Do you feel like your at your breaking point with stress?
With what is going in the world, are your nerves frazzled, and your mind a whirlwind of anxious filled thoughts?
You are not alone. Within a few weeks, our days that had “stressful moments” seem to be full-blown with much bigger worries.
What can you do? The concerns and reality are real every day with the news.
I’m with you navigating this new world reality. What I know is, I don’t want to stay in a state of stress. No one is going to change that for me, but me. So let’s talk about some things you can put in place in your daily life to bring back some calm, and lessen your stress load.
Control what you listen to, to limit the stress
Taking control of your thoughts is not always so easy. There is so much bad news right now, that’s it’s hard to get away from it. You want to keep updated with what’s going on, but I find if I don’t limit what I let into my head, it gets out of control pretty fast. I can feel the stress taking hold of me physically with how I feel. So think about limiting how much news you listen to daily. Listen to your body. It will let you know when it’s’ done with it!
Pray more
I have been finding myself praying a lot! With a world that seems to be out of control, I’m praying to the one who will always be in control. It calms my heart and gives me a sense of peace in my soul. If stress tries to find its way in, I shoot up arrows of prayers! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray Without Ceasing” has taken on a new meaning for me! Pray for your family, yourself, your friends, and the world every time you feel stressed. Peace will find it’s way back to you.
Look at having extra time as a gift
How many times, did you wish you just had some more time in your day to get things done? I know this isn’t how you envisioned getting it, but it’s here. Time can be an unexpected gift if you let it be. Easier for introverts, but you may discover some new things about yourself in the extra time you’ve been given. When your life is filled with a lot of noise, it’s harder to hear your own thoughts and heart. Maybe give this time in your life a chance and see what it can teach you.
Keep up with your routines at home
Don’t let the stress take away your routines! You need that for a sense of normalcy in your day! Keep up with exercising, take your vitamins, cook meals, maybe a whole lot of new ones, and do what you always do, to keep your life moving forward. It can empower you with feeling like you have control over certain areas of your life.
Make some memory markers of this time
We will probably be talking about 2020 for a long time in the future. Think of the stories we can share with our kids and the talks with our family remembering this time. I have memory markers in my life where I can look back and remember stressful times in my life and remember God’s faithfulness and how he got me through it.
I pray this will be one of those times for you. As hard as it is today, I pray that someday you will look back on this time in history and remember how much your relationship with God grew, and how He was your anchor to help you get through these difficult days.
We will get through this stronger and our faith roots will have gone deeper. Don’t let stress steal what is rightfully yours. A life that can still have joy, free from anxiety and stress no matter what is going on in this world!
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Until next time, praying with you
~pat
