Show Dont Don't Wither in Despair Lose Yourself in Action I I Tension is perfectly normal If you didn't have it you would vegetate But that isn't living Jiving The important thing the Catholic Catho- Catho lic Digest emphasizes is to use your tensions constructively and make them work for you Tension is also universal The Bomb may have increased our tensions collectively but individually individually indi- indi we still worry about much the came things When money runs out when time runs out when hope runs out the thc result is tension You want to do some one thing but circumstances stop you You become become be- be come frustrated Your inner conflict con con- filet is in direct proportion to how much you want something that seems unattainable or how much you fear losing something that seems likely to be taken from you But the thc very tension of that conflict can become the cure for it prods both mind and muscle It arouses a need to do to resolve This kind of tension works to I your advantage But you must I first pin down the source confronting con con- con I fronting your conflicts directly to understand them to know what caused them You must face up to the unpleasantness of I your own deepest feelings Unless Un Un-I less you do you are likely to avoid making a decision You allow allow al- al low the problem to get the better bet bet- ter of you and then retreat into panic instead of taking action When you have nailed down whatever it is that is causing your yourI I tension one of two things will happen 1 You w will ll feel suddenly suddenly sud- sud denly more at peace with yourself yourself your your- self and be able to contrive ways to cope with your problem 2 Your heart will beat faster your head w will ll seem to swim you will feel unable to face up to your problem Even if that happens you have still done something positive you have located the source of your disturbance Tension is what makes you have to do something make a decision act mentallY or r cally |