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3 years, 1 month ago

What spiritual path has comforted you in times of stress?

I have been feeling stressed recently, and have been wondering whether it would be a good idea to explore the more spiritual aspects of life, which I have been neglecting in favour of playing a lot of Left 4 Dead.What spiritual path or approach have you found rewarding at times when you have felt in need of a bit of a deeper perspective on the world, life, relationships etc? A bit of detail would be appreciated on what the benefits of your choice have been..
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pats | 3 years, 1 month ago
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bardseyes | 3 years, 1 month ago
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I'm going to answer this question without doing so. My own beliefs may not work for you or anyone else, but they work for me. Since that doesn't promise being at all helpful to you, I'll take a step back and make some suggestions both about stress management and spirituality.

First and foremost, be reflective. One of the cornerstones of virtually every major world faith (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, etc.) is an ability to reflect on yourself, you actions, and your place in the world. All these faiths provide a different context for thinking of your place in it, but they are at least united in wanting you to reflect on where you are and what you're doing.

Once you're willing to be reflective (I say willing because in asking the question you prove you're able, thinking "maybe I need to do something different, like explore spirituality..." is demonstrated proof of ability to reflect), you need to get down to the currently pressing questions that are weighing on you. Let me write out what might be an internal dialogue (I'm going to use a modified Socratic method, which does fit with the inquiry approach of some Buddhist and Christian traditions, Jesuit in particular for the latter):

Why am I stressed?
Work.
Is the job I do stressful?
Not especially.
Are the people I work with stressful?
Absolutely?
What about my relationship with them is stressful...

And so forth. By getting to the actual problems, not just the categories the problems belong to, you can actually begin to think of ways to solve them. Note that none of this is specific to any religion or spiritual path as yet.

What spirituality is good for is making sense of the (apparently?) senseless world and the things that happen in it. It provides answers that we as individuals may not be able to answer for ourselves, and ways of viewing the world that other people share, allowing connections between individuals through shared experience and belief. Some religions are extremely prescriptive about what to do when (Orthodox Judaism, many branches of Islam, and certain sects of Christianity and many other faiths), even down to what to eat and not, how to interact with people in particular jobs, etc. That can be really useful to provide certainty of action and the ability to assess behavior against a well-defined set of rules. A lot of people alternately object to this same prescriptivism, seeing it as (at best) limiting.

If the problems you have related to stress are capital P problems (Life, Death, Afterlife, Meaning of Everything kind of stuff), then you should explore spirituality further. If on the other hand you're worried about little p problems (relationships, money, a Left 4 Dead addiction), then you can address all of it on a secular level. The point here is to go to spirituality for what spirituality is good at, meaning and context. If you go to it for specific answers about little p problems, you will probably find a wide variety of "answers" and still have to sort through them, which you could do just as easily now without having to delve into the mysteries and offshoots of one or more paths. note I find doing so fascinating and deeply rewarding, but it may not be the fastest solution to your current issues.

I hope this provides some assistance, I'm happy to help further, I've spent a lot of time studying comparitive religion, in and out of school, and in that time have learned that recommending a path isn't like recommending a book.
source(s):
Personal and scholastic experience.

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ensorceled | 3 years, 1 month ago
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As an atheist, I seek spiritual paths that are more internal rather than external or supernatural.

Martial arts with forms, such as karate or tai chi, are good for focusing yourself and building your confidence and strength. Karate is amazing at reducing stress, you need 100% focus and a ton of energy. Stress and fatigue just melt away. This is what I'm pursing now, for my entire family the dojo is our community and provides the same experience going to church provided when I was being raised Catholic.

Meditation, especially Zen mediation, is a great way to get in touch with your spiritual. It can be a tool for focusing your mind and reducing stress or a deeply spiritual journey into discovering yourself. I followed this path while going through a tough time in university. One form of meditation is to attempt to empty the mind by allowing thoughts to come to the surface and then allowing them to dissipate. I worked through years of issues this way for months.

I was raised Catholic and studied religion throughout high school and university; I stopped trying to get higher truth "hidden" in organized religions and started pursing the spirituality with all of us.

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brandycuba | 3 years, 1 month ago
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I have always taken comfort in this, the bible says that God will not put more on you than you can handle. When I feel overwhelmed, I remember this and then I know that I can handle whatever problems I am facing. I also think about the story in the Bible where the potter is molding the clay, he builds up his pot and breaks it down if it is not perfect, he does this many times until the pot is just right. I look at myself as the clay and God as the potter, he is molding me and when I am not perfect, he "squashes me" and rebuilds me. There is one more story that I consider when feeling overwhelmed and it is about a man who is working with metals, he puts it into the fire and then pounds it in to shape, then back into the fire. When God puts us in the fire, he is only doing it so he can shape us into better people. I have always found peace in these three stories and I know that what ever I am going through, God has allowed it for a reason, I don't suffer needlessly.
source(s):
The BIBLE

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stacieamy | 3 years, 1 month ago
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The most comforting belief, to me, is also the one based on the reality that everything must end. Buddhism is based on this fact and it's goal is to overcome the suffering that is inevitable because of it. Also, using every possibly negative situation as an opportunity to practice patience and compassion. I have discovered through this practice that things really are what you make them. Situations that in the past have turned out very bad for me, when I smiled, made myself be patient, put myself in the other persons' place...now these situations turn out very well and the peace that comes upon me is amazing.
At the very least, try meditation. There are meditation guides that you can DL to itunes to teach you how and they're no charge from the Buddhist sites.
source(s):
Search for "audio dharma"

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drmatt | 3 years, 1 month ago
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Although I have practiced/do practice a number of different forms of spirituality... I have found the MOST POWERFUL practice during times of stress is that of "personal responsibility". I make sure my therapy clients do the same. This is also why I think Atheists are the most spiritual people on the planet (I'll explain why later).

Most religions believe that power comes from the outside. When I'm stressed, it would be nice/convenient to ask for divine intervention. But what if it doesn't come? Do I blame god? Even worse, what happens if it DOES come? Do I "blame" god for that? See! No personal responsibility... Similarly, in therapy, if my clients believe that *I* have the answer (or I give them my opinion), I'm screwed either way. If they fail, they blame me. If they succeed... they blame me! I want them to know that THEY have the power.

I want to be the one with the power. So, when I'm stress, I recognize that *I* make myself stressed and I also have the power to become relaxed. I have personal responsibility in ALL areas of my life. How cool is that?

Why are Atheists the most honorable/spiritual people? Because, they believe in ULTIMATE personal responsibility. They answer to NO god, therefore, they do all their good works because THEY want to... not because of some obligation or fear. It's all internally driven. Cool x2

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