Young single adults attending the 2024 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference convention on Aug. 2 and 3 attended breakout sessions taught by mental health professionals, Brigham Young University professors, certified financial planners, seminary teachers and more.
The classes came between keynote addresses given by Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman and Elder Kyle S. McKay, General Authority Seventy and Church historian, on Friday, Aug. 2; and by Sharon Eubank, director of Humanitarian Services for the Church and former first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, and Elder Kevin W. Pearson, General Authority Seventy and president of the Utah Area, on Saturday, Aug. 3.
The breakout sessions focused on four areas: spiritual growth, emotional wellness, personal development and temporal well-being. Here are highlights from the Friday, Aug. 2 classes in each category.
Spiritual growth
Trusting the Savior
Seminaries and Institutes of Religion administrator Devin Toma taught “Learning to Let Go of Control: Trusting the Savior.”
“I’m going to assume that there are some trials in this room,” Toma started. “Welcome to telestial living at its greatest.” After attendees submitted and discussed some current faith questions, Toma invited the class to look backward, look forward and look up.
Looking backward involves looking back to past spiritual experiences to when God’s influence was visible in an individual’s life, Toma said. This includes experiences of family, close friends or even ancestors being sustained and guided by the the Lord.
Looking forward requires seeking one’s divine purpose in the trial, and learning how one could use the trial to bless others, Toma said.
Finally, looking up refers to looking to God and acting in faith, trusting that help and happiness are ahead, Toma said.
Scripture study
During the “Intentional Scripture Study” class, BYU professor Jared Halverson taught listeners how to better understand the scriptures they were reading.
Rather than looking for the specific lessons taught in the situations people in the scriptures found themselves in, he encouraged them to look for the packets of principles that scripture stories contained. Halverson also told his listeners to focus on consistency and intensity in their personal study.
Rather than studying their scriptures a single time once a week, he encouraged the listeners to study every day. Once they have gathered a “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) from the scriptures, they can use those witnesses from ancient prophets to answer questions they might have in their daily lives.
Understanding covenants
Troy Virgin, a director at the Salt Lake Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah, taught “Understanding Covenants.”
Prophets and apostles are emphasizing covenants today perhaps more than they have in the history of the Church, he said. In the most recent general conference, for example, the topic of covenants was addressed by almost every member of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
”Because of your covenants, you now have this unique relationship with [Heavenly Father], and He will never tire in His effort to help you,” Virgin said. “We’re never going to exhaust His patience and His love. He will never stop trying to connect to you.”
Covenants can strengthen a bond that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are already willing to strengthen, Virgin continued. “Their desire is to know you. They want to be a part of your life. And by keeping your covenants, you invite Them and allow Them to come to be a part of you.”
Conversion
Author Ganel-Lyn Condie taught about understanding “Conversion versus Crisis.”
Condie invited the class to reframe the idea of a faith crisis and, in fact, completely rename it: “We’re going to talk about this as a ‘conversion adventure.’”
This “conversion adventure,” Condie said, is a bit like a video game. There may be times when someone hits a wall or faces a big faith question that feels like “game over,” but they have to get up and try again.
“Do not quit this grand adventure,” Condie said. “We need your faith, and we need your faith questions.”
Emotional wellness
Perfectionism
“Building Self-Compassion to Deal with Perfectionism and Comparisons” was taught by licensed clinical social worker Rick Hill.
“I think everyone is challenged by perfectionism,” Hill said. “You cannot go through this earthly life experience without being challenged by it.”
He said perfectionism is a counterfeit of the commandment “be ye therefore perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Similarly, comparison is the counterfeit of observing.
Hill said the key to avoiding these counterfeits is to understand the innate worth of every child of God. “Love is what motivates change,” he said, adding that by practicing self-compassion, one can turn away from shame that isolates.
Hill closed by encouraging the class to “see through His lens to know that our worth is constant and that the Atonement [of Jesus Christ] never runs dry. … No matter how many mistakes we’ve made, we are not a mistake.”
Mental health
During “Involving the Savior in Your Mental Health,” seminary teacher and therapist Shawn Bills recounted his personal journey of combining professional mental health help with gospel truths.
Bills said after returning home from his mission as a young man, he was confused about why he wasn’t happy when he felt he was doing everything right: attending Church and the temple, reading his scriptures and praying, and trying to exercise faith.
He said he sought out therapy and medication, and was further confused when those things helped — why was this kind of mental health treatment helping?
Over time, Bills said he discovered that effective mental health treatments are rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. For instance, the scriptures repeatedly teach that people need each other to be happy, while modern studies have found exactly the same.
“What they’re telling us [in] the social science and mental health world, prophets are saying the same things,” Bills said, adding, “Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.”
