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Feeling impressed to speak on anxiety and living in stressful times, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, told BYU-Hawaii students that the most reliable prevention of anxiety in eternal terms is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaking during a devotional on June 11, President Oaks was joined by his wife, Sister Kristen Oaks, and Elder Kim B. Clark, General Authority Seventy and commissioner of Church Education, and his wife, Sister Susan Clark.
In the last eight years, there has been a nationwide increase in the number of college students seeking mental health services, with anxiety as a great concern. The same increases have been seen in the Church Education System, President Oaks said, with a growth of 70 percent in the last eight years.
“Last year, about 10,000 of the students attending BYU-Hawaii, Provo and Idaho sought mental health services,” he said. The most frequent concerns were anxiety, depression and relationship problems.
While there is no consensus as to what has caused this increased need for counseling, one suggested cause is an increased use of technology. Technology — specifically social media use — allows viewers to compare their lives to the highs of their peers.
“Such comparisons are contrary to the scripture teaching that we are not required to run faster than we have strength,” President Oaks said. “Our loving Savior will judge us individually, not according to the performance of our peers.”
To read the full article on the Church News, CLICK HERE.
