I used to think it didn’t affect me. People tell me that I’m ‘laid-back’. I take pride in not getting flustered in the pressured moments. I’m not a ‘stressy’ kind of person.
So what explains a week of sleepless nights? Why do I have headaches most of the day? Why can’t I concentrate on my work?
It turns out that stress does impact me. And I know it impacts you too. Living in the modern world can be a profoundly stressful ordeal. The news is 24/7, work is demanding, social media is non-stop. How does anyone find the time to exercise, progress in work, maintain a social life, read their Bible, call their mum and drink enough water?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick fix, there isn’t a vaccine against stress. That’s why I love the way Jesus talks about it in Matthew 11:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
He doesn’t just tell us to do 3 simple things and we’ll be sorted, instead he invites us to try out a new way of approaching life.
UNPLUG
I imagine Jesus’ life was pretty stressful – being saviour of the world is hardly a walk in the park. So how did he deal with it? How did he cope with the huge crowds, those desperate for healing or the pharisees looking for an argument? Over and over again we see Jesus withdraw from the crowd and go off on his own. He unplugs.
Jesus tells us that we should “get away with me and you’ll recover your life.” He’s inviting us to join him in unplugging and getting away. For me, that means every Saturday I leave the phone at home, ignore any emails and go and do something that brings me joy each and every week. It’s not easy – sometimes I’ll be sat in a coffee shop trying not to think about all the messages and emails I’m missing - but it always helps.
The Bible is big on this idea of a ‘sabbath’, a day free from work where we can rest and relax. In fact, God is so keen on this idea that he put it right there in the 10 Commandments! Now you might say, “I can’t just disappear every week, who will feed the kids?” Even so, can you find an hour each week when you can go for a walk or go to your favourite coffee shop?
It might seem like a simple thing, but taking a set time each week where my phone stays turned off and I disappear by myself is perhaps the most important tool I’ve found for fighting back against stress.
Don’t live for the holiday
Ten days by the beach ought to fix it, right? Have you told yourself that you can get through this busy patch and then getting your toes in the sand will solve all your problems? The problem is that if your life for the other 50 weeks of the year is stress-inducing, you’ll be back to square one within the first few days of getting back in the office.
Jesus tells us: “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace”. Jesus’ answer to stress is to learn how to walk and work in the way that he does. Over the last year I’ve been trying to change the way I think about stress; rather than digging in until that holiday comes, can I live in such a way that each week is sustainable in itself?
Jesus tells us that they key is to walk with him and to work with him. So how can I bring Jesus into the parts of my life that leave me feeling stressed? Invite Jesus to be with you in that annual review meeting that you’re been losing sleep over. Ask Jesus to be with you on the school run. Invite him to walk into the exam hall with you.
Rather than gritting our teeth through each stressful week, can we ask Jesus to teach us what it would look like to walk and work with him?
Share the burden
Finally, Jesus tells us that he “won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Stress feels heavy, right? It’s the weight on our shoulders, the expectations from our boss, the pressure of what other people think. So how can we live ‘freely and lightly’?
One thing that I’ve found really helpful here is getting other people involved in the things that stress me out. I can lie awake worrying about something that feels crushing at 3am, but simply talking it through the next morning can help me realise it wasn’t that big of a deal in the first place! Do you have a situation in your life right now that you are carrying the weight of by yourself? If so, here are two simple tips. Firstly, talk to a friend about it. Secondly, talk to God about it. Journal it, go for a prayer walk or whatever you find helpful.
This isn’t a 3-step program and there isn’t a one-size fits all answer. But Jesus tells us that even though the world is stressful, we can learn those unforced rhythms of grace. For me that means getting away with Jesus and unplugging from life every week, learning to walk and work with him by inviting him into my stressful situations and sharing the burdens so I can live freely and lightly.
Get Practical
Learning how to manage your stress takes practice, but it is definitely possible.
Here are 7 practical steps to managing stress.
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1.
Exercise
Working out regularly is one of the best ways to relax your body and mind. Plus, exercise will improve your mood. But you have to do it often for it to pay off.
2.
Relax Your Muscles
When you’re stressed, your muscles get tense. You can help loosen them up on your own and refresh your body by stretching, Enjoying a taking a hot bath or shower, getting a good night’s sleep.
3.
Deep Breathing
Stopping and taking a few deep breaths can take the pressure off you right away. You’ll be surprised how much better you feel once you get good at it.
4.
Eat Well
Eating a regular, well-balanced diet will help you feel better in general. It may also help control your moods. Your meals should be full of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean protein for energy.
5.
Slow Down
Look at your life and find small ways to slow down and take a break. You need to plan on some real downtime to give your mind time off from stress. Spending time in nature is good for you!
6.
Make Time for Hobbies
You need to set aside time for things you enjoy. Try to do something every day that makes you feel good, and it will help relieve your stress.
7.
Talk About Your Problems
If things are bothering you, talking about them can help lower your stress. Have you got people in your life who can help you reflect and pray? Get some external perspective on how to reduce stress in your life.
Soul Care
The most practical thing you can do to tackle stress is to care for your soul! When we are stressed out often our default is to work harder to try to eliminate our stressors but the bible encourages us to live our lives from a place of rest in God , which is a great challenge!
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest…
Hebrews 10
Here are some ways to begin to care for your soul if you are suffering from stress.
1. Recognise
Recognising the problem requires honest self-evaluation and humble confession. Psalm 139 ends with these words: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Some questions you might ask yourself are: What are the primary sources of my stress? How is this stressor affecting those around me? How often do I pray about the issues in my life causing me stress? How am I trusting God with my work, finances, health, relationships, and future?
2. Reach out
Stress can be isolating for many people but it can really help to share your struggles with a christian friend, pastor or small group leader and ask them to pray for you and with you. They don’t have to be experts!
3. Turn to God in Prayer
When you're overcome with anxiety, stress, and loss, more than ever, you need to turn to God. Make a list of the things that you are stressed out by starting with the smallest things and working your way up. Bring them one by one in prayer to God and ask Him to give you the gift of peace which ‘transcends all understanding’.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)
4. Meditate on the Word of God
Meditation is an ancient biblical practice that the medical community is only just catching on to. Meditation is a proven method of calming your mind and relieving stress. When we meditate on the bible we allow the word of God to shape our whole perspective on life.
Here are some examples of the Bible's stress relieving verses:
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
2 Peter 1:3(NIV)
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."
Matthew 11:28-30(NLT)
"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."
John 14:27(NLT)
"I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe."
Psalm 4:8(NLT)
5. Get grateful!
"I find that it's almost impossible to be stressed and praise God at the same time”
Cultivate gratitude in your life. Grateful people are happy people. Praise and worship shifts our focus away form ourselves and our problems to God who is the best source of peace and perspective on life.
Here is a great article on stress from the Mind and Soul Foundation:
https://www.mindandsoulfoundation.org/Articles/521828/Mind_and_Soul/Articles/STRESSED_OUT.aspx
Contributor: Sam Cook WoodlandsMetro Church, Bristol.
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