what they are fighting, and how they can use acceptance and adaptation to get to their goals.

In this extract which we published on Welldoing recently Akbar explains how even Greek heroes need to show vulnerability and caution. “[Odysseus] may no longer wear his warrior’s armour, but his wariness of being deceived, betrayed and hurt are every bit as strong as any bronze breastplate. He will not give that up easily. Protecting his heart is the one thing he still has control over.

“We see this everywhere in our own world. After a relationship ends, where there have been lies and dissembling, we question every new partner’s motives. After a workplace betrayal, we check our colleagues’ words for hidden meanings. After a traumatic event, the prospect of opening up ourselves to desperately needed help can feel impossibly risky. Easier not to try or to hope than to be hurt again.”

And lest you think a male Greek hero’s tale may not have much for women readers, there are plenty of females to be inspired by. Penelope’s intelligence and fidelity and Athene’s power and wisdom show that the women in the Odyssey are not merely footnotes.

We believe this book makes a good Welldoing Book of the Month. Small and with a relatable progression, it intertwines this famous classical story with psychological insights. It’s topical too, with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey on international release this month. “Be more Odysseus” may sound slightly strange when invoking a role model, but the Greek hero did prevail and finish his journey. Connecting your life to Odysseus’s tale could help you too.