Healing through the Atonement
Nanon Talley-Rolim, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, taught “Healing Past Hurts Through Christ’s Atonement.” She explained practical and spiritual ways young adults can find healing, emphasizing that “whatever the hurt is — physical, emotional, anything — all healing is only possible because of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
Young adults can take five actions, Talley-Rolim suggested, when they are hurt by someone:
- Recognize they have been hurt.
- Experience the feelings.
- Disclose feelings.
- Forgive.
- Endure to the end.
Talley-Rolim recommended two resources: First, Virtual Hope Box, a free app to help users cope when dealing with pain or feeling overwhelmed. Second, the “Tips for Improving Your Emotional Care” section of “Building Resilience” in the Gospel Library offers tips to find personal strength when facing difficult emotions.
Just as the Resurrected Christ blessed children one by one in 3 Nephi 17, she said, “He wants to bless you. He wants to heal you. But we have to go to Him.”
Overcoming discouragement
Jared Rees, a social worker, taught “Normalizing and Overcoming Discouragement.” He explained ways to prevent or treat discouragement, which he defined as a deprivation of courage, hope and confidence. He said possible causes for discouragement include:
- Comparing self to others.
- Having unrealistic expectations or unmet expectations.
- Demanding perfectionism of self or circumstances.
- Harsh criticism from self or others.
- Setbacks and unmet goals.
- Being let down by self or others.
He then offered ideas to embrace the hope and minimize discouragement:
- Prayer and scripture study.
- Being creative.
- Physical movement.
- Connecting to others.
- Attending the temple.
- Testifying of Jesus Christ and His gospel.
- Priesthood blessings.
- Finding meaning in what is being experienced.
Rees concluded: “I testify that Heavenly Father is our Father, that His desire is for us to have happiness. And I don’t believe that desire comes by excluding all things of pain and misery, but helping us to know how to hold to those things that are hard and to be able to still see the goodness.”
Personal development
Communication
“Communicating for Connection” was taught by licensed clinical social worker Stefanie Sparks. She invited everyone to think about a communication issue they had with someone, then explained that “we all engage in behaviors that are not helpful.” Since one cannot change family members, friends or coworkers, it is up to the individual to change the way they communicate by “developing skills to manage our behavior.”
In a diagram, Sparks introduced four key elements that influence the way people communicate: biology, early life experiences, core beliefs and assumptions. To improve communication, one needs to understand how each of these elements affects them, she said; and by practicing self-awareness and self-compassion, one can expand the parts that are helpful and minimize those that are not.
Overcoming indecision
Kyle Oswald, a mental health therapist with Family Services, taught “Building a Growth Mindset and Overcoming Indecision.” He discussed the differences between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, then gave suggestions for young adults to have a growth mindset when making decisions.
“Our purpose on earth is to grow,” he said. “It’s why we chose to come here.”
Someone with a fixed mindset, Oswald said, refuses to receive criticism, feels threatened by others’ successes, shies away from unfamiliar things and avoids challenges. On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset embraces constructive feedback, is inspired by others’ successes, steps out of their comfort zone and views challenges as opportunities.
Oswald suggested three actions young adults can take when making big decisions:
- Recognize what they value in the choice, deciding if the choice will bring them closer to what they value.
- Define what fear they are trying to dodge, since “generally, fear is at the root of indecision.”
- Take the decision to God, trusting that He wants to and can answer them through the Holy Ghost.
“There are certainly wrong choices that we can make in this life,” Oswald said. “But if we adopt a different mindset, we are going to make decisions, and we are going to move forward in faith.”
Temporal well-being
Nutrition, exercise and sleep
Seth Bigelow, senior manager over health service for Church employees, taught “Eat Better. Move Better. Sleep Better. Feel Better.” He spoke to audience members about the importance of taking care of their bodies through proper sleep, nutrition and exercise.
He especially focused on the amount of sleep young adults need in order to be healthy enough to tackle the challenges they have each day. Young adults typically need about seven to eight hours of sleep every night, Bigelow said. Those that don’t get enough sleep often don’t recognize the effect that sleep deprivation has on them.
After discussing the importance of eating healthy and getting enough exercise, he ended the meeting with 60 seconds of focused breathing. Many attendees raised their hands to show that the exercise had helped lower their stress levels.
Technology use
Licensed clinical social worker David Pitcher taught “Unplugging: Healthy Relationships and Technology.”
Pitcher began his presentation by reviewing rapid changes in technology from the 1980s until today.
The change in perspective provided by technology can be good, he said, provided that it is a tool rather than a master. Those who use the tool to improve their connections with others can strengthen their relationships, he said.
