They are:

CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK and

CHANGE THE WAY YOU LIVE.

Think about it – all the psychological techniques, self-improvement, weight-loss strategies, TV commercials, political platforms, etc etc focus on getting you to do one or both of these actions.

They want me to THINK or DO  something differently.

It doesn’t sound like much but it surprises me how many people don’t get this concept.

EXAMPLE of using “THINK and DO” in dealing with stress

Let’s apply these two delivery systems THINK-and-DO to improving your “coping skills” to live these last days.

WE LIVE IN THE LAST DAYS. HEARTS WILL FAIL.

We are living in the prophesied time “when peace shall be taken from the earth” (D&C 1:35), when “all things shall be in commotion” and “men’s hearts shall fail them” (D&C 88:91). There are many temporal causes of commotion, including wars and natural disasters, but an even greater cause of current “commotion” is spiritual.Viewing our surroundings through the lens of faith and with an eternal perspective, we see all around us a fulfillment of the prophecy that “the devil shall have power over his own dominion” (D&C 1:35). Our hymn describes “the foe in countless numbers, / Marshaled in the ranks of sin” (“Hope of Israel,” Hymns, no. 259), and so it is. Evil that used to be localized and covered like a boil is now legalized and paraded like a banner. The most fundamental roots and bulwarks of civilization are questioned or attacked. Nations disavow their religious heritage. Marriage and family responsibilities are discarded as impediments to personal indulgence. The movies and magazines and television that shape our attitudes are filled with stories or images that portray the children of God as predatory beasts or, at best, as trivial creations pursuing little more than personal pleasure. And too many of us accept this as entertainment. (Dallin H. Oaks, Preparation for the Second Coming, April 2004) etc etc

Clearly we are living in stressful days. Many hearts will fail in part because of the lack of skills to deal with high stress. If you are to successfully live in these last days you will have to learn to think and to live in such away as to prevent your heart from failing….

“HEARTS FAIL” = SUICIDE, LOSS OF HOPE, NERVOUS BREAKDOWNS, DEPRESSION, FEAR, ETC ETC

When I worked at Weber Human Services a local government mental health clinic, we were receiving about 300 new intakes a month in addition to our already large caseloads. People just didn’t know how to cope with life! (And I might add most still don’t.) When I saw all those new clients seeking mental health services every month, I learned that typically “men’s hearts failed and women’s hearts failed and children’s hearts failed ...”  because their personal stress of life exceeded their personal resources …

Rule Number One:

 Have -as much as or more- resources as you have stress. 

Rule Number Two: 

Make sure they are the right resources.

Rule Number Three:

Remember there are only two ways to improve your life

Change The Way You Think and The Way You Live. 

THE WAY YOU THINK:

Are you a worry wart?  A nervous Nellie? Do you constantly fret about everything and anything? Are you afraid because you believe the Second Coming of Christ is imminent-and you’re not prepared? etc etc

If this sounds like you, you likely have more stress than resources. You may be worrying your life away. Change- those activities between your left ear and right ear. This excessive worry and type of thinking doesn’t just affect your mental health; it also can wreak havoc on your physical and spiritual well-being.  Looking at the world around you in ways that make it seem more dangerous than it really is generates unnecessary “heart failure“.

HOW DO I START TO THINK DIFFERENTLY?

Get your priorities straight -This is always the first step to getting your thinking straight.

See: The Gift: Between God and I

See: My Spouse Is NOT My #1 Priority

Getting your priorities right will get your thinking right.

THE WAY YOU LIVE:

Are you always tired? Wanting to sleep all the time? Feeling like your prayers are going nowhere? Have you lost your passion for life?  Are you burdened because of a “dysfunctional” relationship with a loved one? etc etc

Adopting a healthy lifestyle will help prevent or delay the onset of physical and spiritual illness. Sure, healthy living is a long-term commitment, not a flash-in-the-pan fad. But there are steps you can take right now in your life that will make today healthier than yesterday and pave the way for healthy living tomorrow, too.

HOW DO I START TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY?

Understand the anatomy of your soul and do resources to strengthen each of those areas.

The anatomy of a soul includes: Spirit Body, Physical Body and the Mind.

See: The Anatomy of the Soul . 

You need a lifestyle where you regularly do at least one resource to strengthen  each of these “Soul Systems.”

See: Five to Survive

and  see: dr rick’s Five to Survive

Developing more and more resources for each of your spirit body, physical body and mind will keep your baseline stress level in check. Your heart will be strengthened.

Getting enough of the right resources

will get your lifestyle on track.

REVIEW

Keep it simple.

There are only two ways to improve your life: Change THE WAY YOU THINK and change THE WAY YOU LIVE.

Strengthen your heart for “last days” living by

1) Learning and living by correct priorities.

2) Regularly doing at least one resource to strengthen  each of your “Soul Systems.”

dr rick