Stress Management

Not all stress is bad. In fact, stress can be very good. It can help you to rise to the occasion and do some difficult and amazing things. Good stress can help you become a better person and a better missionary. (See Adjusting to Missionary Life [2013],5.)

All missionaries experience regular daily stress from normal and common events, such as a morning routine, planning sessions, and traveling to appointments. This stress is relatively comfortable and well within our capacity to handle.

Another form of stress you will encounter is what can be called “growth stress.” Growth stress is an intentional departure from relatively comfortable stress to moderate and planned challenges. This stress can lead to growth and a higher capacity to handle more stress. Examples of growth stress could be learning a new language, working on improving your teaching skills, getting along with your companion, and so on.

Through periods of growth stress followed by recovery, you can increase your capacity over time. Stress can be helpful as long as you can manage it well and allow yourself to recover properly for the level of stress you are experiencing.

For more information about managing stress, see “Understanding Stress” in Adjusting to Missionary Life (pages 3–10).