Seeking Relief from Lenten Discpiline and/or Daily Pressure?
One of the mistakes we make with our Lenten discipline is to chuck it all when Easter rolls around. So let's say we observed some form of fasting that included abstaining or cutting down on alcohol. Easter comes and we eat and drink to excess.
Now that we're in the middle of Lent, let's be conscious of this immature tendency and avoid it when Lent ends. You don't have to keep your fast, or never have a drink. Just exercise moderation, which is what we should be doing all along. You don't need to "reward" yourself for keeping that fast or that abstention. You don't need "relief" from your Lenten discipline when Lent ends. Really.
Which bring us to the whole subject of relief from daily stress. The same principle applies. Indulging yourself - as in over-eating or getting drunk (or worse), betrays an immaturity both in the natural and the supernatural order. As we grow from childhood to adulthood, we should be exercising a greater degree of self-control. But one of the threats to developing self-control may be pressure from our work and personal our lives.
Some of us have super-high-pressure jobs. We're on our toes from daybreak to dusk. Our work's all over us, from head to toe, inside our brains 24/7. In it's worst manifestation, work becomes a relentless driver and you're the unfortunate mule being goaded day after day to produce, produce, PRODUCE! Whether it's the nature of your work, or just a boss who's a - well, we'll skip the descriptive I was going to use and just say "unbearable," or some genteel equivalent.
But pressure doesn't always come from the workplace itself. For some of us, the source may be our personal circumstances. For many of us this takes the form of financial pressure. Either we're not making enough money to support our families, or we're working ungodly hours to do so. And while a shaky economy can be the source of financial pressure, sometimes the source is us: We (or maybe our spouses) want more than we can afford and essentially put pressure on ourselves.
While some people seem to thrive on pressure, I've seen studies that show how prolonged exposure to high stress - day after day, year after year - can result in varying degrees of mental, emotional, and physical disability. If you find yourself in such a position, it behooves you to do something about it.
The easiest and simplest solution applies to the case where you yourself create the pressure because you simply want more than you can afford. Just stop spending and/or desiring what you can't afford. This can be easier to say than do for some of us, but, really, you just need to "man up" and deal with it. If you really want more and better stuff (and you should ask yourself why you do), then make more money. Either that or live within your means. You can do this.
The case where the workplace creates the pressure isn't so easy to address. We could, of course, say you should find another job, but unless you've got something you can line up right away or you've got some source of income independent of your work to sustain you while you're looking for work, you may have to just keep your current job - at least for now. But, of course, that won't do much to alleviate the daily pressure. So what to do?
We'll talk more about this next time. Meanwhile, keep up your Lenten discipline. Yes, I know you're busy. So am I. That's why I'm not always spot on with my spiritual discipline, whether or not it's Lent. But that's because we're imperfect, or as the Church teaches "fallen" creatures. We're the sons and daughters of our first parents, Adam and Eve, who turned their backs on God and indulged in a temptation put before them by Satan, resulting in Original Sin, a decision so awful, so monumental, that all of their progeny - and that includes us - were born with this Original Sin. While baptism cleansed us from Original Sin, we're still left with that "fallen" nature and the weakness and tendency to sin that accompanies it. But that' doesn't mean we don't keep applying ourselves, despite our occasional - or more-than-occasional - failure to do what we ought to strengthen our spiritual lives, and grow closer to Our Lord.
Hope this helps you stay on the straight and narrow as we work our way through Lent. We'll continue next time with more about dealing with daily pressure whether or not it's Lent.
Now that we're in the middle of Lent, let's be conscious of this immature tendency and avoid it when Lent ends. You don't have to keep your fast, or never have a drink. Just exercise moderation, which is what we should be doing all along. You don't need to "reward" yourself for keeping that fast or that abstention. You don't need "relief" from your Lenten discipline when Lent ends. Really.
Which bring us to the whole subject of relief from daily stress. The same principle applies. Indulging yourself - as in over-eating or getting drunk (or worse), betrays an immaturity both in the natural and the supernatural order. As we grow from childhood to adulthood, we should be exercising a greater degree of self-control. But one of the threats to developing self-control may be pressure from our work and personal our lives.
Some of us have super-high-pressure jobs. We're on our toes from daybreak to dusk. Our work's all over us, from head to toe, inside our brains 24/7. In it's worst manifestation, work becomes a relentless driver and you're the unfortunate mule being goaded day after day to produce, produce, PRODUCE! Whether it's the nature of your work, or just a boss who's a - well, we'll skip the descriptive I was going to use and just say "unbearable," or some genteel equivalent.
But pressure doesn't always come from the workplace itself. For some of us, the source may be our personal circumstances. For many of us this takes the form of financial pressure. Either we're not making enough money to support our families, or we're working ungodly hours to do so. And while a shaky economy can be the source of financial pressure, sometimes the source is us: We (or maybe our spouses) want more than we can afford and essentially put pressure on ourselves.
While some people seem to thrive on pressure, I've seen studies that show how prolonged exposure to high stress - day after day, year after year - can result in varying degrees of mental, emotional, and physical disability. If you find yourself in such a position, it behooves you to do something about it.
The easiest and simplest solution applies to the case where you yourself create the pressure because you simply want more than you can afford. Just stop spending and/or desiring what you can't afford. This can be easier to say than do for some of us, but, really, you just need to "man up" and deal with it. If you really want more and better stuff (and you should ask yourself why you do), then make more money. Either that or live within your means. You can do this.
The case where the workplace creates the pressure isn't so easy to address. We could, of course, say you should find another job, but unless you've got something you can line up right away or you've got some source of income independent of your work to sustain you while you're looking for work, you may have to just keep your current job - at least for now. But, of course, that won't do much to alleviate the daily pressure. So what to do?
We'll talk more about this next time. Meanwhile, keep up your Lenten discipline. Yes, I know you're busy. So am I. That's why I'm not always spot on with my spiritual discipline, whether or not it's Lent. But that's because we're imperfect, or as the Church teaches "fallen" creatures. We're the sons and daughters of our first parents, Adam and Eve, who turned their backs on God and indulged in a temptation put before them by Satan, resulting in Original Sin, a decision so awful, so monumental, that all of their progeny - and that includes us - were born with this Original Sin. While baptism cleansed us from Original Sin, we're still left with that "fallen" nature and the weakness and tendency to sin that accompanies it. But that' doesn't mean we don't keep applying ourselves, despite our occasional - or more-than-occasional - failure to do what we ought to strengthen our spiritual lives, and grow closer to Our Lord.
Hope this helps you stay on the straight and narrow as we work our way through Lent. We'll continue next time with more about dealing with daily pressure whether or not it's Lent.
We adore Thee O Christ and we bless thee,
because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world.
Comments