Feeling down after church - Is it the adversary?

[Leynadh]

Well the headline pretty much says it all.  Even if i really enjoyed church, when i get home i often get depressed or tempted to do bad stuff. It is pretty obvious it is the adversay, right? Trying to break my spirit! 

What can i do about this? Just the "usual" - pray and read scriptures? 

Does anyone else have this problem? 

[pkstpaul]

It is more likely something physiological. Watch your diet. Eat well before you go, maybe even take a snack (granola bar).Take time to drink lots of water while at church. Plan a decent lunch and go for a walk afterward. 

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I agree with Pkstpaul, it could be physical.

I also wonder, do you live alone? Are you an extrovert that enjoys being with other people then feel let down when you are alone?

Or maybe you are an Introvert who is exhausted by 3 hrs of social time?

I'm just saying there are many possibilities. :)

[Iggy]

Make your home more friendly to the Holy Ghost. Bless your home, or you can have your Bishop(ric) or Home Teachers bless it. 

 

In your car, before you even step foot in your house, pray and ask Father to banish the adversary from you and from your home. Play inspiring music,

 http://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product3_715839595_10557_3074457345616706445_-1__195672  Yes I know that you are in Sweden, but the link is just to show you what I mean. 

 

Lately, because  have had to care for my husband - he is obese and uses a walker to get around and he is suffering from gout in his wrists & ankles - I have not tended to the house. Needs vacuuming badly, laundry is piling up, dirty dishes are everywhere in the kitchen, even stacked on the floor. I don't want to come home after attending church alone. When I do get home, I am too tired and too hungry to even consider fixing a meal.

 

Hubby won't let me get help from the RS - so, I will practice what I have preached - clean the house even though the noise disturbs Hubby. It is still warm and nice outside, he can put on a jacket and two pairs of socks and sit on the porch. I can also ask for help from the RS - someone or two to help with the laundry and vacuuming. I will do the dishes, that is my most embarrassing mess. 

 

BUT the most important part - - prayer to banish the adversary, give us the energy to clean our home, and ask that the Holy Ghost come into our home and stay.  

[pkstpaul]

Hubby won't let me get help from the RS - so, I will practice what I have preached - clean the house even though the noise disturbs Hubby. It is still warm and nice outside, he can put on a jacket and two pairs of socks and sit on the porch. I can also ask for help from the RS - someone or two to help with the laundry and vacuuming. I will do the dishes, that is my most embarrassing mess. 

 

There are sisters who want to help you. Please reach out to the service leader.

 

Great comments on creating a welcoming setting at home.

[Guest MormonGator]

Yikes! My friend I am so sorry for you! After church I feel like I can take on the world, so I apologize. I've never felt the same way you did. 

You are in my prayers. 

Edited October 15, 2015 by MormonGator

[erog84]

I have noticed in myself and others, some peopel get this after experiencing a "high" and coming down from it too quickly.  You are at church, and everything feels great wtih the spirit, but when you get home, you perhaps jump back into worldly things which quickly bring you down.  Are you doing uplifting things when you get home?

[Leynadh]

  Are you doing uplifting things when you get home?

I guess i just do everyday things. About the food theories - then i guess fasting is really bad in this case? If you think hunger triggers it? 

[Leynadh]

I agree with Pkstpaul, it could be physical.

I also wonder, do you live alone? Are you an extrovert that enjoys being with other people then feel let down when you are alone?

Or maybe you are an Introvert who is exhausted by 3 hrs of social time?

I'm just saying there are many possibilities. :)

 

Yes i live alone and i enjoy peace and quiet, but i don't find it exhausting to go to church. I talk to people there. And at work too. But yes i prefer peace and quiet and i have no need to have lots of action and social life on my spare time.. 

[Bee Sweet]

I am usually just the opposite. I feel anxious about getting to Church, but feel uplifted when I get home. I pray this goes away for you, and yes, its probably the adversary, negative thoughts and feelings do not come from Heavenly Father. This too shall pass, hang in there!

[james12]

Well the headline pretty much says it all.  Even if i really enjoyed church, when i get home i often get depressed or tempted to do bad stuff. It is pretty obvious it is the adversay, right? Trying to break my spirit! 

What can i do about this? Just the "usual" - pray and read scriptures? 

Does anyone else have this problem?

When you get home from church what starts running through your mind? What images or dialogue are you focusing on? I do not know what your thoughts are at such a time but I am almost certain that this is where the problem is centered.

 

Our feelings are driven by our thoughts. I would guess that when you get home from church you either start reviewing in your mind situations that happened and how they make your life difficult or you start projecting into the future about things you do not have. If you are like others, over and over again the thoughts run through your mind. There are people that constantly live in such a terrible state. They listen to that non-stop voice inside their head that tells them what they are doing wrong, or tells them what they need to do different, or tells them about what they do not have.

So what to do? The first thing is to recognize who you are, “There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it.” (Michael Singer, The Untethered Soul). I wish I could shout this from the roof tops and have people actually believe me. You are not your thoughts. All that garbage running through your head is not you. Nor does it need to drive you all the time. Our mind is a tool, it can be used to uncover truth and make important decisions, but it is a terrible task master. 

 

Now don't start working on having a "positive mental attitude". This isn't the solution, it is the mind trying to control the mind and will not work long term. Instead spend some time and recognize that you are not your thoughts. Can you see that they are not you? Can you see that you are separate from them? If so, you have already made the first step. Any time you start to hear this negative dialogue take a step back and recognize it for what it is. By doing so you will create space which is what you need.

 

These very truths are taught by the Savior himself, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his plendor was dressed like one of these. ...O you of little faith? ...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (see Matt 6:27-34).

[pkstpaul]

I guess i just do everyday things. About the food theories - then i guess fasting is really bad in this case? If you think hunger triggers it? 

No, fasting has a benefical purpose. But you plan a fast and shouldn't be doing it more than once a month, unless you have a purpose. I'm stating that poor nutrition can lead to feeling bad. Being at church for three hours can be draining. I've had days where I am at church six hours (due to meetings and duties). I was/am suggesting it as a possible cause that can easily be valdiated. I look at what can be checked off quickly. You already know the standard answers of pray, obey commandments, find the Spirit, etc.

[Guest]

You may be experiencing one of a couple different phenomena.

 

1) There may often be some trigger that is occurring between the end of church and when you enter your home.  This trigger is doing something to you emotionally.  You may want to take a closer look at the minutiae as you're ending church, driving home, or entering your house.  Some little thing is setting things off in your mind/heart/soul.

 

2) You may simply be an introvert. DEFINTION REQUIRED:

         An extrovert is one who is energized by being in a large group.

         An introvert is one who is enervated by being in a large group.

 

Notice that these definitions have nothing to do with whether you like it or not.  It is just about the energy level -- which may then have a secondary effect on whether you like it or not, or how you fare in large group settings.

 

If you're an introvert, go ahead and take a bit of a nap after you get home.  I hope this helps.

[Leynadh]

Thanks for your replies. I am probably more of an introvert. We'll see how it feels tomorrow after church.

[Leynadh]

Today felt really good! No bad feelings afterward! I kept feeling the spirit. One of the high priets drove me home. He is also my home teacher and now he is moving to Stockholm to become temple president there! He and his wife stayed with me and talked for a long time. That probably helped too. 

[Sunday21]

I had this problem. I hung a lot of religious pictures in my home, temple, Savior etc. This really helped.