Finding peace in community under the pressures of life

Life’s pressures can weigh us down, but they can also provide meaning. This is how we should flip the script and discover peace through growth and community.

It’s a normal occurrence for us to face challenging times in our life. Not all moments are battles, but the challenges that come our way can make it difficult to keep a clear head. More importantly, it can cause the peace in our life to be reduced or disappear altogether.

I’ve often found that peace is something we need to practice, rather than it being some force that we possess. What that looks like can be different for everybody because it has to do with an individual’s faith, daily routine and character.

“For me calling out to God is the first thing I do,” said Natan Artemiev from Campus Adult Ministry (CAM) of UWT. “And the second thing I do once I get that clarity— that peace, is put my head down and get to work.”

Peace doesn’t mean that we won’t have conflict. It means that we are able to make beneficial decisions for our life, to make choices which will bring us upward rather than hold us down.

As a student, one challenge I face is managing my time well between classes, work and building relationships with those who are dear to me. All of these have added pressure to the point where I begin to feel like I’m not in control of my life.

My pursuit to become a better writer sometimes clashes with my ability to care for my family and their own interests. Sometimes scheduling issues come up with my wife’s work, my kids schooling and after school activities. This leaves me to juggle all of these with my own work and classwork.

Flipping the coin, all of these can also add fulfillment, meaning and purpose to my life and in turn bring peace as I grow from these experiences.

“I think if you don’t experience real fear from time to time, your mind just sort of creates fears out of nothing,” said Alex Honnold, American rock climber and author of “Alone on the Wall: Alex Honnold and the Ultimate Limits of Adventure” as a guest on the High Performance podcast. “The more experiences you have with real fear, the less likely you are to make mountains out of mole hills. To worry about the stuff that doesn’t matter.”

Honnold speaks to this as someone who places himself in positions at risk of physical harm. Still, the point stands when we speak of stressful situations. Not all challenges are bad or useless. In fact, we can learn something about ourselves in moments of crisis.

“People are capable of a lot more than what we think we are and if you have to do something, usually you can pull it off,” said Artemiev. “People are more capable than they give themselves credit for.”

According to an annual survey done by the American Psychological Association in 2023, 82 percent of people between the ages of 18 to 34 stress more about health-related issues and money. Mental health was the highest stressor at 72 percent which was the highest of all age groups surveyed.

What surprised me the most about the results of that survey was that 71 percent of people in that age range don’t talk about their stress overall. The results further indicated that this makes it hard to focus, function and a person can feel numb.

Feeling overwhelmed is not fun, but the idea that we can’t overcome something is a silly notion. The struggles in life can get hard, but this does not mean that peace, healing or grace don’t exist.

There are plenty of support groups out there to help students young and old alike through these moments of stress. Artemiev insisted that CAM was one of those groups ready and willing to support in any way they can. CAM meets on Tuesdays in the Snoqualmie building room 270 from 12 p.m. to 1:20 p.m.

My first support group is always my family. But it’s great to know if I ever needed another type of support, I could go to the UWT Smash Club to play video games with fellow classmates and let off some steam. Or maybe give Wordlings a try, where you’ll hear stories UWT students have written and maybe bring one of your own to share.

The impacts of stress can affect our bodies both physically and mentally. Although we can look like we’re fine, sometimes inside we’re really struggling. Speaking about our stress doesn’t mean we are making ourselves the victim, but merely trying to understand something about ourselves.

Managing a challenge is part of being human and seeing what potential we have is the result. Don’t remain silent or on your own. You can find a community that’s right for you on Dubnet.