When the lure of a temptation and your desire to live right are tearing you apart, manage the stress by doing the following:

1. Stop looking at the temptation for your perception of it will begin to change. It will change from a definite NO to a MAYBE and finally into a YES. You will then find a reason to justify yielding to the temptation and doing the wrong thing. This was Eve's down fall for as she continued to look at the fruit, it begun to look like it was good for food, then it became pleasant to her eyes and finally it became utterly desirable when it begun to look like it could enlighten her and so, she bit into it. (Genesis 3:6)

2. Redirect your mind to doing the right thing. If Eve had redirected her mind from the devil's words to God's words which were that they should not eat or touch that fruit, (Genesis 3:3) chances are that she would have never touched it let alone eaten it.

3. Remind yourself that Adam was punished for eating the banned fruit even though it was served by Eve his wife. (Genesis 3:6) So, don't fool yourself that something bad becomes okay just because it is served by someone "good".

4. Remind yourself that excuses and blame shifting will not spare you the negative consequences of succumbing to the temptation for both Adam and Eve were punished for eating the illicit fruit despite their excuses.

5. Remind yourself that what Adam and Eve lost was not worth the taste of that one fruit no matter how delicious it was. They lost their idyllic life of lounging in the garden naming animals when they were sent out of it. (Genesis 3:23) As a result, they had to spend the rest of their lives labouring hard. So, do not toy with the idea of trying it just once.

Adapted from Managing Stress for Teens by Dr. Miriam Kinai.