The demands of modern life can be all-consuming, making it hard to mute the distractions around you and receive God’s peace, writes Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer
Stress. It’s a word none of us really likes but we’ve all come to accept. The unfortunate but undeniable fact is that you and I live in a stress-filled world. Student or teacher, stay-at-home mum or working professional, living in the country or residing in a city – stress seems to find us all.
I came across one article that said stress is the “new normal”. And I guess for many people that’s true. You don’t have to look very far to find the evidence of that. Drug companies produce numerous stress-reducing medicines. Shops make a fortune selling ‘stress balls’. Doctors, websites and employers offer a variety of ‘stress tests’. Stress is like a virus that just keeps spreading.
Virus
Many people have contracted the stress virus, but they don’t seem to realise it. Their friends and family see it. Their bosses and co-workers see it. Everyone around them knows that they’re stressed out, but they’re oblivious to it. They have not learned to recognise the symptoms of stress. They’re going about each day anxious, upset, worried, tense and frustrated, and they’ve just accepted this as a part of life. It’s their ‘new normal’.
This certainly was the case for me. I was highly stressed, but I didn’t know it. I just assumed this was how I was supposed to live. Stress became my new normal. Because of my personality and work ethic, I didn’t take the time to slow down and learn to prioritise my calendar or care for myself. I had a hundred plates spinning at once and I was determined to not let any of them fall.
The result of my well-intentioned but stubborn refusal to slow down was physical and emotional exhaustion. My body started breaking down and I would cry at the drop of a hat.
Finally, I went to see a doctor. I was sure he could simply give me some medicine to get me back on my feet again so I could continue meeting all the demands I was putting on myself. I’ll never forget what he told me: “Joyce, your physical and emotional problems are a result of stress. I think you need to make some changes.”
I began to read about stress, and with the Lord’s help, I could see that the doctor was right. Stress was hurting me physically and emotionally. But the Lord also began to show me that stress was hurting me spiritually. I was allowing the external pressures of my life to affect my internal peace and joy. If I didn’t make some major changes, I was never going to fully enjoy the life Jesus died to give me.
The more people I’ve talked to over the years, the more I’ve come to realise that my story isn’t that uncommon. As I share with friends how stressed and overwhelmed I felt at times, I’m usually met with understanding nods and I-know-exactly-what-you-mean reassurances. People from all walks of life have told me that at some point they, too, had to face the cold, hard truth that stress was keeping them from really living their best life.
Laughter
Stress is an indiscriminate thief. It will take whatever it can from whomever it can. Health, peace, rest, relationships, laughter – stress wants to take it all. Stress, pressure and anxiety are being reported by people all over the world at an alarming rate. There are studies too numerous to count that show we are a society overrun with stress. And this stress we face is having an alarming effect on the way we feel and act each day.
The National Institute of Mental Health says that “the continued strain on your body from routine stress may lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety disorder and other illnesses”.
Have you felt unsettled or discontented recently? Headaches, pain, fatigue, restlessness, lack of motivation, irritability, anger, sadness, overeating, social withdrawal – have you dealt with any of these lately? If so, it’s quite possible that you’re dealing with stress (whether you know it or not).
The stress you’re facing doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you. As a matter of fact, it just means you’re human. Once you realise that stress is trying to keep you from experiencing God’s best in your life, you can start making some necessary choices to change things.
1. Seek out social support
Studies show that isolation leads to elevated stress levels. As social beings, spending time with others is one of the best ways to improve our outlook. Spend time with family members who love and support you.
The local church is where the family of God gathers to worship him and encourage one another. Social groups of all kinds are all shown to reduce stress. If you don’t have anyone else to talk to, being able to process emotions with a counsellor can be a tremendous help in reducing stress and increasing overall emotional health.
2. Practice ‘shrug therapy’
There are some things in life you can control – what job you take, what friends you spend time with, how much coffee you drink and what time you go to bed. But there are other things you can’t control – what other people say or do, fluctuations in the economy, that rude driver on the motorway. How you react to things you can’t control will many times determine your stress level.
People who regularly get upset over small things are easily frustrated and highly stressed. People who shrug those things off are much happier.
3. Find your comfort zone
I’m convinced there would be much more happiness and less stress in the world if people would take the time to know themselves and their comfort zone and stay there. This extends beyond the workplace.
If you are involved with something that is stealing your joy or your health, that is not your comfort zone – get out of there as quickly as you can. Removing all the things from your schedule that aren’t bearing good fruit will greatly reduce your stress level and enable you to enjoy the things you choose to focus on.
4. Healthy diet and exercise
What you put in your body has a huge impact on your stress levels. Proper nutrition, proven supplements and an overall healthy diet are major influences on how you feel each day. I cannot state strongly enough the need for regular exercise. Many people think they don’t have time to exercise, but the truth is if you don’t take the time now, you may lose more time visiting doctors and having to be inactive and unproductive because you feel bad.
5. Schedule time to relax
Relaxation is not selfish or lazy. It is not slacking off. It’s a way of recharging your batteries – physical, emotional and spiritual – so that you can charge back into the fray at full strength the next day. You will get much more accomplished and live longer and healthier if you’ll take the time to treat yourself right.
There are thousands of ways you can relax. Whether it’s unwinding with music, reading a good book, taking a warm bath by candlelight, going for a walk, or engaging in a sport you enjoy, you know what relaxation feels like, and you know when it’s happening to you. I strongly encourage you to make relaxation a part of your daily life.
No matter how irritating, frustrating or stressful the situation is that you’re facing today, don’t let it steal your hope or decrease your joy. If you’ll trust God and learn to let go of the stress that is trying to hold you back, you’ll be amazed at how much better life can be.
Joyce Meyer is an author, practical Bible teacher and host of a TV and radio show in the US. This is an edited extract from her new book Overload: How to Unplug, Unwind and Unleash Yourself from the Pressure of Stress, published by Hodder & Stoughton.
Things to remember:
- Stress is capable of doing real physical, emotional, and spiritual damage. It’s not something to be trivialised and swept under the rug.
- Once you realise that stress is trying to keep you from experiencing God’s best in your life, you can start making some necessary choices to change things.
- Five ways to de-stress: seek out social support; practice ‘shrug therapy’; find your comfort zone… and stay there; nutrition, proven supplements, healthy diet, and exercise; schedule time to relax.