# Healing and Wellbeing > Spirituality, Religion and Faith >  >  Poll: Does Spirituality or Religion Help You Deal With Stress?

## Nammio

Many people find immense comfort in prayer, meditation, belief in God, and other spiritual forms of stress relief. However, many others feel abandoned by God or put spirituality on the back burner in times of great stress. Others have no beliefs or opinions in this regard at all. Where do you stand with spirituality and stress relief?

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## life

as an atheist, i have never found comfort in spirituality or religion, i have to admit occasionally i wish there was something more to this existence, but there isnt, so i have to deal with it  ::(:

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## Chantellabella

Knowing I have God there no matter what happens is a comfort to me. I believe in God and not a specific religion, but I do see it's values for fellowship and learning. But having a being who accepts me, loves me, comforts me and protects me, helps me get through some days.

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## L

Not religion for me personally but I do like meditation a lot.

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## Misssy

Unfortunately the most trying experiences in life have pointed me to understand that we are animals nothing more. That negligence, selfishness, and apatheticness account for a lot of human behavior. For some reason at this moment all I want is candy. That is sort of unusual for me to want candy like this. Anyways back to the topic, life feels really brutal to me. Even tangible things in the real world such as therapists are often just there to make money. As far as that which is in the heavens, I think about how much violence is justified under the guise of religion/spirituality. I don't feel god in my life, and I also don't think that it should be hard to experience god. God shouldn't be elusive and ethereal and ephemeral, and reside in somebodies words. Frequently that is what religion/god is.....it's people talking. In a church, in a mosque, on a street corner, where ever it is...it's human thoughts. I imagine that if there is a god it has very little to do with the stream of consciousness of any person.

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## Benzo freak

Yes, it helps me cope. Gives me hope.

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## Otherside

I used to believe in God. When I got ill sometime last year, I begged for him to take it away, and tried to find a reason why. I couldn't find one. I was once told this was a punishment from God for some great sin I committed. But I struggle to work out why my asshole of an uncle can run off to the other end of the country with some Australian bimbo, and get away with a whole load of [BEEP] (And trust me...there is a whole load of [BEEP] that I can't go into) without anything like this, and then there's me. Heck, I don't even download pirated music. And I have a mental illness. So I couldn't work out why, decided it was an unfair test, and if he did exist, basically said "Well, [BEEP] you. And thanks for giving me this crap." I used to hear god talking to me in my head. It was comforting when I spoke to him.

So I decided that since I was in my mind, already in hell (I apologize if I sound like a whiner, but heck, this is AnxS...and I am aware that we are all in some sort of hell here and I'm not trying to make this into a "who has it worse contest", and well, I respect a lot of you guys on here that I'm not going to do that, and I don't think that "I have it worse" or anything...And heck, I'm babbling on.), I didn't really give a [BEEP] about the god who said that if I didn't believe or do this that and this, I would go to hell. And besides, I didn't want to respect or worship someone out of fear of ending up in hell. Which believe it or not, is one argument I've been given by a christian. Believe "Just in case". Which I'm not prepared to do. I'm also not really buying the whole creationist thing...they say that the eye is to complex to have evolved, but life has been here a long time on this planet, and the theory of evolution works in action, and has been proven. Perphaps it no longer happens so much in the human race, but it has, and it has been there. We can watch fruitflys in a jar and watch generations and generations of them as they evolved. It makes sense. The weak were eaten. The fittest went onto survive. Those people that could see the furthest and the clearest and notice the approaching bear that wanted supper, had more time to get away or prepare to fight than those who couldn't. They survieved and went onto have kids. Who had the same eyesight. And so on, so on, so on. Mutations in a species that become the norm. Mutations that have the potential to make a new species.

Which is beyond the point of the question. Lately, I've been looking into buddhism. Meditation has been suggested to me by therapy, and a lot of self-help websites will advise it. I've tried. Unfortunatly, I have a problem doing to audio ones without sniggering when it says "Imagine you are lying on a ground and a golden light is covering you" or something.

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## WintersTale

Not really, but it does help, knowing I'm not alone.

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## Ironman

Yes, a bit.  Knowing that I am only given what I can handle helps out a lot!

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## LuniaNorisi

Yes <3 I am very spiritual. I love the Lord with all of my heart and soul. <3

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## Rawr

I use to not be phased at all by religion. I'm still not very religious but I do believe in a God & find comfort in knowing that he will always make sure I am fine as long as I trust in him.

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## Lunaire

It really is a mixed bag for me.

Some days I am comforted by my spirituality. 

Other days I find myself in a 'crisis of faith' pondering why things are the way they are.

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## Marleywhite

Growing up I didn't believe in a God and I had no religion but lately I've been praying. Just praying to anyone really. I feel it helps me give hope and confidence. Kind of a reassurance that everything will turn out okay.

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