Life is an amazing privilege with many opportunities. But let’s face it: life is also really hard – especially when you are stressed out.
What Is Stress?
Stress is an unpleasant, yet common condition that rises when pressure mounts and stakes are high. It surfaces when work load is increased and deadlines loom. Furthermore, it grabs hold of you when the buck stops with you. Interestingly, during stressful situations, performance and character matter.
Stress can be short- or long-term. Most of us get through the short bursts. It’s long-term stress that takes a toll. Regardless, you can become stressed out in either case.
Stressed Out!
Everything changes when your world is threatened. Your time, energy, and schedule become side elements that run parallel to invading stressors. Yet, they still need to be managed. Even before you develop a management plan, you can be stressed out.
Sometimes stress lasts much longer than you ever dreamed. In fact, it can claim huge chunks of your life against your wishes. Additionally, stress can affect your health and well-being. Plus, it can negatively impact relationships.
Since stress is here to stay, what does it look like to manage stress? How do you get through it well?
Steps to Manage Being Stressed Out
You address drain every day. It’s inevitable. Additionally, your life sometimes changes without your permission. The most troublesome scenario is when stress is imposed on you by someone else’s terrible decisions. Consequently, how do you manage being stressed out with all these triggers?
Practical action steps help. Let’s look at some.
1. Pause
Start by stopping. That sounds odd! But, it’s true. Learn to pause. Breathe in and out. Feel your heart beat. Get your bearings. Resolve to respond, not react.
Then, choose to be thankful. For life. For blessings. Think of friends and supportive family. Look at creation and enjoy the calming beauty. To do this, it’s critical to pause.
Practice a pause daily. Even better, make a habit to pause several times a day.
2. Turn To God
In your pause, turn to God.
Equally, change your perspective to align with His perspective. Remember, He is in control. God remembers and loves you always. So, invite Him into your stress.
God has unlimited power. Furthermore, He has promised to help you through all stressful troubles. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33b) God is on your team. This is a clear “win” for you. Nevertheless, He’s not a genie to grant three wishes.
God promises to never leave you. (Deut. 31:6) He is close to you, ready to help with sleeves rolled up. In fact, every name God calls Himself matches your needs.
Since God intends to meet your needs, turn to Him.
3. Focus On God’s Names And Promises
A good place to begin focus on God’s names and promises is God’s Word.
First, consider Isaiah 9:6 – “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” These are some names He calls Himself.
Claim these names. Take them into your heart. There are great benefits. Counsel. Power. Belonging. Peace.
God calls you His friend and His child. Let Him be a Friend and a Dad to you.
Second, God gives many promises to help you live well, even in troubled times. Even when you are stressed out. Get into God’s Word and claim some of His many promises. You’ll be astounded to see many practical promises. Plus, they are “stress reducers.”
Isn’t this exactly what you need in any crisis?
Consider His names in the following chart. Then, ponder (and even journal) how God’s names match your needs.
| SCRIPTURE | GOD’S NAME | WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU |
| Psalm 62:7 | Rock | |
| Psalm 62:8 | Refuge | |
| I John 3:1 | Father | |
| John 15:15 | Friend | |
| Matthew 12:49-50 | Brother | |
| Psalm 28:7 | Shield | |
| Exodus 15:26 | Healer | |
| Hebrews 13:6 | Helper | |
| Psalm 23:1 | Shepherd |
There are many more names in Scripture you can pull from. So, get into God’s Word with eager expectation. Strategically, get God’s promises into you – and into your stress.
By the way, this chart of God’s names is one of the resources right out of my book, Reach Back: Intentionally Reaching Back To God, which you can find in our bookstore.
4. Make A Plan
We talked about God’s names and promises Now, apply these provisions in a practical way. Make a plan.
First, take what you discover about God’s names, and make them real in your stress. For example, seek and apply –
- Wisdom from Wonderful Counselor
- Power from Mighty God
- Intimacy and belonging from Everlasting Father.
