Managing Stress with the Word of God (Stress Management)

Managing Stress with the Word of God teaches you the Biblical principles and medical relaxation techniques for effective stress management.

EXCERPT
The first step of Christian stress management and the first thing that you should do when you are faced by any stressful situation is to seek the Lord and inquire from Him what you should do about it.
Pray and ask Him to fill you with the wisdom and understanding that His Spirit gives so that you may know the right thing to do regardless of whether your stressful situation is due to your health failing, your family fighting or your finances floundering.
Seek the Lord first and Do not be wise in your own eyes. (Proverbs 3:7) Do not rush to make any decision, speak hastily or hurry to do whatever you think may be the right thing to do at that particular time.
Learn from King Jehoshaphat how to reduce stress and ask for the Lord’s direction first. He did not first order his army to prepare for war even though one of their cities had already being captured by the attackers. He first sought the Lord to find out what they were to do about their stressful situation.
Cry out to Him even in an emergency for He says, Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. (Jeremiah 33:3) You may receive new insights or get a different outlook into your situation that will enable you make more constructive decisions.
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Seek the Lord First, Not Friends
Seek the Lord’s direction first before you seek the recommendations of friends and specialists for people are not able to see the entire picture as God is able to see it from His Heavenly perspective.
When Job was faced with his stressful situation, his friends thought God was punishing him because of his sinfulness and their advice was based on this understanding.
Nothing could have been further from the truth than this for in God’s own words, Job was a man who feared Him, was blameless, upright and shunned evil. (Job 1:8)
The same could be true for you. Your family and friends are looking at your stressful situation and interpreting it according to their insight and character. Their appraisal and advice may or may not be accurate.
Therefore, seek God’s advice first for He knows everything about your situation including the person who can best help you.
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Go to a Solitary Place to Pray
When you are dealing with a stressful situation, you need to regularly retreat to a solitary place where you can pray. Schedule a time and designate a place where you can go to be by yourself with God.
It can be just 10 min a day to begin with, but it is a sacred appointment that you must honor just as you would any other important meeting. It can be at any hour of the day but it must be at a time when you can be alone without interruptions. Mornings are the ideal time because you have not yet been encumbered by the stresses of the day.
Your solitary place should preferably be a private refuge where you can go and leave your stressors behind. It can be your bedroom, your office, a church or even a park that you pass by every day.
Once you are in your solitary place, write down all the things that are stressing you from the most distressing to the least distressing before you begin praying.
Writing down your problems enables you to express your feelings and say in written words exactly what is on your mind and in your heart without hurting anyone. Keep writing until you have nothing more to get off your chest and you feel relieved. This release will leave you less emotional and more objective about your stressful situation as you begin to pray for it.
If you are not able to physically leave your stressful situation and go to a solitary place, then you can escape to your solitary space.
You can create this space by mentally withdrawing from your surroundings. You can tune out the world and tune in to God in prayer as you walk to the bus stop every morning or even as you are driving home from work.