Author Topic: Mental/Physical fatigue (Read 1937 times)

Magdalene · « **on:** January 28, 2007, 12:23:23 AM »

Can mental fatigue and physical fatigue in one's life affect one's spirituality - that is, the more one becomes mentally and physically fatigued, the less energy they begin to have to grow in their spiritual life and they start backsliding or are in a spiritual rut? Or is this just an excuse?

Trinity · « **Reply #1 on:** January 28, 2007, 08:33:57 AM »

I hope someone answers that, Magdalene, because I'd like to know the answer myself. I'm thinking, though, that food has a lot to do with it. The more spiritually uplifting food we take in, the more spiritual we become and vice versa. That's why I've decided to beef up my library on the saints. Their spirituality stirs mine, while the cares of this world lulls it to sleep.

Dawn · « **Reply #2 on:** January 29, 2007, 07:39:57 AM »

Noticed that with myself too. I realize that I am guilty of praying constantly when I am especially sick or in some sort of trouble. Then, when the crisis passes so to does my fervor. I also notice of myself that with sooooo much to do with this house of mine, (I nicknamed it the Titanic), six children, two generations of grandmothers I think I am too busy to sit down and pray a decade of the rosary. How dumb is that thinking of mine? So, count me in on someone who needs an answer.

Carolus Magnus · « **Reply #3 on:** January 29, 2007, 04:38:36 PM »

The trick is to make it a habit, something that you do every day, that way it just becomes a part of your routine and you do it automatically.

So for example saying the rosary was previously mentioned, you will find it easy to find the time for saying it if you set a time for example 5pm and then you made all the other people in the house say the rosary with you at this time. Forming a habit of family prayer is paticularly powerful because when you are having a busy day and are tempted to skip saying the rosary that day it is more than likely that one of the children will mention it and this is all you need to motivate you to say it.

You must plan it and make it part of your routine, this is how the religious manage it and they do it this way because it is the best way to do it.

Carolus Magnus · « **Reply #4 on:** January 29, 2007, 04:42:00 PM »

Quote from: Magdalene

Can mental fatigue and physical fatigue in one's life affect one's spirituality - that is, the more one becomes mentally and physically fatigued, the less energy they begin to have to grow in their spiritual life and they start backsliding or are in a spiritual rut? Or is this just an excuse?

This is when you most need to pray, the worst thing you can do when fatigued it to neglect your prayer life. Praying will relax you and help to lift the fatigue you are feeling. Do not rush the prayers you must make the time to take your time if you are to receive the full rewards for your efforts.

In paticular pray to the Holy Spirit for the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope & Charity.

Matthew · « **Reply #5 on:** January 29, 2007, 08:58:49 PM »

Fatigue is only detrimental to your spiritual life if you cause it yourself by excessive fasting, work, etc. If you cause it yourself, you are at fault for your neglect of family duties, spiritual duties, etc. That's why we're supposed to have spiritual directors -- so they can slap us when we suggest fasting on bread & water for a week.

Seriously though, they will tell us that it's probably pride, the devil, etc. tempting us to overdo it.

Time (and energy) must be set aside for prayer -- just like collection money should be set aside first, before you start paying bills. Otherwise the money has a tendency to be gone before you can put something in the collection. Same for personal energy to say prayers.

If you find you're "zonked" by 9 or 10 PM, say the Rosary earlier.

I've experienced this personally, so I've learned how to deal with it. You get to know how much energy you have in a day, and you can plan accordingly.

Matthew

Kephapaulos · « **Reply #6 on:** January 29, 2007, 10:43:58 PM »

I suppose there needs to be some fine tuning in accord with the spiritual and the temporal of our daily lives on this earth. I remember Matthew telling me not too long after I had met him about not just having a balance between extremes but also going over and above that. So I think now of this sort of analogy, if it is alright to use: you have the two extremes of radidity and timidity and in between there is tepidity, but that is still not so great either. What would be best then is placidity in that case.

Trinity · « **Reply #7 on:** January 30, 2007, 10:20:35 AM »

To me placidity is peacefulness, carrying on day to day, neither up nor down. But Jesus has zeal for the House of the Lord, and zeal doesn't speak to me of placidity.

Kephapaulos · « **Reply #8 on:** January 31, 2007, 05:08:27 PM »

Quote from: Trinity

To me placidity is peacefulness, carrying on day to day, neither up nor down. But Jesus has zeal for the House of the Lord, and zeal doesn't speak to me of placidity.

Well, wouldn't you have the heavenly peace of Christ just as well as having His zeal too? I cannot have genuine zeal unless it has the foundation of that peace in the soul which only God Himself can give. Hence, I would need a placidity that comes from our Lord.