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Improving Your Ability to Cope
- Be realistic about the amount of responsibility you can currently handle. Remember the Lord's counsel to do all things in wisdom and order and to "not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means" to handle your responsibilities. (D&C 10:4; Mosiah 4:27)
- Deal with the cause of the stress. If tension comes from a relationship, talk out your differences. If it comes from an unfinished task, do something toward finishing it.
- Use a planning schedule to fit your personality and lifestyle.
- Do difficult tasks before easy ones. Work before playing.
- Plan on arriving at class, work and appointments a few minutes early.
- Speak, eat, drive and move at a more relaxed pace.
- Go to bed early and arise early "that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated." (D&C 88:124)
- Exercise your body in some way each day.
- Eat nutritiously.
- Consider how dealing with your current stress will benefit you in the future.
- Seek the enjoyment in the doing of things rather than focusing so much on the end result.
- Practice in your mind new ways to respond to stressful situations before actually encountering them.
- Plan for the future instead of worrying about it. Learn from the past instead of feeling guilty about it.
- Schedule a time each day to nourish your spirit through prayer, reading, meditation and music.
- Calm your upset feelings with calming thoughts. Talk to yourself in a positive way when you are experiencing a stressful situation.
- Hope for rather than expect events to happen in a certain way.
- Respond with a kind "no" to unreasonable requests.
- Pray for those who dislike and use you. Forgive others and allow them to grow from their mistakes. (Matthew 5:44)
- Look for small ways to help, assist and provide service to others.
- Do something each day which will last beyond tomorrow like writing in a journal, teaching a child, sewing a dress, reading a book or giving an act of service.
- Cheer for rather than compete with others.
- Smile.
