A Challenge to Women

About a month ago, President Russell M. Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke in the semi-annual general conference of the church. 

I, like every other member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tuned into the broadcast in my pjs, wrapped in a blanket, notebook in hand, ready to see what he was going to say next. As some might say, the man is on fire. 

The conference itself was beautiful. The music, the spoken words, the spirit that was felt. 

I was super grateful for the insights I gained and answers to my questions were given in ways I didn't think about before. 

I had plans to go to the church to watch the Women's session... but decided to curl up on the couch next to my fiance' Bryant, eat some yummy food, and listen to the words of the apostles in the comfort of my own apartment. 

At the end of the conference, President Nelson invited sisters to do four important things: 

1. Participate in a 10-day social media fast and pay attention to the specific feelings and insights we gained from this experience. 

2. Read the Book of Mormon between now and the end of the year, and pay attention to and mark the verses that stand out and talk about the Savior. 

3. Establish a pattern of regular temple attendance, and seek to know more, understand more and feel more about temples than ever before. 

4. Participate fully in Relief Society and study the Relief Society purpose. 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/sisters-participation-in-the-gathering-of-israel?lang=eng

Almost right away as President Nelson was speaking about the social media fast, Bryant clicked on his phone, went into his social media apps and deleted the apps off of his phone right away. He turned to me and asked if I was going to do the same thing. 

I had an inkling that I would, but was still hesitant. I had excuses such as my work with the Statesman needed attention and I needed to use social media, that our wedding photographer and I only talk on Insta messaging, what if I miss the cute baby pictures of all my friends or miss another person I know making awesome milestones in their lives. I just kept thinking of all I would miss. 

Until... I was aimlessly scrolling through Instagram, and literally like a domino effect soon after the conference, every single friend of mine that knew anything about the challenge or had watched President Nelson's talk said they were taking a break from social media because they were choosing to listen to a prophet's voice. 

That led me to think, what the heck am I doing? Why am I not willing to drop everything and follow President Nelson's council? Isn't his voice just as important as the Lord's himself? 

The day after the conference, my friends Shelby, Alexa and I were talking about the council we were given, and I was interested to hear of their responses. 

As we talked, I had several thoughts that were similar to Alexa and Shelby. Right then and there, I decided there were no more excuses. I listened to President Nelson's talk again right at that moment, trying to pick up on the main reasons I was participating in the fast, and why it was going to be good for me. 

At first it was a little hard. I fought temptations of getting back on and ditching the whole fast altogether. It was hard to find other things to occupy my time, because I was always using social media as my distraction. I had plenty of other things I could have been doing, and had a really hard time staying away from those distractions. 

Within the next couple days, I was listening to conference talks at work, seeking to get something out of the talks that I may not have thought about previously. I started noticing how I was feeling and how eliminating social media made me feel personally. 

It honestly got a whole lot easier as the days went on, and by day 10 of the fast, I really wasn't missing social media all that much. 

I noticed as I was sitting on the Aggie Shuttle one day that literally almost everyone around me was on their phones. It's kind of like a mind-less addiction that takes over our lives really without thinking much about it. I sat in silence on the shuttle, my phone tucked away in my pocket enjoying the moment without my phone to distract me. I felt at peace. 

I kind of thought... what if everyone just took their eyes away from their screens just a little bit more, and spent more time devoted to things that really matter most? 

What would the world look like then? 
What would our attitudes be towards each other, our families and our goals for now and in the future? 

For me personally, I've been able to devote more time to my studies and the learning process. I am constantly fascinated time and time again by the amazing subjects I get to study, and the remarkable professors and faculty that I am able to learn from. 

I've been able to remain more present and in the moment as I go throughout my day to day life. Work is more fulfilling as I am able to make conversation with my co-workers and have pleasant conversations and moments full of laughter, instead of trying to drown out the silences with music blasting through headphones. School is less of a drag and more of an exciting, worthwhile experience. 

I'm hoping that as a result of this fast, I will be able to come to myself and more fully embrace my face to face interactions and friendships with those around me. I hope to be able to spend more time in nature, and to become more appreciative of the world I get to live in and those that I get to live it with. 

I'm super grateful for President Nelson's challenge, and for his wise words of council to the women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding this prophetic council. It has forever blessed my life and has helped me become a better person. 

Now my only question is... how will you apply President Nelson's council in your life? Will YOU take his challenge? 

Just Slow Down

This is post #2 for my Nutrition class and my second time listening to the Body Love podcast with Jessi Haggerty.  

  

For this assignment I chose to listen to Episode 045 with guest Dr. Laura Douglass https://www.jessihaggerty.com/blog/blp46  

  

This episode was particularly interesting, and talked a lot about presence in the body, and taking time to really understand the meaning behind the body and what it is trying to tell you as a human being.  

  

I was particularly drawn to this episode because of some of the experiences I have personally had with my own body that have given me an additional perspective into this subject.  

  

As a writer for The Utah Statesman, my team and I had an opportunity to visit the energy healer Spencer Watson at the Millennial Wellness studio a year ago this month. A link to my experiences is shared here. http://usustatesman.com/body-talk-body-experience/ 

  

Dr. Laura Douglass talks about how she works professionally with students and veterans in a positive learning environment, and how important it is to slow down and listen to the body in the moment with them.  

She talks about how all learning happens in the body, and the neuro-chemicals and feelings that occur in the brain. She talks about the neuro-connections that are made in the learning process, and how the body's functional movements and connections to things in the world. She mentions that experiences happen in the body first. She said that it is super important to take a step back and learn how to care for ourselves and what our bodies need in the ever-increasingly busy world we live in, and finding things to help individuals do that.  

Douglass expresses that a lot of the mindfulness we should be seeking can be found by first finding ways to trust in our bodies. This often leads to an existential way of thinking, in connection with religion or even yoga. I connected well to the connection of religion, because I am a religious person. She talks about how she has had to tell a lot of people that "they are just fine just the way they are."  

Being happy with our bodies starts with being happy and finding a way to be content where we are right now, knowing that this life is extremely fragile and won't be where we will stay forever. 

I loved that Douglass expressed that mindfulness is an entrance to the soul, and that we are our bodies. I kind of took this podcast as a hint to find more mindfulness within my own life and learn how to be more present in the moment.  

As a child that comes from a busy family, I know what it's like to be out of touch with my body, because I am someone who is constantly running. Because of this podcast, I want to find ways to personally learn how to be more mindful, and how to find peace within my own body and be more centered.