Stress-Your Dark Night of the Soul

Yet, stress for many individuals can be overwhelming. What do I mean by stress? I I mean all of the things in life that really make us feel like we're in a pressure cooker. This could be depression, anxiety, overwhelming grief, fear, the loss of a loved one or someone we cherish. Stress can also be from an illness or the stress we feel from taking care of someone who is severely ill.

 Stress can be mild or it can be so overwhelming so overpowering that can make us doubt if we really want to go on with life. This is what author Thomas Moore writes about this when he says, "At one time or another, most people go through a period of sadness, loss, frustration, or failure that is so disturbing and long-lasting that it can be called a Dark Night of the Soul. (from Dark Night’s of the Soul- Thomas Moore).

This is the profound stress I am talking about.

Is this where you are in your life? Has your stress become so pervasive, so debilitating that it's reached a point where you begin to wonder about the very fabric of life? Have you reached your dark night of the soul?

If you've reached this point then I want to give you one thing today, one idea, one image… that might be able to help you make it through this difficulty. What I want to give you what I call the image of the light at the end of the tunnel. Now we've all heard of this idea. But have you really felt it?

I know I have. Let me relate to you a story from my childhood.

When I was about 14, I decided to go spelunking- that's exploring a cave down near Knoxville Tennessee where I grew up. In our neighborhood there was a cave was supposed to take you over a half mile underground from one part of an abandoned area to another.

So me and a couple of my friends gathered up some flashlights and a long ball of string thinking to explore this cave. Now one of the guys had been in the cave before and thought he knew how to get to the other side. At least he said he did. We'd soon find out that he didn't really know the way through but his brother did. Of course his brother wasn't with us.

So about ten in the morning we set off. At first it was fun, walking and crawling up and down in the darkness over the wet rocks. More than once we headed off in a direction and soon found ourselves boxed in with no way to go. And we'd have to retrace our steps.

But after about an hour and a half in the cold darkness of the cave, we all began to start having some doubts as to whether we really knew where we were going. Paul the boy who "knew the way through the cave," had finally confessed that he didn't really know where he was going. And we had long ago run out of string.

So after falling into a three foot deep pool of water and having one of out flashlights go bad. We all started to get a little scared. I at least really began wondering if we were going to make it out of there. At one point the cave narrowed to a shallow point that was only 10-12 inches high. And then I began to get really scared. My mind began imagining wild things- but because we were in a very narrow part of the cave we couldn't really back up so we just kept crawling.

And then the second flashlight went out. And now the fear really began coming up into my throat. it was all I could do to keep from crying. And so now with no where to go but straight ahead we just kept crawling.

And finally a shout came from Paul in front. "I see a light. I see a light." Hearing his elated shout. And I craned my head up, twisting- and suddenly I saw it too. It was a light at the end of the tunnel. The feeling of joy was overwhelming. A light, a light meant that we were going to make it. We were going to overcome what had become a nightmare. t

And I'll never forget crawling out of that cave, into a field of all places, and the smell of the grass, and the beauty of the sunlight. It was overwhelming. And I remember thanking God and feeling so grateful that we have made it to safety. And what this experience at fourteen taught me, I keep to this day. And that is you cannot underestimate the power of being able to hold onto the idea that there can be light at the end of the tunnel- the feeling of a possibility that you can get through.

So if you're suffering from overwhelming stress, debilitating stress- if you reached your dark night of the soul don't become dismayed. There is hope. You can indeed overcome your stress.

Find a doctor. Find a therapist. Find a method that you believe in that will help you reduce or illuminate your stress

As a doctor who's worked with hundreds of people with severe overwhelming psychological issues I know that you can succeed.

Don't give up. Don't let stress be a dark night of the soul that keeps you from having hope. Don't let it ruin your life. Trust and have faith. You can indeed make it. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Remember some key important questions you need to ask yourself. Will you seek? Will you knock? Will you open the door to your own heart? Because if you seek a solution, and if you keep knocking, knocking and struggling, you can find a way out.

If you open the door to your own heart- your dark night can be overcome.

Your stress can be managed, reduced, or even eliminated.

Kirk Laman, D.O. is a practicing cardiologist whose interest is in helping people heal their whole-heart. He is an author, pastor- whose book has "How to Heal Your Broken Heart" has been endorsed by Mehmet Oz, M.D. You can contact him at www.drlaman.com or read his blog posts at: http://drlaman.com/blog/<