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Be Still
Do you fear you're never good enough? Many of us feel worthless, useless, or frustrated with ourselves, even when we're doing everything we're supposed to do. Yet the source of the trouble is not our outward behavior but our inward thoughts. With clear and encouraging insight, this book shows how we can calm much of our anxiety by changing our troubled thought patterns with a process based on gospel principles. The framework is simple yet powerful: when we turn our thoughts to the Savior, we are able to modify our distorted thinking and access real truth, where there is no worry or fear - only peace through the grace of Him who can save us all.
84 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 14, 2019
I am so excited to have found this book. I am a list maker and tend to connect thoughts in my head negatively. I will study and read and listen to this book many times over.
May 17, 2020
Great principles and examples in this little book.
May 2, 2023
Quotes:
I know the Savior is the only one who can offer the peace we all seek. … He is the Prince of Peace. He is not just the Prince of Peace for the calamities of earth but also for the calamities of every troubled heart.
When we feel overwhelmed by our weaknesses and shortcomings, the sacrament can give us comfort and courage. It is designed to be a purifying ordinance that allows us to begin anew on a consistent basis.
When we start doing the things on our church list instead of living the gospel, it becomes disconnected from following the Savior, and it becomes very, very stressful. Suddenly, church feels like a routine, it feels like we are not growing or progressing, and we worry a lot.
We need to be as Christlike as we can, but remember that others have their agency, and they may not be kind to us. If someone is not kind to us, that does not automatically mean that we are the problem. … If someone does not like you, you can control how kind, polite, and respectful you are. You can control the amount of time you think about it, and you can control your ability to forgive.
It is important to remember that one event in life does not govern how the rest of the events will turn out. If we can slow down and realize that the current situation is just one situation, we will be more likely to move through a negative event with confidence. Sometimes our perceived negative events turn out to be our moments of greatest growth.
“My desire today is for all of us, not just those who are ‘poor in spirit’ but all of us—to have more straightforward personal experience with the Savior’s example. Sometimes we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important but not as important as personal experience, true discipleship, and the strength that comes from experiencing firsthand the majesty of His touch.” - Jeffrey R. Holland
Our job is to be the best instrument we can be so we are ready when the Lord needs us in whatever capacity that might be. … The Lord will use us all if we allow Him to do so. The feeling of knowing that we are on the Lord’s errand is truly wonderful. And when we strive to be an instrument to do whatever He wants us to do, we will have great joy and peace.
I absolutely know that individuals who feel they are worth nothing will experience an increase of stress. … We can know we are important to Him, not by what our calling is or how many degrees we have or any other external marker but by how much He paid for us.
If we have fear because we don’t know the future, that fear can be replaced with the knowledge that the Lord does know everything. We don’t have to know everything, because the Lord does. The Lord will often tell us the next step, and it is important to trust His instructions because we must always remember He also knows the last step. … It seems that an underlying principle of mortality is that we are not going to understand everything. Much like a young child learns to rely on his parents for information and comfort, we must rely on the Lord for guidance. The process of not knowing what comes next and learning to understand His will brings growth in our lives. … We do not need to know everything about the future to feel calm. We simply need to have confidence that the Lord does know everything and that as we seek His will we will be guided in the next step. One step is enough to move us forward.
“The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.” - Joseph B. Wirthlin
If you focus your energy on the negative aspects of life, you will end up with a negative experience. If you focus on the positives and the blessings, you will need up with a positive experience. Make the choice to focus on where you really want to go and laugh at stressful situations.
If someone does something you interpret as them being upset with you, here are a few things to remember: One, you can’t control what other people do, and two, you’re probably not even correct in your interpretation. They might be saying or doing something that has nothing to do with your perception.
Hymn “Be Still My Soul” - That hymn take on more meaning when I realize how constant Christ truly is.
Thoughts lead to feelings. Distorted thoughts lead to anxiety. Thoughts of the Atonement and Christ’s gospel lead to peace.
I bear testimony that we have weaknesses so that the works of God can be made manifest in the Savior. Through these weaknesses, we are drawn to Him. I thank the Lord for a heart that can sometimes turn to anxiety, because through sacred and personal experiences, I have found His healing power in ways i never would have otherwise. I know as we turn to Him, we can find peace.
Resolve in your mind that the Savior and His gospel are the answer. He is the answer. Drawing closer to the Lord is the most peaceful pursuit we can undertake. He is the answer to learning how to be still.
