How to Shrug Off Your Stress

“Vacations are over-rated!” They aren’t of course.  What I was referring to, as I jokingly expressed this to my wife last night, was the challenge of trying to shrug off stress. 

stress

Depressurizing Stress

It took me at least 3 days to unwind on our recent vacation.  During this depressurizing period, it seemed as if the effects of stress (in terms of body aches and physical fatigue I was experiencing) were worse than when I was in the rhythms of working.

However, after my withdrawals were over, I was finally able to enter into the fullness of rest and joy that I believe God has intended for such needed life-breaks.

Re-entry Stress

Then comes “re-entry stress!”  You know what I mean.  Just when your body and mind adjust well to more rest and relaxation, then it’s time to get back to the normal work/rest routines. And your body, mind, and soul stage a coup screaming, “No, don’t make me!”

What’s the Answer?

Hmm… to live in endless vacation mode sounds kind of good!  Or, maybe we should just skip vacations all together and stay in a perpetual state of motion so we don’t realize how much stress we’re under, and just develop a numbness to it.

These, of course, are not viable options. One can even experience high levels of stress on vacation!  Have you ever had one of those stress-filled vacations? There is no way to eliminate stress all together in the sin-cursed world in which we live.  We can only manage it.

Managing Our Stress and Understanding Its Cause

There are many ways God has graciously given us to manage our stress.

    • Being in His Word regularly
    • Observing a weekly Sabbath
    • Regular exercise
    • Getting 7-8 hours a sleep per night

…are a few of the ways that have served me well.

Understanding one of the greatest causes for stress can also help. In many of the conversations I have had with those associated with KWM, one thing becomes evident: many times our stress is self-inflicted. It is caused by internal or external pressures to perform or to produce.  We wrongly believe that accomplishing what God is calling tus to do that it is all up to us. It’s not.  Psalm 127:1 is one of the many verses that makes this all too clear.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

 

Shrug Off Your Stress Through Surrender

We can release the stress of our overall work and specific tasks by…

    1. First, seeking God’s wisdom to be sure the work we are putting our hands and heart to is something He is orchestrating (as opposed to being self-imposed).
    2. Then, doing our work whole heartily for His glory (Col. 3:23-24)
    3. And, finally, by releasing the responsibility of the outcome to Him.

 

“We release the burden of our stress when we release the responsibility for the outcome to the Lord.”

 

I’d like to invite you to try this daily for a week (or perhaps even several times a day):

    1. Writing down the things that are causing you stress. (Or mentally acknowledging them throughout the day)
    2. Eliminating those things (if at all possible) that are causing you stress if they are not God orchestrated.
    3. For the things that can’t be changed or are just a part of your call from God, release the burden of that stress by praying (and even writing a bullet list in a journal):

 

Lord, unless you _____________ , (fill in the blank from the things your recorded from point #1 above) then I am laboring in vain. I release the outcome of this to you.”

 

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments:

  • Did this exercise help in shrugging off some of the stress you’re experiencing?

  • What are some other things that you do to manage stress in your life? (I would love to share some of your answers in a future post!)

 

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