Article November 1, 2004 Issue

THE PAUSE THAT UNSTRESSES

By Kathy Ream

I was Really Stressed Out at work—so much so that I had to give myself a pep talk each morning just to leave my house.

I was in charge of several projects at the same time, none of which had ever been done before. We were missing deadlines for the manufactured items, and vendors were not coming through with what they'd promised. My assessment of the situation: There was no way it was all going to happen, and I was responsible.

One day, sitting at my desk with eight hundred zillion things to do, I was so stressed out that I literally did not know what to do next. This is ridiculous, I thought. I can't live like this anymore.

I left my desk and found a place where I could sit and think. I tried to put all the worried thoughts aside so I could listen to my spiritual intuition. This spiritual intuition has never let me down. Sometimes it is quiet and calming. Other times it feels like joy bubbling inside and ready to burst out. This time, I got this message: "It's going to be OK. Those things will get done. Just bring calm, keep peace."

I'M TALENTED AND CAPABLE, AND CHALLENGES ARE SET BEFORE ME SO I CAN LEARN FROM THEM AND GROW.

I trusted this voice because past experience has taught me that life runs according to a law of good, not chaos. The name I use for that law is God, but you might use another one. This law speaks to everyone and everything, calling for har mony and peace. And when I listen to that voice, it changes things for me.

I felt a calm growing inside me, replacing the panic. The more I thought, the more closely I reconnected with what I know is true: that I'm talented and capable, and that challenges are set before me so I can learn from them and grow.

Now, praying this way didn't just happen. I study a book on prayer and spirituality called Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. When I pray, I turn to the book and its ideas for guidance. When I returned to my desk, the pile of work was still there, but I felt ready to tackle it one task at a time. I decided to do my best and let go of all the worrying.

As time went on, some of the things I hadn't gotten to were actually called off! Others I got done more quickly than I expected. Within a few weeks, I was almost completely caught up.

The projects went off smashingly, even though one opened a day or two behind schedule, but another was the best we'd ever done. I resolved not to get discouraged so easily again, and always to make time for listening to spiritual intuition.

This article first appeared on www.spirituality.com. Visit the site to join discussions on this and other articles.

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