Instead of propelling us to do more, it should prompt us to stop and spend time with Him. Stress is God’s way of grabbing our attention. Sometimes we simply have to pull back and say “no” to people, events, tasks, and even ourselves. Remember, God is not the author of stress (otherwise known as confusion and chaos) (1 Corinthians 14:33, NIV) – that’s the devil’s work. Our lives were simply not meant to have too much of anything in it. Its absolutely impossible to praise God and be stressed at the same time. A few of my favorite “de-stressing” scriptures: Philippians 4:6–7 2 Peter 1:3 Matthew 11:28–29 Matthew 6:34 Jeremiah 17:7–8 Psalm 4:8 John 14:27.Relate – Spend time with God in prayer and meditation. Remind yourself that you’re only human, but our sovereign God has your situation under His complete control. Relax – Read a book slowly drink a cup of coffee take a long hot, lavender-scented bath or do whatever it is you find absolutely relaxing. So, the next time you feel stressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed by life, family, work, “to do” lists, deadlines, _ (fill in the blank) – stop everything, and take time to relax, relate, and release: It may also indicate that we have stopped relying on Him for our daily strength. It can be a reminder that our lives have drifted away from Him. Life is way too complicated, and we are much too vulnerable in our human condition to ever escape the inevitable battles with stress. So, simply trust in God and you’ll never feel stressed again! If only it were really that easy. No matter what your trigger is, anxiety is usually an overwhelming response to our lack of trust in God and not enough time spent in His presence. Even too much of a good thing can cause stress (i.e., ministry or hospitality). Situations that are ambiguous or confusing often invite stress. When circumstances seem unpredictable or out of our control, we feel stress. It tends to creep up on us when we’re tired, sick, late to an appointment or work, approaching a deadline, thinking about finances, or when we’ve taken on too many responsibilities. It usually happens when we feel like we have lost control. STRESS that dirty little five-lettered word – is our physical and emotional response to the situations that threaten or somehow challenge us. Not to scare you, but research has shown that long-term stress can lead to ulcers, high blood pressure, and arthritis. Stress increases the likelihood of becoming ill, produces illness, and can even make it difficult to recover from illness. However, continuous exposure to stressors results in our body’s inability to handle stress as blood vessels, heart muscles, and other tissue may deteriorate from constant overstimulation.
In emergency situations, this response is beneficial as it propels us into action. Its your body’s immediate way of responding to what the brain has perceived as a “threatening” situation. You ever notice the changes your body undergoes when your anxiety increases? Usually there is an involuntary escalation in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rate. But ( sigh) it is so hard for me to actually find the time to relax, relate, and especially release. Whenever I become stressed, frustrated, and just plain overwhelmed with life, this phrase always pops into my head. Somehow – and someway – something stresses me out everyday. This is one of my favorite episodes and the phrase “relax, relate, release” has become a mantra that I use often. Thereafter, whenever Whitley becomes overwhelmed with emotion, she is encouraged to repeat the phrase “relax, relate, release”. Remember that episode of A Different World when Whitley Gilbert (played by Jasmine Guy) broke down during a session with the campus therapist (played by Debbie Allen) because she couldn’t get over the fact that her wealthy ex-boyfriend, Julian, had moved on? In this scene, the therapist grows tired of hearing her overly dramatic ranting about her ex, and encourages -or rather commands - her to let him go and move on herself.
0 kommentar(er)