I know the Savior is the only one who can offer the peace we all seek. … He is the Prince of Peace. He is not just the Prince of Peace for the calamities of earth but also for the calamities of every troubled heart.
When we feel overwhelmed by our weaknesses and shortcomings, the sacrament can give us comfort and courage. It is designed to be a purifying ordinance that allows us to begin anew on a consistent basis.
When we start doing the things on our church list instead of living the gospel, it becomes disconnected from following the Savior, and it becomes very, very stressful. Suddenly, church feels like a routine, it feels like we are not growing or progressing, and we worry a lot.
We need to be as Christlike as we can, but remember that others have their agency, and they may not be kind to us. If someone is not kind to us, that does not automatically mean that we are the problem. … If someone does not like you, you can control how kind, polite, and respectful you are. You can control the amount of time you think about it, and you can control your ability to forgive.
It is important to remember that one event in life does not govern how the rest of the events will turn out. If we can slow down and realize that the current situation is just one situation, we will be more likely to move through a negative event with confidence. Sometimes our perceived negative events turn out to be our moments of greatest growth.
“My desire today is for all of us, not just those who are ‘poor in spirit’ but all of us—to have more straightforward personal experience with the Savior’s example. Sometimes we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important but not as important as personal experience, true discipleship, and the strength that comes from experiencing firsthand the majesty of His touch.” - Jeffrey R. Holland
Our job is to be the best instrument we can be so we are ready when the Lord needs us in whatever capacity that might be. … The Lord will use us all if we allow Him to do so. The feeling of knowing that we are on the Lord’s errand is truly wonderful. And when we strive to be an instrument to do whatever He wants us to do, we will have great joy and peace.
I absolutely know that individuals who feel they are worth nothing will experience an increase of stress. … We can know we are important to Him, not by what our calling is or how many degrees we have or any other external marker but by how much He paid for us.
If we have fear because we don’t know the future, that fear can be replaced with the knowledge that the Lord does know everything. We don’t have to know everything, because the Lord does. The Lord will often tell us the next step, and it is important to trust His instructions because we must always remember He also knows the last step. … It seems that an underlying principle of mortality is that we are not going to understand everything. Much like a young child learns to rely on his parents for information and comfort, we must rely on the Lord for guidance. The process of not knowing what comes next and learning to understand His will brings growth in our lives. … We do not need to know everything about the future to feel calm. We simply need to have confidence that the Lord does know everything and that as we seek His will we will be guided in the next step. One step is enough to move us forward.
“The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.” - Joseph B. Wirthlin
If you focus your energy on the negative aspects of life, you will end up with a negative experience. If you focus on the positives and the blessings, you will need up with a positive experience. Make the choice to focus on where you really want to go and laugh at stressful situations.
If someone does something you interpret as them being upset with you, here are a few things to remember: One, you can’t control what other people do, and two, you’re probably not even correct in your interpretation. They might be saying or doing something that has nothing to do with your perception.
Hymn “Be Still My Soul” - That hymn take on more meaning when I realize how constant Christ truly is.
Thoughts lead to feelings. Distorted thoughts lead to anxiety. Thoughts of the Atonement and Christ’s gospel lead to peace.
I bear testimony that we have weaknesses so that the works of God can be made manifest in the Savior. Through these weaknesses, we are drawn to Him. I thank the Lord for a heart that can sometimes turn to anxiety, because through sacred and personal experiences, I have found His healing power in ways i never would have otherwise. I know as we turn to Him, we can find peace.
Resolve in your mind that the Savior and His gospel are the answer. He is the answer. Drawing closer to the Lord is the most peaceful pursuit we can undertake. He is the answer to learning how to be still.
December 1, 2016
What an amazing book! It's packed with doctrine designed to battle anxiety and negative thinking. What person hasn't dealt with that at some point in their lives?
I took tons of notes while listening to this, but here are a few highlights so I don't spoil the whole thing:
1. If the worth of an object depends on how much someone is willing to pay, think about what the Savior was willing to pay for you. Don't base your self-worth on external sources.
2. When you meet someone, assume they're going through something hard, and you'll probably be right.
3. Every stage of life is beautiful in its own way. I'm paraphrasing here, but he talked about how we need to remind ourselves that one day, we'll miss something about today. So we need to enjoy that now and be grateful for what we have, instead of constantly looking to our next stage of life saying "I'll be happy when ____." This is something I really needed to hear!
