Managing Stress

According to Alexander Loyd, who wrote a book entitled “The Healing Code,” 90% of all illness is related to stress.  The reports indicate that six of the leading causes of death are linked to stress—they are heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. 

When we find ourselves in a crisis moment of stress the body has a natural response that in laymen’s terms we call “fight or flight.”  What happens in these moments is that blood is redirected from the frontal lobe of our brain, our stomach, liver, and kidneys and directed to muscles that enable us to fight or flee the given situation.  Doctors tell us that during moments of intense stress even our immune system is temporarily shut down.

            

While this is a natural defensive mechanism of our bodies it can be dangerous if our stress level stays too high for too long a period.  As the old Greek motto says, “You will break the bow if you keep it always bent!”

In my studies on the subject of stress I found that managing stress is all about taking charge of our lives rather than allowing life to take charge of us.  Those who study human behavior tell us that the simple realization that we are in control of our life is the foundation of stress management.

I recommend that we begin to take control of our lives by taking control of four key areas:

• Control of our Thoughts:  Almost all models of stress management deal with "cognitive restructuring"--in simple terms that means changing our way of thinking.  We are told in Proverbs 23:7 that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  In Romans 12:2 we are challenged to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  In Philippians 4:8 we are told to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.  Albert Ellis, the pioneer of Rational Emotive Therapy, referred to negative thought patterns as “stinking thinking.”  I believe there is a lot of “stinking thinking” going on that is creating more stress in our lives.  We must step up and take control of our thoughts.

• Control of our Emotions:  In Philippians chapter four Paul deals with our anxieties and tells us not to be anxious about anything.  In this passage he presents two emotions that we are to incorporate into our lives in order to combat anxiety--joy and gratitude.  Our joy is not dependent on our circumstances because it has to be based "in the Lord."  As followers of Christ we can rejoice regardless of our circumstances.  The attitude of gratitude is the healthiest emotion we can have.  Perhaps taking the time to list things we can be thankful for would help our emotions to get under control.

• Control our Schedule:  I believe that my schedule is going to be full--the question is who and what is going to fill it.  If I don't schedule things by priority they will be scheduled by someone else who may not share my priorities.  Four of my priorities are prayer (daily time for scripture, meditation, and communication); rest (at least seven hours a night); exercise (four to five times a week); and eating (right food and right times).

• Control our Response:  I know that there will be circumstances and people that I cannot control.  I can't always control what happens to me but I can control what happens in me--that is my response to what happens.  There will be times when I can change a situation by avoiding or altering what is happening--these are the easier ones to handle.  There will other times when I can't change the situation so I must learn  to change my reaction by adapting or accepting what is happening. 

Take control of your life by controlling your thoughts, emotions, schedule, and response.  Even small steps towards control will empower you to take bigger steps as you sense you are capable, with God's help, of being in control of your life.