When Stress Messes Up Our Lives
Hi friend! I’ve been thinking a lot about stress lately because I’ve felt under stress more than usual. It got me to thinking that you may be too since the holidays are near.
What kind of stress are you under? I was in such distress that it consumed me. My breathing was rapid, my physical condition with back pain made it worse. My responsibilities overwhelmed me, at least they loomed large in my mind.
What stresses you out? Too many commitments during the holiday season? The demands of your job? Parenting your children? Concern over relationships with your adult children? A difficult or unfaithful spouse? Your daily battle with mental illness, such as paying for medication, decision making, lack of energy to accomplish tasks, unwanted thoughts or emotions?
When I felt my stress level rising, I thought of the distress that Jesus experienced. An angry crowd pushed him to the edge of a cliff to kill him. He lived His adult life knowing He would be tortured and die on a cross.
He withdrew from his disciples at times to secluded places to spend time with His heavenly Father, and then He returned to His work which was doing His father’s will each moment of the day. After stressful days of ministry, He told his disciples to take time to withdraw and rest for awhile.
He identifies and sympathizes with our distress. He issued a welcome invitation to us when He said, Come unto Me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
What are some ways we can deal with stress? The first thing that came to my mind was saying no, taking a day off work if that’s possible, and having some “me” time.
In a book called Burnout the Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, the authors say it is a cycle that we complete as we go through stages. Although I can’t endorse the book because I disagree with their world view, I gleaned helpful information to apply to my life.
The authors say, “Stress is not bad for you; being stuck is bad for you.” They state that physical activity in the form of some kind of exercise is the best way to relieve stress. They list other processes to relieve stress such as the following:
Deep breathing
Positive social interaction
Laughter
Affection (such as a long, 20 second hug with someone you love)
Having a big ol’ cry
Creative expression
I applied some of these to my life. For creative expression, I sketched a tree I saw on a drive in the country, and a pot of flowers on my back porch. Those fun activities did in fact relieve some stress as it took my focus of my problems.
For exercise I got out and walked, but I do that anyway, so the benefit was more physical than mental. But there’s something else I did. When my husband was away, I turned on fast music with a beat and I couldn’t really dance because of my back, but I sorta tried. I exercised by moving my arms up and down and out and taking steps to the music, kinda like modified aerobics.
The authors recommend that we pick something creative or some form of exercise and spend 30 minutes each day to relieve the mental, physical, and emotional stress. I work it in whenever I can, but not daily, and also, not always thirty minutes, but what I do does help, and the exercise feels empowering. If it’s not possible during a busy season, I recommend relaxation techniques such as stretching, and spending some time alone with God. Lately, I’ve enjoyed watching the Netflix series Heartland with Dwight. Watching it last night with him diverted my attention away from my stress.
I believe God can move us through stress, and as we confide in Him and bring our heavy burdens to Jesus, we can eventually move out of it, though it may return at some point.
How does stress mess up your life? How are you handling it? Most of us, I know, come to Jesus with the stress in our lives.
I pray that we would move through our stress cycles and recover each time. Our best friend and burden-bearer, Jesus Christ, wants us to come to Him with our heavy loads and find rest in Him.
What does this look like for you?
-Marilyn