- Peace from Prince of Peace.
Second, select specific promises that apply to your stressful scenario.
Third, these two elements (God’s names and God’s promises) when applied by faith – set the foundation for a good plan. Now, actually develop your plan. Remember to –
- Be practical.
- Keep it simple. Less is more.
- Record your plan.
- Keep it in front of you.
- Tweek your plan as you move through stress. And be flexible.
- Track progress as you manage stress.
- Thank God ahead of time even as you wait for answers.
Fourth – There’s another element of a good plan. Eliminate “self-induced” stress. You have enough daily stress to manage without adding to your load. Let go of unhelpful messages others put on you. Live for God’s approval – not approval of others. Incidentally, this is “the fear of the Lord” rather than “the fear of man.”
So, apply God’s names and promises as your foundation. Then, make a flexible, simple plan. Eliminate self-induced stress. Live in the fear of the Lord.
5. Practice Cheer
Cheer is not a feeling. It is a decision to have a specific perspective and disposition. You can celebrate something precious each day, even in stressful times. You don’t have to be stressed out. Instead, practice cheer.
If you exercise cheer, you will look back on difficult seasons and be amazed how many pleasant memories occupy the same time-line as stress. Daily cheer keeps you in touch with good that’s still present in life.
Daily cheer promotes hope.
6. Pursue Balance In Life
It’s critical to maintain a healthy approach to daily life. So, pursue balance in life.
Don’t let stress rob you of fun, healthy relationships, taking breaks, reading a good book, taking a vacation, etc.
Additionally, get good sleep. Exercise. Laugh. Enjoy sights, sounds, smells, and memories. Close your eyes, and bask in God’s goodness. It’s still all around you, and He is still with you.
Don’t sacrifice your daily devotional time alone with God. Decide to approach this time with eager expectation. Soon, you’ll be looking forward to what God has to share with you.
Enjoy life even during stress. Connect with God daily. Build into good times. Remember stress is part of life. A balanced person seeks to manage stress instead of getting stressed out.
7. Praise And Thank God
As you work to manage stress, and as you wait for God to keep His promises (and He will!), resolve to praise and thank God.
A grateful heart somehow produces energy and perspective – in good times and bad. Hab. 3:17-18 is so good. Basically, it says – even when everything goes terribly wrong, you can “be joyful in God your Savior.” It’s a decision – a choice.
Make the choice to praise and thank God. Why? Because that character is about you, not Him – or your situation.
8. Finish Well
Even if you must accept a new norm, determine to finish well. You started with a pause. End with a pause again. Tell God everything in your heart, even if you have unfinished processes. Tell Him your feelings and disappointments. Give Him your burdens.
Remarkably, He’s made Himself available to you. So, just be close to Him by faith. Accept His grace to enter new seasons. Trust He will help you manage the stresses on your plate. God is your Father and Friend – always loving and good.
So, plan to finish well even when you are in the middle of stress.
The Story Of A Tree
Workmen selected a tree on a hill top. They cut down other surrounding trees. Interestingly, this tree was left to bear up under stresses of wind and storm. It was exposed to burning sun. Alone on a hill top. Yes, exposed.
Over time, this tree was cut down to become the mast of a great ship. It provided strength and balance for the craft it was fixed to. The mast bore the stress of the ship’s heavy propulsion sails system.
The long-term stress it endured alone on the hill top became the strength of the ship. It brought hope to all who traveled the seas on it. The stress on the mast became stabilizing power and safety for others.
Application Thoughts And Questions
- Do you often feel stressed out?
- Will you follow the management steps in this content?
- Pause.
- Then, turn to God.
- Focus on God’s names and promises.
- Now, make a plan.
- Practice cheer.
- Pursue balance in life.
- Praise and thank God.
- Finally, finish well.
- Which names of God mean something special to you?
- What promises from God’s Word will you claim for your stress.
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