God desires us to have sound bodies and minds. Sometimes it takes stepping back to relax the physical self to enable the mental self to break free from the cycle of constant stress. Stress itself is not a bad thing; without it we would be apathetic to accomplishing tasks and part of the excitement to life would be taken out. Surprisingly, the body knows no difference between good stress (excitement) and bad stress (anxiety). If you’re not convinced, think of how you feel when you’re riding a roller coaster (by choice!). That same feeling you get inside is how you feel when under unhealthy pressure as well.
How can God help?
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest", Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28. When we are tired out from trying to handle our problems alone, God patiently awaits us with open arms. So the first thing to do when you are feeling unwanted stress creep up is to pray. Depending on the situation, pray with someone else. There is power in numbers and you’ll have added strength through the encouragement of others. If no one else is around, that’s ok too. Just speak what comes to mind, asking God for direction.
If prayer seems like a distraction in your state of mind, turn on some music. The best choice would be some hymns, gospel music, or contemporary Christian songs. They all contain messages of hope, keep you uplifted and not focused on your burdens. Try this for 10 minutes and see if it doesn’t help your mood. Once your mood is improved, perhaps that is a good time for you to go back to prayer.
Another way to achieve a spiritual break-through is by jotting down your thoughts in a journal. Even if it seems one-sided, getting your thoughts down on paper can help you think. It, like prayer, can loosen your mind up to enable you to hear God’s voice more readily. Your stress might melt away by the time you finish writing how you feel, or you might be given some wisdom from God Himself on how to tackle a situation you are facing. If that’s the case, write down those words. Seeing it will reaffirm your faith and motivate you to pray even more.
Feed the mind and body
Take a walk or exercise. Nothing helps the body better than to clear the mind through physical activity. Of course, if you’re already listening to uplifting music, you can just take that a step further and dance, sing, or walk outside. But if you prefer solitude, spending time in nature - at the park, beside a lake, or just stretched out on a comfortable surface - can be healing to your very soul. Some people might even opt for pampering the body through a massage, facial, pedicure/manicure, haircut, or taking a an aromatherapy bath. Whatever would sound most relaxing to you should be what you allow yourself as your "time out". Without it, you will find it even harder to cope with stress.
Be self-less in your daily life. Volunteer for activities with your family, friends, and place of worship. Doing good deeds for others will help you feel good, decrease your stress, and give you time to think of ways to solve your problems. Your mood will improve, your relationship with God will strengthen, and you will be encouraged to handle stress in a calmer frame of mind.
Learn something new. No one says you have to be stuck in a rut when you’re stressed! Sometimes you just need the distraction of focusing your energy on a productive activity - and working on a new skill can be useful as well as therapeutic. God doesn’t want us to dwell on our sorrows, no matter how bad they are. He wants us to always make the most of the time we have, because we never know when we might miss an opportunity because of being unprepared. This can be something to do with our hands, or even in reading the scriptures for Bible study. As the writer of Timothy says in regard to people who are idle: "Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to." (1 Timothy 5:13) So instead, remember this from Romans 15:4: "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
