BLOG POST

Friday, March 6, 2026

We live in a world that rarely slows down.

Every day brings new demands, new headlines, new uncertainties, and new burdens to carry. The impact of the current world war, Operation Epic Fury, can heighten and deepen anxiety and uncertainty. Some people are experiencing deep grief and struggle to function in daily life, while others are trying to remain composed on the outside while internally managing stress, anxiety, fatigue, disappointment, grief, financial strain, social pressures, and spiritual exhaustion. Modern life is saturated with noise. We are constantly expected to respond, perform, adapt, produce, and endure. In many ways, stress has become so normalized that people no longer recognize how deeply it has settled into the heart, mind, and body.

Today’s stress can be intense but it can also be quiet and cumulative. It shows up in difficulty sleeping, feeling emotionally depleted, or carrying a vague but persistent sense of unease. It can come from unstable economies, fractured relationships, identity struggles, or the pressure to appear strong in a culture that often rewards image over honesty. Stress is now woven into the rhythm of contemporary life.

Yet stress is not merely a social or psychological issue. It is also spiritual battle from the Christian biblical perspective.

Human beings do not simply suffer from overloaded schedules; we also suffer from disordered inner lives. We wrestle with fear, insecurity, uncertainty, temptation, grief, and the longing for peace. As I reflected in my video on managing brief naturalistic stressors, the answer to modern distress is not found in one single method alone. We need self-awareness. We need support from others. We need wise tools. Most importantly, we need God. Stress may be ubiquitous in life, but so too is the invitation to turn toward truth, reality, and the sustaining presence of the Lord (Kurtz, 2023; New American Standard Bible, 1971/2020, Hebrews 4:12).

This is one reason the Lenten and Easter season is so powerful.

Lent arrives not as a mere ritual on the church calendar, but as an interruption. It confronts the illusion that we are self-sufficient. It calls us to pause, repent, reflect, and return. In a hurried age, Lent invites slowness. In a distracted age, it invites attention. In a proud age, it invites humility. In an anxious age, it invites surrender.

During Lent, prayer becomes more than a habit. It becomes a pathway.

It becomes the quiet place where we confess what we have been carrying. It becomes the discipline through which we release control. It becomes the sacred space where we remember that God has not abandoned us in our weariness. In prayer, we are not performing. We are returning. We are placing ourselves again before the One who sees fully, knows completely, and loves perfectly.

Lent reminds us that not everything weighing on us can be solved by striving harder. Some burdens must be brought to the foot of the Cross.

This sacred season teaches us to examine our hearts honestly. Where have we placed our trust? What has become louder than God’s voice in our lives? What fears have governed our thoughts? What habits have dulled our spiritual sensitivity? Lent strips away pretense and asks us to become truthful before God. It is not meant to shame us. It is meant to restore us.

And that is where prayer becomes so essential.

Prayer is not a weak last resort for people who have run out of options. Prayer is an act of spiritual alignment. It is the turning of the soul toward God in truth. It is where fear meets faith, where confusion meets wisdom, and where exhaustion meets divine strength. Prayer does not always remove the external pressures of life immediately, but it reorders the inner person. It changes how we stand in the storm.

Scripture tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (New American Standard Bible, 1971/2020, Philippians 4:6–7). This is not sentimental language. It is a profound spiritual directive. Prayer is not denial. It is dependence. It is the refusal to let anxiety have the final word.

Even research has suggested that certain forms of prayer, particularly those marked by trust, surrender, and a positive orientation toward God, may be associated with reduced anxiety and greater well-being (Froese et al., 2024). Other work has found promising results for written prayer and interpersonal prayer as complementary supports in times of emotional distress (Boelens et al., 2010; Ichihara et al., 2019). These findings do not replace faith with data, but they do suggest that prayer is not only spiritually meaningful; it may also be deeply regulating for the human person.

And Lent does not end in darkness.

It leads to Easter.

