The Anti-Stress

I was pondering about a friend who is under a tremendous amount of stress.  It’s affecting her health, her relationships, and making her miserable.   I recalled that stress releases cortisol the enzyme (?) that breaks down cells, sometimes called the death hormone.  So that stress actually can create the illness you fear.

So what to do about stress?  Heavenly Father didn’t intend for us to be miserable, anxious, angry, troubled and full of stress.  Those are not gospel qualities.  God is a god of love, peace, hope, charity and kindness—to ourselves and others.  If God wants us to be happy, how do we get rid of the unhealthy stress?

Many people turn to God in prayer.  They say, “Please help me get through this day.”  I think they’ve already decided what has to be done.  They are in charge; they’ve made the decisions.  Now they just want the Lord to step in and make it happen. In essence, we’re doing our will, not His.  Perhaps a better way would be to consult with the Lord and ask, “What should I be doing today?”  “What would you have me do today?”  The Lord may tell us to let go of something and let Him take care of it.  He loves our families, our friends, all people as much or more than we do.  And he is entirely capable of taking care of every need.  If the Lord asks us to turn something over to him… do we have the faith and trust to do it?  I know at times I give it to Him… then snatch it back…. then remember it’s His now and give it back again… and so on.  It is a process in gaining trust in the Lord to be able to turn it over to him, even when the results are not what one had wished.  Only as we turn to the Lord and ask Him will we know if this is a burden we must carry, but can trust Him to “make light” for us, or one we need to release to Him.

The Lord may whisper things that will help lift us, even as we carry the burden.  He may say, “Look for the good in others today and praise them.”  or “Remember you are a child of God.  Be at peace and forgive others.  They don’t know what they are doing.”  In these cases, the problem doesn’t disappear, but our ability to handle it, or our attitude changes and it becomes more manageable as we are lifted up.

There is a difference between acting and becoming.  We are taught to DO—read our scriptures, keep the commandments, be loving, forgive others, and so on.  I remember when I was a young mother trying hard to be patient and loving.  I’d suppress the irritation and impatience as I smiled sweetly and encouraged my darlings.  But by bedtime, I’d HAD IT!  All that inner turmoil had reached it limits.  “Get in Bed, OR ELSE!”  And I’d be so frustrated that I was not the kind, loving, patient mama I wanted to be.

Acting and doing are important, but that’s not the final destination.  Our goal needs to be to BECOME Christ-like: To change ourselves to feel as He does, to live as He does, to act as He does.  When our heart changes, the ability to act in a Christ-like way is easier.  It becomes natural.   Have I become perfect at this?  No way.  Have I become better?  I think so.  It’s not something we can do on our own.  If we could become perfect by ourselves, we wouldn’t need the Savior.  This is where his Grace comes in-- the divine help and strength we need to become what he wants us to be.  We have to pray for, seek, and be willing to trust and submit to the Lord’s will in order to accomplish this. Sometimes that’s really hard.  We think, “I know best!” Sometimes we need to pray for a desire, a desire to want to become Christ-like.  We may not want to be humble and submissive.

One of my goals on my mission was to want to do what the Lord wanted me to do: to rejoice in doing His will.  That was easy as long as it was also what I wanted to do.   But it’s not.  Sometimes the Lord asks for things I don’t want to do.  My goal is to try to think.  It’s from the Lord.  I love Him and trust Him.  I know He loves me unconditionally and only wants what is best for me.  I can trust that if I do His will, I will be blessed far more that if I followed my own puny reasoning.

My thought for others is, if you are struggling with issues, seek counsel with the Lord.  Discover His will, and do it.  Work to become, not just act, in a Christ-like way.  It really does bring peace and comfort and love and a joy and delight in living.  It is the antidote for stress.