It seems unthinkable that you can actually get blessed beyond the point of being stressed; however there are weapons as Christians we can use to overcome stress and worry in our life. For those of you that are non-believers, just give some of these a try anyway as some of these suggestions can be employed by anyone. This is a basic outline that can help get you started on the road to overcoming stress:
Newest Add-on: Stand up, hold both arms out straight, do a deep slow inhale, hold for a few seconds then release slowly. As you repeat this slowly lower your arms down about 4 degrees each time. As you begin to feel more relaxed, imagine that you are an observer and that everything that is going on around you is a TV show you are watching. You are simply watching the show and are not directly involved in it. This was hard for me to do but I finally tried it and it worked! By imagining myself outside this situation I was better able to focus on a solution without getting so emotional that the emotion became the enemy. For you Star Trek fans, sometimes it pays to be Vulcan because getting upset about something doesn’t solve it; it just makes your body work harder and risks you having a stroke or a heart attack to name of few. Do I sound cold hearted? Not at all! I already have used this technique to help save someone’s life! If I cannot think calmly in a terrible situation, I am no use to that person and will fail. After I did what I needed to do, I did not hold back any feelings and gave a good cry. Holding our feelings in can damage us to. Even if it gives you a bad migraine, it is NECESSARY, and there are bio-feedback methods to stop and/or limit headache intensity, but that is another website and I will link that site when I am able.
1. Don’t
procrastinate! If the problem can be fixed and you are able to do it
sooner than later, this can help alleviate the "stewing" that can
occur when something is put off till later. If you cannot take care of the
situation immediately, stepping outside of the situation to reason the next
best options can be a worthwhile alternative. (See item 6).
2. Praise out the frustration. I have discovered
that praising God in the middle of your dilemma, even thanking Him helps to
greatly reduce the frustration part of stress that builds up when things are
going wrong. These are biblical related principals found in 1
Thessalonians
3. Walk away from the problem if possible.
Sometimes I find the best thing is to let a problem alone for a while.
Pray about it to get direction from the Lord and then come back to it
later. You would be surprised the difference this can make.
"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy
paths." Proverbs 3:6
4. Learn when to give up and give it to God: There
are some things that are just too much for us to handle. When we get to
that challenge, it is time to say "Jesus, I am giving this problem to you,
give me the grace to make it right within my spirit and let you keep it."
You would be amazed how much stress this can free you from. Again
it goes back to Proverbs 3:6.
5. Expect things might go wrong sometimes: If we
always think the day is going to be totally free of trouble, we fool ourselves
and set ourselves up for a really frustrating day. When I turn on my
computer for example, I anticipate that it may do something to act up from time
to time. By preparing ahead of time then I don't have the
"disappointment frustration" that develops. This is not like
you are wishing for or inviting trouble, it is just a prep to help you deal
with whatever may come you way. If you do by chance have a day that seems
free of trouble, well then you feel even better about it than if you hadn't
prepared for trouble. That “sign of relief" can be a real blessing.
as much as preparing for a possible "something might go wrong today so I
am going to beat the problem by praying and mentally preparing ahead of
time."
6. Try distancing yourself from the problem.
I was advised to step out of my situation and pretend I was watching it on a
television movie. As crazy as this sounded, it worked! Stepping outside for a
moment allowed my emotions to quiet down and think through more logical options
and solutions to the problem.
8. Understand what it really means to be blessed.
A lot of time we mistake blessings by just getting worldly things such as
increased pay, a new home, good health. But there are spiritual blessings
that are a much far greater reward to experience. You can find a lot of
these in Psalms, and think about the list of blessings Jesus preached in
Matthew 5:3-12
9. Access your blessings by asking. Sounds
simple, but do any of us really take enough time to do this. This is not
a selfish prayer, this is a prayer that helps you, blesses you and rescues you
from additional stress so you can be a blessing to others. This prayer of Jabez
I have been doing every morning found in 1 Chronicles 4:10.. I strongly
suggest reading the book "The
Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson to get the deeper understanding of
the power this pray and what it actually means to you.
10. You must wrestle for your blessing! Anything
worthwhile is worth fighting for. Observe what happened to Jacob in
Genesis 32:24 –30
11. Read or watch something funny. Reading
or watching something funny, talking to someone and finding something to
chuckle about. I read on a hollistic website how this is clinically proven to help reduce
your stress. I also heard a sermon preached about "
A Medicine called Laughter" For additional info link to the holistic site at here as well
as visit the main site at http://www.holisticonline.com/stress/stress_home.htm
This is just a scratch on the surface. I hope to eventually get a video sermon available on the web that will go into this subject in much greater depth. There is a lot more good information on this website that helps you access real happiness by learning the basics that enable you to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope this note of encouragement as been a help and a starting point. May today truly be your day of overcoming stress through blessings.