Managing Stress

How do you deal with stress? Does your stress seem to interrupt your daily life?

I have not been good at managing stress here lately. Between ball practice, cleaning house, finishing taxes, managing the finances of my grandparents chicken farm, attending a complicated door hardware class 1-1/2 hours away for three days, & trying to post on here regularly…. I’ve been stressed! So, I thought long and hard about things that help me manage stress. These are the top 10 ways I help manage my stress levels and I am currently incorporating them in my busy lifestyle!

1. Exercise. This can be a simple walk or a jog or an intense workout at the gym. Exercise actually boosts your “feeling good” endorphin’s, making you feel better – which helps lower your stress. Grab a friend and make it fun!
2. Social Interaction. Talk with a friend. My best friend Stephanie is amazing. She’s so helpful & always lends a good listening ear when I need it. It helps to talk with someone about what’s stressing you out to get it “off your chest”. Who knows, that person may be able to shed light on a solution that will help your stressful situation. Either way, it’s good to be able to vent to someone.
3. Get a pedicure. Anyone who knows me knows I hate spending money on useless things… One of these things is a pedicure; however, sometimes it’s worth the $20. To sit there in an awesome massage chair and let someone massage your feet for 1/2 hour to relieve stress and give you pretty toes? That’s not bad at all!
4. Get an actual massage. Massages are proven to help manage stress, but they benefit you for much more! Massages are worth it rather your hubs gives you a good massage or an actual masseuse.
5. Read a book. Get into a good book. Sometimes reading a story can take your focus off your stress for a while and put your focus on what you’re reading. You can rent books for free at your local library & you can sometimes find free ebooks online!
6. Go fishing or hunting. I’m not kidding. Being out in God’s creation hearing the birds chirping and feeling that soft gentle breeze. That always takes my stress away!! I love fishing! Here in Georgia, Turkey season is about to be full swing. Take advantage of it. Same effects of fishing. It’s like God’s natural way of giving us a psychologist. Even if you don’t intend to harvest a turkey, have your hubs take you to experience it. Being out in God’s nature is a natural psychologist, and it’s FREE!
7. Read your Bible & meditate on Gods word. This is a huge stress reliever for me. I complete daily Monday-Friday bible studies with Love God Greatly. You can purchase the new study (to the right of this page) or download the material on their website. It is an amazing stress reliever. You can read my story here, about how I used this Bible study to help cope with stress during one of the hardest times in my life.
8. Go hiking. Hiking always helps reduce stress! Same reasons for exercise – it increases your endorphin’s and makes you naturally feel better. Always use caution when hiking. I never recommend going along or without protection.
9. Listen to music. It’s been proven that music affects your mood. Listening to some uplifting music can help also increase your endorphin’s and make you feel better!
10. Stay positive and remember that you’re not perfect. Nobody is perfect. God didn’t intend for us to be perfect! There was only one man on this Earth who is perfect and He died for our sins. If you’re trying to live up to someone’s standards – stop. You are who you are. Look at things in a positive light, be optimistic instead of pessimistic. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. Look to your future instead of your past. BE POSITIVE.

It is my hope these tips will help you manage stress as they help me. Exercise, social interaction, pedicures, massages, reading, fishing & hunting, reading my Bible & meditating on God’s word, hiking, listening to music, and staying positive are just a few ways I am able to manage stress.

After I initially posted, a friend sent me his Sunday School lesson he taught several years ago. I loved it and wanted to share with all of you. He did a much better job than I did 🙂

10 WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

Matthew 11:28-30

1. Refresh daily with God’s Word. (Psalm 1:1-3)       Reading God’s Word :
   1. Will equip you with wisdom. (Prov. 3: 13-18)
   2. Will equip you with peace. (Phil. 4:6-7; John 14:27)
   3. Will equip you with comfort. (Ps. 23:4)
   4. Will equip you with faith. (Eph. 6:16)
2. Take a day each week to rest (Exodus 20:9-10)
3. Seek peace with others, including your spouse and children. Unresolved conflict can weigh on our hearts and cause a lot of anxiety. Pray for a heart of compassion and forgiveness. Romans 12:10-18. Ephesians 4:32
4. Learn to say NO. Volunteering for too many things doesn’t make you a saint; it makes you a workaholic.
5. Remember to do the will of God instead of the work of God. Let God do the work. Psalm 127:1
6. Take things one step at a time. Facing a mountain of projects can be overwhelming, even paralyzing. Instead of thinking about the insurmountable amount of work, just concentrate on the first step. God will give you the strength to get through these busy days. Job 31:4. Phil. 4:13
7. Plan ahead. Stress is often due to lack of planning.
8. Listen to Godly, wholesome music. I Samuel 16: 11-19, 23
9. Trust God. Psalm 27:1-14. HE is the controller of the universe, so you don’t have to be.
10. Pray: Psalm 34:4. “Why worry when you can pray?”

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart…” Psalm 27:14

• By Jimmy Phillips

if you have any tips or comments, please leave them below! I would love to hear them.

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