To the unaware and uninformed, stress can be a silent killer
Twenty first century living can be stressful to say the least. Regrettably, very few seem to escape the difficulty and challenges of life. What's a person to do? Over the years I’ve come to believe that a great key to surviving stress is not merely escaping it, but rather managing it.
For me, managing stress is the learned skill of stress reduction and dissipation. In order to survive the turbulence of this day and age we must become intentional about combating stress and work at perfecting the art.
“So how do I go about it?” you’re asking. Here are a few pointers that have worked for me over the years. Run them through your grid and see what you think.
1. Understand the seriousness of ignoring personal stress.
Stress and its side effects has now become a menacing dilemma for most people living in the U.S. Doctors now believe that stress contributes significantly to many of our modern diseases.
It is estimated that almost half of all doctor visits are stress related and anxiety reduction may now very well be the largest single business in the Western world!
Consequently, developing an awareness of the effects of stress, and how to deal with it is imperative.
See Phil. 4:6-8
2. Learn to recognize the signs of personal stress and what to do about it.
To the unaware and uninformed, stress can be a silent killer. Although its symptoms are varied for each individual, they are very real and carry a potential hazard if ignored or overlooked.
Here are just a few of the common symptoms related with stress.
• A constant feeling of being drained (emotionally and physically)
• An overwhelming feeling of frustration regarding certain situations or life in general
• Small decisions become major issues.
• Physical symptoms include; chronic fatigue, high blood pressure and unexplainable headaches.
• A marked loss of appreciation for people.
Stress management expert, Dr. Terry Lyles, says that stress can be easily overcome when one learns to recognize the symptoms and takes appropriate actions to defuse them.
See Mark 6:30-32
Conclusion
So what is it that’s stressing you? Is it people, situations, unrealistic expectations? Stress is triggered by different circumstances in every individual; nevertheless it’s a real threat that we all must learn to manage.
We’ll continue our look into stress in the next blog and learn some practical, biblical ways to combat it. In the mean time, try to identify and jot down on paper that which is stressing you.
Coach John
