This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Members of the U.S. military always have faced some unique stresses, especially those that are related to battle, as well as being separated from their families for extended periods of time. On top of that, in recent years, the Biden administration created entirely new stresses on service members by imposing Marxist "diversity, equity and inclusion" practices on all branches, inviting and paying for hundreds of transgender surgeries for gender-confused military recruits, imposing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate throughout the U.S. military, causing many to be ejected from their service, and more.
Even while such "woke" madness is being rapidly eliminated from the military by the new Trump administration, the traditional mental health hurdles some service members and veterans face – from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to depression and suicidality – unfortunately remain. Such mental-emotional challenges often stem from combat exposure and then transitioning to civilian life after years of serving in the military. Many of the issues thus encountered are often compounded by the use of alcohol or drugs.
As service members and others try to deal with such difficult emotional issues, one retired U.S. Navy officer, who has successfully trained many service members with life-saving principles of staying sane and balanced even under severe stress, has written a short self-help book to reach even more people, both in and out of the military. In an interview with WorldNetDaily, former Senior Chief Petty Officer Dennis Stager recalled how a "commanding officer asked me to write a book about a subject I taught to his very large command, which triggered amazing results." The 83-page self-help book is titled "Surviving Your Feelings: Deal with your emotions and proceed into the light of freedom."
Starting with the basic premise that "dealing with our emotions is better than running from them," Stager offers "historically proven truths and values" that have an unsurpassed track record of helping people manage their thoughts and behaviors.
Now 87, Stager retired from the U.S. Navy in 1990 after 29 years of service.
Confiding in WND, Stager said he once considered himself not to be much of a "people person," yet said his experiences as a Naval petty officer taught him to "read people well." In fact, he said, it was this ability that also made him "a good instructor," which prompted a former executive officer in the Navy to invite Stager to help "clean up his command." After meeting that task with clear success through his instructional sessions with Navy personnel, Stager was challenged to write the book, since – as he was told by his executive officer – "what I have is what people need to have," he said, recalling his conversation to WND.
Published in March 2024, Stager said, the book offers readers "a path to living life with freedom." Although people are often told to deal with their emotions by compartmentalizing or dismissing them, he noted that simply doesn't work, at least not for long. "We must," Stager said, "learn to live with them successfully."
"The bottom line," he told WND, "is that when people learn to handle their own emotional bucket, they can become successful in living life." This is something Stager has emphasized in more than 20 years of hosting his seminar. It can apply to relationships, business and many other parts of an individual's daily life, he added.
"Our thoughts must be utilized to manage our emotions and our behaviors," Stager argued. "By doing this, a person can often avoid failing and release themselves from the burdens of life."
For the former Naval officer and instructor, it's simply better – much better – to talk about feelings than keep them bottled up inside. "Name it, claim it, own it and deal with it" is the mantra unpacked in his book. To effectively deal with emotions, Stager said, a person must be encouraged to commit to these steps.
In the book, he added, "One near universal tool to apply is to 'talk, not walk.' Walking away from problems only allows the pressure to build, so that the eventual explosion of emotions is greater than first imagined." It is his desire for readers to throw out the "garbage" and irrational thoughts generated by one's negative feelings and emotions.
Finally, said Stager, the book provides the tools to help a person move forward "into the light of freedom." And personally speaking, he affirmed, "God is in charge, and Christ is the key to peace of mind. He owns it, runs it, and designed it."