That is the beauty of the Christian story. We do not remain forever in ashes, fasting, confession, or grief. Lent is a journey toward resurrection. Easter proclaims that suffering is not sovereign, death is not final, and despair is not ultimate. The empty tomb declares that Christ has overcome sin, darkness, and the grave. For the weary soul, Easter is not merely a celebration of a past event. It is the ongoing announcement that hope is alive.

In a stressed and troubled world, Easter answers the deepest ache of the human heart: the need for redemption, renewal, and peace.

Because Christ rose, we are not abandoned to fear.
Because Christ rose, suffering is not meaningless.
Because Christ rose, we can pray with confidence.
Because Christ rose, peace is not imaginary.
Because Christ rose, new life is possible even now.

So as we move through the stresses of today, let us not merely seek temporary relief. Let us seek God. Let us enter Lent and Easter with sincerity, humility, and reflection. Let us approach Easter with reverence and hope. And let us recover the power of prayer, not as empty repetition, but as living communion with the Lord.

When the world feels too heavy, pray.
When the future feels uncertain, pray.
When your heart feels tired, pray.
When you do not have the right words, pray anyway.

God hears.
God knows.
God is near.

In this season of Lent and Easter, may we remember that while stress may be common to human life, peace is still possible through Christ. And through prayer, we are invited not only to cope, but to be transformed.

KEY TAKEAWAY:

Easter is the radiant reminder that darkness does not have the final word, suffering is not the end of the story, and death itself has been conquered through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In a world often marked by grief, uncertainty, and weariness, Easter offers a living hope rooted not in wishful thinking, but in the victory of Christ over sin and the grave. It assures believers that God is still bringing life out of barren places, light out of shadows, and renewal out of what seemed lost. Easter calls us to lift our eyes beyond present pain and remember that because Jesus rose, we too can walk in faith, peace, and the promise of new life.

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References

Boelens, P. A., Reeves, R. R., Replogle, W. H., & Koenig, H. G. (2010). A randomized trial of the effect of prayer on depression and anxiety. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 39(4), 377–392. https://doi.org/10.2190/PM.39.4.c

Froese, P., Bonhag, R., Uecker, J., Andersson, M., & Upenieks, L. (2024). Prayer and mental well-being in the United States: An overview of original and comprehensive prayer data. Journal of Religion and Health, 63(6), 4745–4772. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02121-5

Ichihara, K., Ouchi, S., Okayama, S., Kinoshita, F., Miyashita, M., Morita, T., & Tamura, K. (2019). Effectiveness of spiritual care using spiritual pain assessment sheet for advanced cancer patients: A pilot non-randomized controlled trial. Palliative & Supportive Care, 17(1), 46–53. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951518000901

Kurtz, R. (2023, March 12). Managing brief naturalistic stressors with artificial intelligence, consumer-biofeedback, heart rate variability, prayer and petition [Video]. YouTube.

New American Standard Bible. (2020). Zondervan (Original work published 1971)

 

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REPOST: PSYCHOLOGY STUDY ON STRESS, PRAYER AND PETITION

Click to view on YouTube----->   Managing Brief Naturalistic Stressors with AI, Consumer-Biofeedback, HRV, Prayer and Petition

(This study investigates a specific market, but can open to a larger population group.

Repost from RitaKurtz.com, March 12, 2023)

"Standard Deep Breathing (SDB) entails slow, deep intake and exhalation through the nose for five minutes (Hirsch & Bishop, 1981). HRV analyzed the ECG. A paired t-test compared resting and heart rate variability. The move statistically increased time domain parameters Standard Deviation of Normal-to Normal (SDNN) and RMSSD. While breathing deeply or below 7 breaths per minute, low frequency (LF) suggests parasympathetic activity. Consequently, when the individual is relaxed and breathing evenly, LF values might be very high, indicating parasympathetic activity rather than sympathetic regulation (Malhotra et al., 2021). This study will use a similar t-test for pre- and post-treatment. (Park & Thayer, 2014, p. 278)."

---Excerpt taken from Managing Brief Naturalistic Stressors with AI, Consumer-Biofeedback, HRV, Prayer and Petition scientific study proposal, Rita Kurtz, PhD researcher.      

 

 Key words: Artificial Intelligence, Biofeedback, Heart Rate Variability, HRV, Self-Regulation

 

REFERENCES:

Hirsch, J. A., & Bishop, B. (1981). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in humans: how breathing pattern modulates heart rate. American Journal of Physiology, Heart Circulation Physiology, 241, H620–H629.

Malhotra, V., Bharshankar, R., Ravi, N., & Bhagat, O. L. (2021). Acute effects on heart rate variability during slow deep breathing. Mymensingh Medical Journal, 30(1), 208–213.

Park, G., & Thayer, J. F. (2014). From the heart to the mind: cardiac vagal tone modulates top-down and bottom-up visual perception and attention to emotional stimuli. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 278. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00278

 

 

Rita Kurtz (Ph.D. in progress) is a Harvard University Scholar, Thought Leader, and Lawyer specializing in multidisciplinary and cross-sector concentrations including Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology, writing, law, psychology, neuroscience, neurotheology, ethics, morals, divinity, diversity, anthropology, and the sciences. 

Rita is an interdisciplinary researcher and recent graduate of Harvard University with a master's degree from the Faculty of Arts & Sciences department. Studying under esteemed Harvard Law School Professor Roberto Mangabeira Unger (SJD), Harvard University Law Director of Intellectual Property Allan Ryan, including Dr. Cornel West (Presidential Candidate 2024), and Dr. Arthur Kleinman (Harvard Department of Anthropology and Psychiatry), gave her well-roundedness in the interdisciplinary studies of law, anthropology, philosophy, ethics, morals, media, religiosity, and politics making her a well-prepared Ph.D. candidate. Through the acquisition of a prestigious Cross-Registration Academic Scholarship from Harvard, she gained a broader academic perspective and cultivated a profound curiosity about making scholarly contributions to the discourse surrounding difficult existential inquiries. In light of her Harvard Professor Unger's discussions on ethical, moral, and legal ramifications of utilizing artificial intelligence and the effects of the Knowledge Economy, she further investigated these topics, gaining the implications of the historical Tocquevillian perspective on the underestimation of technology's role. Historical data such as history, religiosity, and technology, piqued her interest in investigating these future issues in an effort to offer deeper research and discussions to grapple with these AI existential issues.

While at Harvard University, Rita combined her professional skills in television and film and took part in several projects, such as being selected out of several candidates, to participate in a research study at the Langer Mindfulness Lab in the Department of Psychology which delved into the intense psychological effects of news medium's impact on the consumption and conveyance of news to the public. As a researcher at Harvard, she wrote two research papers and successfully presented them to a panelist of fellow Ph.D. scientists. The first paper researched Nutraceutical Skin Therapy: Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Ganoderma lucidum, a study on how mushrooms may support youthful skin and aid in patients suffering from the autoimmune disease, sarcoidosis. The second delved into extensive research on Meat Analogues: Are We Making a Positive Political Advancement to Save the Planet? Or A Personal Health Choice that Barely Sustains Ourselves?, uncovering the unnatural ingredients masked in meatless burgers from Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger. She became a published nonfiction writer and a certified digital storyteller while at Harvard. 

In her undergraduate degree, her interdisciplinary studies in law, anthropology and philosophy, makes her a well-rounded research candidate. Her past academia undergraduate BBA studies covered a gamut of disciplines including writing legal briefs and law courses in Constitutional Law, Business Law I &II, Torts, Corporate Finance, Accounting 1 & 2, Human Resources, Business Policy, Political Science, Operations Management, Programming, Economics, Chemistry, Chemistry Lab, and Consumer Behavior. Her studies in computer programming, economics, anthropology, and philosophy, broadened her technical mindset for business.

Rita runs an online e-commerce store and is a digital content creator, gaining some experience with Python Programming language. She stays current on mainstream topics as a blogger, social media influencer, and actress/entertainer. As a world traveler, she divides her time between speaking, performing, and engaging in television, radio, and stage productions. She has covered tech news and innovations as a repeat spokesperson at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), MacWorld, and for Belkin Components, hence the nickname, “Gadget Girl.” Her past acting appearances aired on Lifetime, History Channel, Fox, and the Paramount Network, landing her on an Emmy-nominated show. Her experience in media, led to a career in television, radio, movies, stage, and writing, gained her the branding of RitaRitaRita.

As a prior executive producer, TV and radio host of a positive side of sports, life and entertainment variety show, her co-hosts included Pro-NFL players and Industry Professionals. The show broadcasted on Warner Brothers Television and Fox. Her position led to interviews with billionaires, millionaires, celebrities, professional athletes, NASCAR drivers, professional medical staff, professional attorneys, musicians, and business owners. As a headline lead singer, she has toured with Grammy-Award winning musicians, and performed the national anthem for several professional sports teams around the United States. Rita is a strong writer, researcher, listener, articulate speaker, and takes direction well. She is most recognized for the national TV commercial in which she belted opera on a bus with a guy dressed like a Scandinavian viking-JG Wentworth (877-CASHNOW).

Rita formerly worked with a private company as a Government Account Executive supplying computer networks to the U.S. military around the globe creating relationships between the civilian sector and the government. She has also worked as a Record-Breaking Executive Technical Recruiter, receiving "Recruiter of the Month" and "Recruiter of the Year," for placing the highest commission received for the company, by placing a CEO into a Fortune 500 Tech Company. Her responsibilities as an Executive Technical Recruiter placed C-level executives into major tech companies and start-ups. Her well roundedness and entrepreneurial mindset led her to running a successful bakery at the Department of Defense (DoD) Air Force Exchange.

Currently pursuing her Doctorate of Philosophy degree, with a Christian Lens on ethics and morals, in Psychology and Law, her current research interests include artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), law, ethics, morals, neuroscience, bioethics, aviation, military affairs, divinity and diversity. Her postgraduate studies at Liberty University allows her to research, analyze, test, generate new data, and the application of statistical and analytical data. Setting academic theories in psychology with a Christian worldview, opening deeper theories into more professional values, morals, ethics, behaviors, attitudes, justices, theoretical modeling, evidence-based modeling, culturally diversity standardization, leadership in trends, concepts, and methods. She is currently studying neuroscience, cognitive psychology, social-personality psychology, neurotheology, law, and statistics. Her main focus lies in self-regulation in the discipline of Health Psychology from a holistic-mind, body, spirit, and soul approach.

She is a current member of the American Psychological Association (APA), American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Harvard Club of the United Kingdom, American Federation of Musicians (AFM), Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS), Harvard Black Alumni Society (HBAS), former Harvard Club of NY, Harvard Club of Southern California, and the Harvard Alumni Association. From Beverly Hills, California, she currently resides in London, England, United Kingdom. Her faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation for her life. 

 

 

Awards: 

• High Potential Individual Visa(HPI) holder in the United Kingdom from 2024-2026. The HPI Visa provides preferential treatment to academic elite students with a professional degree from a top-ranked Ivy League university within the past five years, expanding horizons and international business in the United Kingdom. In 2022, only 1342 applicants were accepted globally.
• SMARTscholarship 2023 semi-finalist
• Harvard Academic Cross-Registration Scholarship Award 2021
• Published author: Top 20 List on Talking Writer 2020
• Record-breaking "Recruiter of the Month" for earning the company's highest single-placement for placing a CEO, as an Executive C-Level recruiter in a Fortune 500 Tech Company.
• SEFMD Science and Engineering Award in Microbiology, (First place (level 1) and second place (level 2)

                                                                                                                               

 

Author Note

Rita L. Kurtz- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4456-7784

No conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to RitaKurtz@alumni.Harvard.edu

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