Can 20-minutes of centering prayer daily really help relieve stress?

Absolutely. Even 5 minutes of your time in solitude can make a difference. I don't think the time is much of a factor as long as you know what you want.To me, prayer is like talking to someone and letting your feelings out.

It feels better to be able to share it with someone who can listen and not shut you out. Meditation, on the other hand, is like listening (listening to your inner voice, the sound of nature, etc.). I would recommend meditation for relieving stress.

Meditation can also be used as visualization.

Prayer is in essence like a form of meditation and I have heard that it reduces stress levels.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.