I took tons of notes while listening to this, but here are a few highlights so I don't spoil the whole thing:
1. If the worth of an object depends on how much someone is willing to pay, think about what the Savior was willing to pay for you. Don't base your self-worth on external sources.
2. When you meet someone, assume they're going through something hard, and you'll probably be right.
3. Every stage of life is beautiful in its own way. I'm paraphrasing here, but he talked about how we need to remind ourselves that one day, we'll miss something about today. So we need to enjoy that now and be grateful for what we have, instead of constantly looking to our next stage of life saying "I'll be happy when ____." This is something I really needed to hear!
September 8, 2025
By coincidence, I started this book the day before a new school year, which is always a time of high anxiety. This has some really great suggestions about replacing distorted thoughts with more helpful thoughts. The thing that would have made this better (and maybe it is in the print version but not the audio) would be a page at the end that had all of the thought replacers to use as a reference guide.
September 3, 2017
Oh man. What can I say about this book? It has changed my life. I know that seems kind of crazy, but it's true. This book is focused on how we can use the gospel of Jesus Christ to lessen anxiety that we feel. It points out distorted thoughts that I have and helped me to understand what I can do when I have those distorted thoughts. I would definitely recommend this to pretty much everyone!
May 14, 2017
Excellent book on dealing with anxiety. Clearly for an LDS audience, but the principles are applicable to anyone battling anxiety issues. Short book - quick read and one I will be rereading and referring back to again and again. Good stuff. Recommended.
March 11, 2021
Amazing, healing, glorious and practical.
I have been working on one of his suggestions per week for about a month, I am a much calmer person and easier to be around.
Well worth the time and effort.
I have been working on one of his suggestions per week for about a month, I am a much calmer person and easier to be around.
Well worth the time and effort.
July 31, 2017
Loved it picked it up for a Sunday read but loved the ideas
May 21, 2018
Wow. Fantastic. I had so many faulty thoughts and he showed how to correct them. Great stuff!
June 14, 2019
I need to read this book at least once a year.
November 8, 2019
Really liked the reframes in this book. I felt like it did a great job describing how anxiety can manifest itself in religious (specifically LDS) matters!
January 2, 2023
This is not for me. Though it has some great quotes, the in between felt patronizing and was unhelpful. It also felt targeted at women and mansplainy. It's difficult to determine who this is written for as the points are really obvious for someone who is emotionally aware, yet it's not written in a sufficiently straight-forward style for the young or oblivious.
February 12, 2013
This is a great, down-to-earth book with very useful suggestions on how to correct some of our incorrect thought processes. Yes, it's intended to reduce anxiety, but I think anyone could benefit from his suggestions. Who wouldn't like to lessen the stress in their lives....? These suggestions and gospel principals are tried and true and presented in an easy to read, useful format.
November 21, 2013
I loved this little book and will most likely read snippets from it again and again. Nothing in it is earth-shattering or new; it's just full of common, basic gospel wisdom and truth. It's very down-to-earth, yet full of some great, profound thoughts, and I appreciated it (and needed it) at the time. Like I said, I'm sure I'll go back to this book from time to time.
January 4, 2016
Excellent book that identifies thoughts and then patterns of behavior that lead to stres, unhappiness, and unproductive anxiety. The author gives concrete ways to challenge those thoughts. Each principle is illustrated with scriptural passages and discussion. I have quite a few people in mind to read and benefit from this book.
March 25, 2013
I have heard him speak at BYU Education Week and picked up the book on CD to listen to. Many of his points are worth thinking about, and it was good to review the information from the classes I heard a few years ago.
October 28, 2016
Wow, it took me longer than it should have to read this book. I ate it up these last couple of weeks. I give this book HUGE 5 golden stars. It is absolutely perfect for someone who deals with anxiety everyday in different ways. I'll be doing a full review soon!
March 10, 2013
thoughts lead to feelings, and anxious, distorted thoughts lead to anxious feelings.
June 24, 2014
I really enjoyed it!
August 21, 2016
Excellent short book that really brings to light ways to manage anxiety from a spiritual perspective. It's not unrealistic or overwhelming, so I found it very beneficial.
May 29, 2013
Fantastic read!
August 1, 2013
This book was short but contained a lot of good thoughts and counsel.
September 16, 2013
Such good advice and incites to anxiety, its causes, and how to overcome it.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews