Understanding and Dealing With Stress Biblically

How to respond to Stress, or to Manage it

Stress is a major problem in today’s society. In fact, possibly more people complain about stress in the twentieth century than those who suffer from depression. Stress is considered to be undesirable and sufficient to warrant a person to do whatever is necessary to free oneself from the problem.

Stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world. Common stress reactions include tension, irritability, inability to concentrate, and a variety of physical symptoms that include headache and a fast heartbeat. It's almost impossible to live without some stress. And most of us wouldn't want to, because it gives life some spice and excitement. But if stress gets out of control, it may harm your health, your relationships, and your enjoyment of life.

Examples of "overload" situations are common in today's world:

You and your spouse both work full time while you are raising your family. At the same time, your parents are retired, in ill health, and are dependent on your help with shopping and running errands.
You are a single person living alone, and your salary isn't rising as fast as the rate of inflation. It's getting harder each month to pay the bills.
You are a divorced parent and share the custody of your children with your former spouse. But the friction between the two of you on matters concerning the children is becoming more bitter and more frequent.
The expectations and competition at your workplace is becoming fierce. You find yourself coming in early, staying late, and taking on more work than you can handle.

I. What Are The Signs Of Stress?

Stress can cause both mental and physical symptoms. The effects of stress are different for different people.

The mental symptoms of stress include:

Tension
Irritability
Inability to concentrate
Feeling excessively tired
Trouble sleeping

The physical symptoms of stress include:

Dry mouth
A pounding heart
Difficulty breathing
Stomach upset
Frequent urination
Sweating palms
Tight muscles that may cause pain and trembling

Facts about stress

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, two-thirds of office visits to family doctors are for stress-related symptoms.
Almost everyone experiences events that they find difficult to cope with. In a recent poll, 89 percent of people said they had experienced serious stress in their lives.
According to one study, middle-aged men under severe stress who lacked emotional support were five times more likely to die within seven years than those who had the same amount of stress but had close personal ties.
A recent study indicated that stress-management programs may reduce the risk of heart problems, including heart attack, by up to 75 percent in people with heart disease.
Stress-related mental disorders have been called the fastest-growing occupational (work-related) disease in the U.S

Nice To Know:

Many addictions are linked to a stressful lifestyle, such as overeating, smoking, drinking, and drug abuse. These are used as an escape or a temporary way of "switching off" - but they do not address the underlying problem.

(Adapted from: ehealthmd.com “What Is Stress?”)

B. Origins of stress we experience in life.

1. Situations and events of life over which we have no or little control

a. Unpleasant situations or circumstances
b. Pressure from people which is felt in many ways
c. Expectations placed on you, or self-induced oughts
d. Uncertainties of life

2. Situations and events which were results of our own failure

a. Unrealistic standards we set for ourselves
b. Personal life style which results in undue stress
c. Personal sin habits and practices which brought stress:

we might get caught
guilt due to inner pressure from the Lord

d. Workaholic self imposed demands

3. Your inner thoughts (self-talk practices) about any of the above

4. Your personal attitude depending upon how you responded to any of the above.

Consider:

Many of us labor under a misconception about pressure.
We think of it as something from without which builds up the pressure within us.
Pressure does not come from the outside; we will see it originates from inside the person.
No other person can put you under pressure. You are the only one who can do that to yourself.
The pressures under which we labor are our responses to external circumstances, events, and people.

II. HOW TO RESPOND TO STRESS, OR TO MANAGE IT:

A. Contemporary methods of the world.

1. Prevent it if you can

2. Methods to respond to stress.

a. Attempt to avoid any and all stressful situations.
b. When you can’t reduce the stress, then learn to relax
and decrease its effect on your body.

B. The Biblical approach to stress.

Consider:

Stress or pressure does not come because you have too much to do.
Most of us instinctively respond to pressure by feeling that we have too many demands on our time or our life.
This reveals the idea that without external demands the pressure would be gone.
Stress truly comes from our own response to the things that are our obligation to do.
As a result of the wrong responses we suffer what we have to say about stress.

1. Recognize that God is in control; He is working His providential plans.

a. Gen. 50:20 - events take place for our good
b. I Cor. 10:13 -- God is in control, nothing can take place outside His will and plan. He limits testings, etc., God will not exceed your limits.
c. Phil. 2:13 -- It is God that is at work through everything that touches the life.

2. Choose to think Biblically -- Accept God’s workings for good:

a. Rom. 5:3-5 -- tribulation, pressures are meant for good, accept it.
b. James 1:2 -- count divers testings and trials as God at work for good, accept it.
c. I Pet. 4:12,13 -- God allows fiery trials to build us.

3. Thank God for the pressures.

a. Eph. 5:20 -- in everything give thanks
b. Phil. 4:6 -- in everything, by prayer, supplication, thanksgiving.

4. Ask for and expect wisdom from the trials (Rom. 5:3-5)

a. James 1:5 -- wisdom from, learning in, not trying to escape from...
b. To know how to change the sources of stress you produce in your own life.

• correct poor health habits
• correct poor time usage
• correct self-imposed pressures, know your limits
• correct poor work habits
• correct sinful thoughts and attitudes
• correct personal habits

c. To recognize God’s goals -- His will and plan. (I Thess. 5:18, 24;
I Pet. 5:10) -- His purpose to “perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

C. Our personal choices in stress and pressure.

1. Look for God’s good in the stress and pressures.

a. Rom. 8:28, 29 -- consider the chart about accepting God’s providence, and will.
b. Heb. 12:11 -- God’s chastening, (child-training) often comes through the medium of pressures and stress in life.
c. Matt. 11:28-30 -- Yoked to Christ we can see Him at work in our lives. We
need to learn from and of Him.
d. Gen. 50:20 -- They “thought all they did for evil,” God allowed all of it for good.

2. Accept the pressures and stress that they might accomplish good.

a. I Tim. 1:5 -- labor to build a pure heart, good conscience and faith unfeigned.
b. I Pet. 5:10 -- God is seeking to build our lives. (Note the list)
c. Phil. 4:11-13 -- God desires we would use stress for our benefit.

Here are some safety valves we must consider:

The safety valve of rest (Matt. 11:28-30)
The safety valve of prayer (Phil. 4:6-9)
The safety valve of planning ahead (Psa. 34:5,6; Prov. 3:5-6)
The safety valve of saying NO (Eph. 5:17; Col. 4:12; Psa. 37:23)
The safety valve of trusting God fully (Isa. 41:10-11; Psa. 61, 62, 63)
The safety valve of resting in His promises (Isa. 40:28-31)

Who Controls Your Thoughts?