t be from our own initiative that we come to
recognize and actively believe that we are dependent upon a power not
our own and our real strength comes from ceasing to be an obstruction
to that power. The work of not interfering with our best health, moral
and physical, means hard fighting and steady, never-ending vigilance.
But it pays--it more than pays! And, it seems to me, this prevailing
trouble of nervous strain which is so much with us now can be the means
of guiding all men and women toward more solid health than has ever
been known before. _But we must work for it!_ We must give up expecting
to be cured.

CHAPTER II

_How Women can keep from being Nervous_

MANY people suffer unnecessarily from "nerves" just for the want of a
little knowledge of how to adjust themselves in order that the nerves
may get well. As an example, I have in mind a little woman who had been
ill for eight years--eight of what might have been the best years of
her life--all because neither she nor her family knew the straight road
toward getting well. Now that she has found the path she has gained
health wonderfully in six months, and promises to be better than ever
before in her life.

Let me tell you how she became ill and then I can explain her process
of getting well again. One night she was overtired and could not get to
sleep, and became very much annoyed at various noises that were about
the house. Just after she had succeeded in stopping one noise she would
go back to bed and hear several others. Finally, she was so worked up
and nervously strained over the noises that her hearing became
exaggerated, and she was troubled by noises that other people would not
have even heard; so she managed to keep herself awake all night.

The next day the strain of the overfatigue was, of course, very much
increased, not only by the wakeful night, but also by the annoyance
which had kept her awake. The family were distressed that she should
not have slept all night; talked a great deal about it, and called in
the doctor.

The woman's strained nerves were on edge all day, so that her feelings
were easily hurt, and her brothers and sisters became, as they thought,
justly impatient at what they considered her silly babyishness. This,
of course, roused her to more strain. The overcare and the feeble,
unintelligent sympathy that she had from some members of her family
kept her weak and self-centered, and the ignorant, selfish impatience