Latter-day Saint Life

Counter-Intuitive Advice to Fixing Stress from Sister Wendy Watson Nelson

Sister Nelson spoke of an email she received from a woman who needed help putting together a presentation for her ward. The Relief Society sister was asked to speak on the topic of “stress,” and in preparation she had gathered responses to a survey, including 75 women.

“As I read the survey responses, these young wives and mothers reported they were experiencing: stress, depression, anxiety and marital intimacy problems,” Sister Nelson said. “They listed as the cause of their problems: school, finances, lack of sleep, housework, homework, feelings of failing at everything and an inability to balance all of their responsibilities.”

Wondering how to respond in a way that would really make a difference for the women, Sister Nelson thought of her experience doing temple and family history work.

“As I thought about [the sister’s] difficult assignment, my experiences with family history and temple work filled my mind,” she said. “As counterintuitive as this may seem, I felt compelled, in a way I could not deny, to encourage [the woman] to offer a 21 day experiment to her Relief Society sisters.”

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