High Stress=Poor Health
It is just that simple. The studies have been done. All evidence leads to the same conclusion.
It's not that we can rid our lives of all stress, but we can learn to handle our stress in a healthy manner.
I needed this reminder this week!
Stress Management is not a new concept. I have a book that belonged to my Great Aunt..."How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie in 1944.
There were worries and stress in the 1940s? Yes...worries have been around since the beginning of time; they are present in our lives now, and they will be present until the Lord's return. The question is, how will we handle these stresses and worries? Do I let them consume my life, or do I hand it over to God and live my life with trust and faith in Him?
Our health depends on our coping mechanisms for stress, and whether we choose to allow God to work in our lives and help us to learn and draw closer to Him during our stressful days!
I laughed when I received an email from Fitness magazine this week (I receive so many emails from magazines and I have no idea why!!) and the title was ...
Beat Stress, Weigh Less: Calorie-Burning Yoga Workout
By Mary Christ Anderson
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/yoga/poses/beat-stress-weigh-less-calorie-burning-yoga-workout/?sssdmh=dm17.664848&esrc=nwftn042213c
Exercise is a proven way to reduce stress...but it is finding the time and making the time to get that exercise in your daily routine that makes the difference! As I have said before, I have a love/hate relationship with exercise! But it is a must to have a healthier life from not just the physical aspect but the mental as well.
Journaling also helps me hand my worries over to God and walk away. I received my first prayer journal as a teenager, and I have used this method of writing to really pour my heart out to God. I can process the things taking place in my life better when it is written down on paper. I use this time to write a letter to my heavenly Father. I know He reads every word as I write. When I don't feel I have the words to speak in prayer, I always have the words to write on paper!
Deep breaths are always relaxing when a normal moment quickly transforms into a stressful moment. (I am running late, lost my phone, my darling children are being whiny...so forth and so on.) As I talked about in the V-8 series that I did in a ladies Bible study a few years ago, 10 deep breaths a day can help clear your mind and cause you to feel God's peace immediately.
Just a moment alone with God can change my perspective as well. Our azalea bushes are in full bloom, and I was reminded of a moment last year this time when I was feeling stressed. On this particular day, I sat at the kitchen table for just a moment with my Bible. I was refreshed within minutes at the site of our brilliant white azaleas and a moment to spend with my heavenly Father. Keep a devotion app on your phone or a small Bible in your pocketbook to pull out anytime for encouragement. God will always send the right verse at the right time!
These are things that work for me, but it is remembering to use them that I sometimes need help with. I am thankful to be a part of this Online Bible Study, and my prayer is that God continues to do amazing things in our lives through this book and study!
Today's Verse
"Humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD, and he shall lift you up." James 4:10
PS - I had to come back and add this...
After I was finished posting (Which, for me is also a form of stress relief!), I hopped back into reality. My little one needed help putting a princess dress on. My oldest one needed to do her homework. It was time to start supper. There was backpacks to get organized and fix because of a broke zipper, outfits to lay out, lunches to pack and breakfast to prepare. I realized I was humming an old hymn the whole time. It doesn't matter what kind of day I am having...the worst one I can imagine...I can be frazzled to the utmost ends...and a hymn will suddenly pop in my mind. It can calm me and give me peace that can only come from God. I wish I could sing pretty, but unfortunately I cannot! But when nobody but God is listening (and my girls) I sing hymns like I am standing in the choir loft. They always make me smile!
http://mansionmoms.blogspot.com/p/v-8.html
http://mansionmoms.blogspot.com/2012/11/stopping-and-starting.html
http://mansionmoms.blogspot.com/2012/04/azaleas.html
I too have a love/hate relationship with exercise. I start out doing a great job with exercising, then a "blip" comes along and I get out of my routine. Time to get back into my routine. :-)
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