UGH Stress!
I was told today that my body was not just stressed but has been in a constant state of stress lately that even high blood pressure medication has not brought it down.
What is Stress?
I read this today:
Stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. In other words, it’s an omnipresent part of life. A stressful event can trigger the “fight-or-flight” response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body. Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When you feel threatened, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which rouse the body for emergency action. Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes can increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus. Stress can also help you rise to meet challenges. Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting the game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an exam when you’d rather be watching TV.
But beyond your comfort zone, stress stops being helpful and can start causing major damage to your mind and body.
Well My body was not acting in the good kinda stress but in the major damage kind to my mind and body, anyone else there right now? You mean Jesus loving Christian’s can let themselves get to this point?
So How do we release this pressure of stress and get our body functioning to full capacity so we can handle day-to-day occurrences without it actually bringing damage to our mind and body?
That is such a good question and one that I am always in pursuit of learning and practicing.
We can say that we cast our care on God and give Him all of our worries and fears and expect, just like that, we are happy and free, but it just does not work like that…unfortunately, it’s not magic. You have to work it, you have to do the casting or giving it over and the letting go. Just saying ” I cast my care to you” does not change it instantly. It takes a faith, assurance and a release of what you think you should be doing or allowing that weight to bear on your shoulders. If you let that overtake your thoughts it will eventually damage your internal organs. We need to understand what really is out of your hands, and settle it in our hearts that IT IS OUT OF YOUR HANDS! If you could have fixed it, it would be fixed already.
It really is an acceptance of freedom from the fear, anxiety, pain and the outcome that will set you free.
Managing our stress is extremely important, there’s some ideas to help you:
First Pray and give it to God and then trust Him but don’t stop there. Listen for instruction and implement what He leads you to do.It is also no surprise that people with a strong network of supportive friends and family members are better able to cope with life’s stressors. On the flip side, the more lonely and isolated you are, the less opportunity you have to utilize social engagement and the greater your vulnerability to stress.Exercise (for 30 minutes or more on most days) can lift your mood and help relieve stress, anxiety, anger, and frustration. It can also serve as a distraction to your worries, allowing you to find some quiet time and break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed stress and anxiety.Diet – The food you eat can also have a profound effect on your mood and how well you cope with life’s stressors. Eating a diet full of processed and convenience food, refined carbohydrates, and sugary snacks can worsen symptoms of stress while eating a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, high-quality protein, and healthy fats , can help you better cope with life’s ups and downs.A good night sleep- which might be hard when your mind is racing, but try to sleep as much as you can, put on some relaxing music and concentrate on the sounds and melodies to relax your mind and body.Your attitude and outlook- one that you truly believe that God is for you and not against you.Managing your emotions with positive affirmations about yourself when you fell like it or not. what you say about, you bring about. feelings change day-to-day but the Word of God concerning His love for you never changes, know who you are and who God created you to be.Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in temporary fixes that the world tells us will help, like, drugs, alcohol, sex, illegal activities, pornography, these things will only lead to more trouble and stress in your life and horrible consequences.
In this life we live in we will never be free from life’s stresses but we can learn how we can personally deal with it in a way that will help us and not harm us in the long run. Doing things you enjoy is a natural way to fight off stress. You don’t have to do a lot to find pleasure, you can find pleasure in simple things such as going for a drive,getting a massage, prayer and worship or chatting with a friend or reading a good book.
Try to do at least one thing every day that you enjoy, even if you only do it for 15 minutes a day to start and work up to the time you need to de-compress and enjoy the life God has so freely given us.
My prayer is that when stress or chronic stress tries to overtake you, that you can overtake it using the simple steps and let stress know who the boss of you really is!
What are your favorite things to do to redirect your stress?