Thoughts and stories, by Pal

 This seems to be a helpful article for young adults! Four Bad Ideas that Make Latter-day Saint Dating Stressful By  Maurine Proctor  · August 8, 2022 Let me take you with me for a minute into a Relief Society meeting recently held in a BYU singles ward. My husband Scot and I were teaching and we asked a question that everybody wanted to answer. The young women were clamoring to be called on and the answers spilled out quickly. We asked them what is most stressful to you in your current life—and almost to a person, they said dating and boys. Then we went on. In a world where you have school and finances and big decisions before you, why is dating the most stressful thing? They exploded with answers. “Being in a singles ward sometimes feels like a meat market—like I am competing with everyone for the boy’s attention. I am always wondering if I look good enough or am what boys would want. It makes me feel like I’m always on the line and I have to second guess myself to fit ...

 I have loved how Wilford Woodruff wrote "I went on my way rejoicing!" “And He Went on His Way Rejoicing”: Mental Health and the Spirit of God  By  Roger Connors  · June 3, 2022 As a mission president, you are constantly looking for ways to help missionaries cope with the anxiety and stress of life on a mission. While it can be incredibly rewarding, missionary work isn’t easy—particularly when life provides a surprise like a worldwide pandemic that literally increases the difficulty of missionary life in an instant. Add to that the normal challenges of mental and physical health that manifest at this age and the need becomes even clearer: mental health isn’t something you can just assume, it’s something you have to develop and maintain. [1] I remember being quite amazed at the missionary life of Wilford Woodruff. He participated in the difficult march with Zion’s camp, then chose to stay in Missouri to do missionary work. He was an amazing missionary, serving several...

This is such an inspiring article, especially for mothers--who are tired!  I've been there for sure!  It does end, but not for quite awhile! Epiphany: Stunning Paradigms of Celestial Parenting By  Anne Hinton Pratt  · August 26, 2020 Cover image by  Caitlin Connolly . Anyone who has children knows that parenting is the toughest thing we ever do! Sometimes during that difficult journey of child rearing, we have epiphanies that  stop us in our tracks,   and redirect our course .  I’d like to share the striking experiences of four people… Like a Ton of Bricks Many years ago when my children were small I became very ill, and at one time I thought I might die.  As I thought about that possibility I began to freak out, thinking about my kids and what would be best for them.  I suddenly felt panicked to tell my husband, “If I die, you need to marry again!  Make sure you find someone who will to read to th...

Coronavirus: Two Doctors’ Tips for Combating Helplessness By  Benjamin Satterfield  and  Angel Lybbert  · March 16, 2020 The following article first appeared in  Public Square Magazine . Dr. Satterfield is a Physician-Scientist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is trained in internal medicine and a specialist in molecular virology with an emphasis in emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Lybbert is board certified in family medicine with added certification in geriatric medicine. She works at Intermountain Utah Valley Senior Medicine Clinic. She has worked in assisted living facilities, VA clinics, outpatient geriatric primary care, and hospice care. The views expressed are their own. The fear around this COVID-19 pandemic is both striking and understandable. Speaking from our expertise and experience in infectious disease and geriatric medicine, we share five recommendations that might be encouraging to those who fin...

Very insightful article by Darla Isackson.  This may help, when we feel overwhelmed by stress, and possibly not following promptings we have felt, and then had fear of following them. Are you in the Spiritual Stress Cycle? By Darla Isackson  · March 22, 2018 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE I’ve sometimes felt spiritually paralyzed by extreme doubt and fear, questioning my beliefs, who I am, and what the Lord wants me to do with my life. LDS Psychologist John C. Turpin pinpointed the most likely reason for these feelings and called it: “the Spiritual Stress Cycle” In his book,  Stress Reduction for Mormons,  he describes this cycle: The Spiritual Stress Cycle is a pattern one gets into by not following individual promptings of the Spirit of the Lord. The Spiritual Stress Cycle can be illustrated as follows: The Spirit prompts an individual to change [or to move forward in some kind of positive act...