Stress Buster #12

Eliminate (or restrict) the amount of caffeine in your diet.

A few years ago I found out that I have a physical condition that is aggravated and triggered by caffeine. Whereas many principles of my diet are up to me to see how I react / feel, the doctor was adamant about caffeine (and alcohol, incidentally). I am very grateful for revelation and a health code that has minimized the impacts of the condition and which has made it easy to follow my doctor's direction.


Elder Marion D. Hanks:

"The Word of Wisdom teaches us a great principle and makes a promise. The principle is that everything good God has provided for us we should use with thanksgiving and good judgment, with prudence and not to excess. Everything that is not good for us we should leave alone. The promise is that if we obey this principle we will be better off in every way: in health, in knowledge and wisdom, and in wonderful spiritual blessings.

"We know now through evidence that cannot be questioned, that alcohol and tobacco and caffeine are not good for the body. We know that they are destructive and harmful. We know much about the importance of the proper food to eat and about moderation in diet. These facts were not available to Joseph Smith except through revelation received from our Heavenly Father. That is how he received them, and we need to remember that, when we thank the Lord for wonderful blessings we have received through prophets from God."

Stress Buster #11

Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments.

Doctrine & Covenants 38:30: If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.

Stress Buster #9

Plan ahead. Don't let the gas tank get below one-quarter full; keep a
well-stocked "emergency shelf" of home staples; don't wait until you're down to
your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more; etc.

Henry B. Eyring, Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady:
"As my father lay in his bed near death, I asked him if he didn’t think it was a time to repent and pray for forgiveness for any sins that were not yet resolved with God. He probably heard a little hint in my voice that he might fear death and the Judgment. He just chuckled quietly, smiled up at me, and said, 'Oh no, Hal, I’ve been repenting as I went along.'
"Decisions now to exercise faith and be steady in obedience will in time produce great faith and assurance. That is the spiritual preparedness we all will need. And it will qualify us in the moments of crisis to receive the Lord’s promise that 'if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.'
"That will be true when we face the storms of life and the prospect of death. A loving Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son have given us all the help They can to pass the test of life set before us. But we must decide to obey and then do it. We build the faith to pass the tests of obedience over time and through our daily choices. We can decide now to do quickly whatever God asks of us. And we can decide to be steady in the small tests of obedience which build the faith to carry us through the great tests, which will surely come. "

Stress Buster #8

Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.

Stress Buster #7

Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.

Neal A. Maxwell:
Clearly, without patience we will learn less in life. We will see less; we will feel less; we will hear less. Ironically, "rush" and "more" usually mean "less." The pressure of "now," time and time again, go against the grain of the gospel with its eternalism.

Stress Buster #6

Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home, and relationships will be less likely to break down/fall apart "at the worst possible moment."

Stress Buster #5

Make duplicates of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden.

Stress Buster #4

Do nothing you have to lie about later.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

Stress Buster #3

Don't rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc.

I've gotten worse at this since using Google Calendar, because it's not very well integrated with my iPhone, nor is it integrated with my work calendar. I'm doing better about looking at my Google Calendar, but it is a challenge.

Stress Buster #2

Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.

I do this on the days I go to the office (as opposed to the days I work from home) and I love it. I lay out my clothes just like I used to do as a kid (for the first day of school, at least). I put everything I need by the door so that I can grab it on my way out (bag, water bottle, computer).

Stress Buster #1

Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.

I have this collection of 52 stress busters that I found online at Texas Woman's University and I love them! I am going to post them once a week so that I can think about them and refer to them. Let's be honest, this blog is more for my benefit than for yours. (sorry about that). Also, I really liked this article '9 Reasons to Wake up Early' and am going to study it in addition to stress busters.

Of Things That Matter Most by Dieter Uchtdorf

When stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be.

We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.

The wise resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush of everyday life.

There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.

Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” 

I think most of us intuitively understand how important the fundamentals are. It is just that we sometimes get distracted by so many things that seem more enticing.

Printed material, wide-ranging media sources, electronic tools and gadgets—all helpful if used properly—can become hurtful diversions or heartless chambers of isolation.

We would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.

If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most.

Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.

You can read the talk here.

Stress Buster #52

Have an optimistic view of the world. Believe that most people are doing the best
they can.

Elder Milton R. Hunter once stressed that “the measure of a people’s happiness comes in proportion to the amount of love they have in their hearts for their fellowmen” (Conference Report, Oct. 1966, p. 39).

From the 1993 Ensign:

Judge not unrighteously. One of the most common human frailties is the urge to find fault with the actions of those around us. Visit a kindergarten class, and you’ll see children tattle with gusto. Visit a high school class, and you’ll see that young people no longer tattle, but they do criticize each other for even little things that go wrong. Visit an office, and you’ll see that the problem even exists among adults.

The Savior has given us some guidelines to follow:

“Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged: but judge righteous judgment.

“For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (JST, Matt. 7:2–3.)

So, what is unrighteous judgment? Being critical of others’ shortcomings, mistakes, and weaknesses, or complaining about what others do or do not do.

What is righteous judgment? It is diligently watching for those things others do well and then openly and generously acknowledging those efforts. Allowing others their imperfections. Striving to positively influence all with whom you come in contact. It is also responding to your conscience and making wise decisions about right and wrong.

Stress Buster #36

Take a hot bath or shower (or a cool one in summertime) to relieve tension.

In the Jewish Encyclopedia:

“The real significance of the rite of Baptism can not be derived from the Levitical law; but it appears to have had its origin in Babylonian or ancient Semitic practise. As it was the special service administered by Elisha, as prophetic disciple to Elijah his master, to “pour out water upon his hands” (2 Kgs. 3:11), so did Elisha tell Naaman to bathe seven times in the Jordan, in order to recover from his leprosy (2 Kgs. 5). … This idea underlies the prophetic hope of the fountain of purity, which is to cleanse Israel from the spirit of impurity. (See Zech. 13:1; Ezek. 36:25; compare Isa. 4:4.) Thus it is expressed in unmistakable terms in the Mandean writings and teachings … that the living water in which man bathes is to cause his regeneration. For this reason does the writer of the fourth Sibylline Oracles, lines 160–66, … [write,] ‘Ye miserable mortals, repent; wash in living streams your entire frame with its burden of sin; lift to heaven your hands in prayer for forgiveness and cure yourselves of impiety by fear of God!’ This is what John the Baptist preached to the sinners that gathered around him on the Jordan; and herein lies the significance of the bath of every proselyte.” [The Jewish Encyclopedia (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Co., 1902), 2:5500.]

Stress Buster #25

Create order out of chaos. Organize your home and workspace so that you always know exactly where things are. Put things away where they belong and you won't have to go through the stress of losing things.

Doctrine & Covenants 88:119:
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;