Renewed

Life is hard.  While I feel that this phrase can be applied to just about anyone regardless of age or circumstances, it rings particularly true for me right now.  Some days I'm working to increase my light, while others I'm simply fighting to keep the darkness back.  Throughout the course of my life I've discovered some useful tactics that are good to keep in mind when life is more positive and absolutely essential when life is more of a struggle.

Take out the trash.
Just like a house that is full of refuse is difficult to live in, going through life with mental garbage will make an already challenging life even harder.  How you get rid of your mental waste will probably differ, but for me, I need a good run.  There's a road near the house that is a complete loop which, when including the short distance from the house, is 3.7 miles (according to Google maps).  I've been running this loop two or three times a week for the last two weeks.  I've improved my time gradually (39 minutes to begin with and down to 32.5 minutes Saturday), but what's most important about these runs is that my it clears my head.  It's amazing how moderate physical activity can have such a profound impact on your mental and emotional well-being.

Refill your lamp.
As important as my trips around the neighborhood are, reading the scriptures is more important.  Some days I only need to read my three chapters and I'm okay, but other days I need extra help.  On days like this, I'll open a church manual or read part of an Ensign article.  The point is that the Savior commanded us to "Let your light so shine ...", but how can we if we have no oil in our metaphorical lamps?  That's why it's always nice to have General Conference roll around to help uplift us.  I especially enjoyed all of the talks that focused on the life of Christ and how we need to increase faith in him.  It was also nice to see more than a few talks that were directed at the youth and primary-aged children.  And did you notice the emphasis on missionary work?  All of it was helpful to me in helping to increase my light.

As mentioned at the beginning, using these tactics won't make life easier, but they will make living through the trials possible and help you feel renewed.