7 Strategies to Overcoming Stress

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All around us there are calamities and wars or rumours of wars. There is drought, there is starvation, there is violence everywhere, there are natural disasters such as the recent earthquakes in Haiti, New Zealand and Japan. There is economic crisis and joblessness. Sometimes we just get overloaded with stress from what is happening around us and to us.  We can become fearful and not know know how to deal with the barrage of things coming our way. We can begin to feel hopeless and full of despair. 

It is for all of these reasons that it is important to know how to deal with stress.  I am no different than most people and so I also need to learn strategies for dealing with stress. I also need continuous reminders and encouragement for how to reduce stress so that I can live the best life for me and for my loved ones and friends.

Today I heard a sermon on 7 strategies for dealing with stress and I took notes while the preacher was preaching. I thought these strategies were good and so I wanted to share them with you. I'm sharing them because now more than ever, I hear from friends and loved ones about how they feel overwhelmed in these tumultuous times.

1. Face the future with faith.   Powerful events create fear and cause people to die of stress, anxiety and phobias.

And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars,   and on the earth nations will be in distress,   anxious  over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves. People will be fainting from fear  and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 

 Luke 21:25-26

The next verses however tells us that the Son of man shall come with power and great glory when these things happen and that our redemption draws near when he returns. (Luke 21:27-28)

Luke 21:36 tells us to watch when we hear and see bad things all around us, and to pray that we will have strength.

2. Exercise regularly. Exercise relieves stress by decreasing stress hormones like cortisol. Apostle Paul compared physical exercise with physical living. (1 Timothy 4:8). Godliness and it's fruit will last well beyond physical lives but physical exercise has value. The exercise doesn't have to be demanding. It can simply be a nice walk where you can enjoy the flowers, the birds singing, or walking your dog on a leash and enjoying how dogs love to explore everything they come across.

3. Claim God's promises. There are many such promises in the Bible. (Peter 1:4) God has given us in His Word exceedingly great and precious promises.  He promises to answer our prayers. (Matthew. 7:7-8) Promises to give us the desire of our hearts if we delight in Him. (Psalm 37:4-5)

4. Forgive one another. (Proverbs 20:22)  There have been studies to show that people who forgive someone who has wronged them can enjoy physical, emotional and spiritual well being. Forgiveness is defined as letting go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. See this article from the Mayo Clinic.

5. Pray about your problems with an attitude of thanksgiving. Acknowledge your fears and worries and ask God for his help. (Philippians 4:6)  Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Share your intimate thoughts with God. He knows them anyway.

 6.  Stay positive. Maintain a positive and tranquil mind.  The Apostle Paul talks about the beating he had received while in prison but he focussed on maintaining a positive attitude (2 Corinthians 11:24-25) . Even while in prison he wrote letters of encouragement to other Christians (Philippians 4:8-9).  We are encouraged to focus on things that are lovely and pure.  It is so important to keep a sense of joy and wonder about life and our blessings even in the  midst of trials and difficulties.

 

7.  Set the right goals. Not all stress is bad. Jerrold Greenburg who wrote the book Comprehensive Stress Management tells us that the goal of stress management is not to eliminate all stress in our lives. We can use stress to help us achieve our goals if we channel it in the right way. We need motivation to be successful in life and stress if managed properly can help us achieve our goals.  Jesus tells us in Matthew  6:33 to "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you".

I wanted to add that eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep are also very important to how you handle stress on a daily basis.  I am still working on trying to implement all these strategies as consistently as possible. Some days I am more successful than other days. The important thing is I keep trying.

If you are dealing with overwhelming stress, 
I want to encourage you to keep hope in your heart.  
God says in his Word that he has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy  1:7)