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What’s the solution, then? I’ve got three different principles that I think might help. At least, they’ve helped me somewhat.
1) Find what works for you.
When you’re dealing with depression and/or anxiety, trying to listen to General Conference or read the scriptures is often fraught with traps for your mental processes, triggering panic attacks and depressive episodes.
A lot of people say that picking and choosing what you do is the wrong way to live the gospel.
In fact, President Nelson in an April 2011 #ldsconf talk says, "Teach of faith to keep *all* the commandments of God, knowing that they are given to bless His children and bring them joy…
"...Warn them that they will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience…
"...This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments."
The problem with that statement is that we aren’t physically capable of doing everything at once.
(And perhaps the KonMari approach might sound better than a cafeteria approach--comic via brytning.tumblr.com)
Thinking we have to do everything makes us feel like we might as well not do anything at all. It’s even easier to feel like that when your brain tells you you’re worthless
But unlike the adage “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right” (...and all the way and right the first time…), if it’s worth doing, it’s worth trying to do it.
I’ve started building a collection of resources that are safe for me to read—conference talks that don’t overemphasize success or failure, hymns that are a request for help from God, scriptures that speak of trials and the accompanying pain.
Right now, I don’t watch/listen to conference as much in the moment. I prefer waiting to read the talks so that I can handle them in my own way, instead of having to deal with the stuff coming at me live.
I focus on understanding basic principles of the gospel, like the sort of things they teach in nursery. It’s all very positive and focuses on the blessings of our Heavenly Parents.
Additionally, remember that General Conference is GENERAL counsel. They are speaking to everyone, but everyone has unique circumstances. You need to figure out how the lessons apply to you.
Sometimes they don’t, sometimes they do. Sometimes you get an answer from prayer that’s different than what you were seemingly told to do in conference (or church). Ultimately, how you personally live the gospel is up to you and the Lord.
2) Recognize, accept, and enforce your limits.
Dealing with chronic mental and/or physical problems can often make living the ‘traditional’ aspects of the gospel extremely difficult. Staying home from church can become a fairly normal occurrence.
Living the gospel has to mean something different when your health is different. And although others may not quite understand, what’s important is that the Lord understands.
It’s *okay* to leave church after the sacrament. It’s okay if you can’t make it to church. It’s okay if you have to turn down a calling. It’s okay to not hold a calling at all.
The amount of "checklist" items that you feel like you're supposed to do is ridiculously long. Family history, temple work, daily scripture study, church activities, callings... My best approach to handling this is simply: "For everything there is a season."
In a meeting a while ago, the stake patriarch talked about his couple of decades of inactivity when he was young. And at some point, he came back and eventually became a patriarch. I wrote in my notes: "It's okay that spiritual growth isn't a top priority right now."
Your limits may change, but most importantly, you should learn to be okay with not doing everything you’re “supposed” to be doing. Don’t feel guilty. It just isn’t the season for that right now.
“[You] say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give…” (Mosiah 4:24)
God will recognize your limits and what you’re able to do. It’s fine to just have the desire to do more, even when you can’t.
Although we’re told not to “procrastinate the day of [our] repentance,” there will still be opportunities to learn and grow after this life.
If others push you to do something outside of your limits, say no. You don’t have to give elaborate justification for turning something down. People will rarely ask why if you don’t supply a reason. If you need a script, just say “due to personal reasons, I can’t do [X or Y]”
3. Create a support network.
Find someone that understands you and is willing to reach out to you. It’s not easy...at all. But finding at least a few people that you can feel like you can talk to is really helpful
Having someone at church is useful, but not always possible. If you need someone to just talk to when you’re feeling crappy, you can always message me on my personal account (@elenahirstcall).
(I honestly don’t have a lot of suggestions for this because I’m not really good at it myself.)
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