Relieving Stress
I have a job that
sometimes wants to make me scream. My house is a mess, and I just want to run
away. Oh, and don’t forget the never ending bills that make you contemplate
stripping as a career choice. We all deal with stress, and we all deal with
stress in different ways.
Not only can stress effect your emotions and thinking, but
it also has physical manifestations that may present itself when dealing with
stress for long periods of time:
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Headaches
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Insomnia
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Depression
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High blood pressure
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Increased risk for heart attack or stroke
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Increased risk for diabetes
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Heartburn
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Diarrhea or constipation
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Muscle tension
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Irregular menstrual cycles
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Impotence
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Decreased immune system function
Stress effects nearly every body system. What quality of
life is that to live with daily stress, especially when Matthew 11:28 reads, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest” Laden, means to be heavily loaded or
weighed down, aka stressed. So God is telling us when we are stressed, give it
to him and have your peace. Let it go, and your problems are taken care of.
As human beings our bodies are not meant to carry stress
over long periods of time. Maybe God made us that way because he does not want
for us to carry such heavy loads…
Now, don’t get me wrong, not all stress is bad stress.
Sometimes God tests our faith to see how we will react to stressful situations
and see if we turn to him. An example, when God told Abraham to sacrifice his
son Isaac as an offering. Even though the Bible doesn’t say, do you mean to
tell me that Abraham didn’t feel even a little uneasy about this situation? But
he walked in faith, and gave the situation to God. He obeyed and God was
pleased with this. Isaac was allowed to live and Abraham was presented with a
sacrifice to give to God for his obedience.
“My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations. Knowing this, that ye trying of your own faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4).
Stress is also needed for our bodies when we are presented
with a threat or attack to our survival. This is known as the flight or fight
response. The body releases hormones that increase the heart rate, increase
breathing, constricts pupils and tightens muscles. This prepares us to either
fight for our lives or run for our lives. In short term situations, the stress
hormones are helpful. Over time, these increased hormones become dangerous to
our health.
When God tests our faith through stressful trials, the goal
is for us to win! So, we can either let the stress consume us or give it to
God, remain steadfast, and be patient. And in the end he will give you
everything that you need plus more!
I have an example. I moved to Atlanta in 2013. The job that
I had set up fell through and I became late on ALL of my bills. I finally got a
job after 2 months but then totaled my car 1 month later. Mind you, the job
that I had gotten was working out of my car. Since I had just started this new
job I was still behind on most of my bills. My insurance was not going to pay
for the accident. My insurance had been inactivated because it was more than 30
days late. The accident was my fault and both cars were totaled. I hit rock
bottom. I kid you not I went from being ok one second to being in a full blown
depression the next. Thank God for my family back home that were in a position
to help financially, so that I could get a rental car so that I could still
work. About 1 week later, I got a call from my insurance company. They said
that since the accident happened within 30 days of my account deactivation,
they would cover everything! The explanation didn’t make sense to me, but
that’s ok. I had a new car that weekend and was able to start fresh. Glory to
God!
I wish I would have handled the situation differently. I let
the stress get the best of me from the start, and God still brought me through
even though I deserved none of it.
How will you handle stress? Will you let it get the best of
you and cause it to make you have headaches, diarrhea, depression and a heart
attack down the line? It will you give it to God, and live in peace and be
physically healthy? Let the world have their problems, because we are not of
the world.
Give your problems to God before you hit rock bottom and see
how far he will sky rocket you to the top for your faith!
So what is pillow talk??? I don’t know about you guys but my
comfy place is my bed. Some people find solice in the bathroom, the gym, on
their porch, etc. Relationship therapists encourage couples to have “pillow
talk” to help keep their relationship exciting and to continue to learn about
each other. God also wants us to have this kind of relationship with him. I
encourage you to have pillow talk with God on a regular basis. What rule says
you need to always be on your knees to be in the presence of the Lord. Go to
your comfortable place, and take God there with you. Tell him about your day,
the good and the bad. Tell him your stressors, and then give them to him. Over
time watch as your stressors become your strengths.
It is important for us to deal with our stress. In addition
to pillow talk, there are other activities that can also be done. Find a hobby,
this can include writing, sewing, exercising, group sports, volunteering, etc.
It just needs to be an activity that brings you joy. Take breaks! At work we
can get so busy that we also forget to take care of ourselves during the day.
Then we clock out at the end of our shift and are physically and emotionally
pooped. Every couple hours I take a bathroom break, even if I don’t have to use
the bathroom. If we are not busy I will find a bathroom further away from my
work station, so that I can take a small walk and clear my head for a few
minutes before jumping back into the chaos.
Relaxation exercises such as deep breathing are great at relieving
stress and tension, and can be done anywhere, even if you only have a few
minutes to spare. And a great thing about living in 2016, learning how to deep
breathe is only one youtube video away.
“ Therefore
I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye
shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more
than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the
fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his
stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider
the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore,
if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast
into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore
take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For
after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things. But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the
morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is
the evil thereof” Matthew 6:25-34.
Remember, we are
God’s chosen. He wants to take care of us and live a happy, enjoyable life.
Negativity, hardships and stress do not belong in our lives, and only stay
present if YOU let it.
Lord thank you for your grace and the ability to take our
burdens. Teach us to give those stressful situations, big or small to you, so
that we may be able to live in peace. Let that peace be a blessing to others.
Give us the patience needed to pass tests placed in front of us and come out of
the storm with a victory. Amen.
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