Often I get responses from people saying sth like this, "I feel I am on the verge of a breakdown. I just cant cope. My doctor says I am suffering from stress." Can the Word of God meet this need? I'm bold to say that it can.
One doctor defines stress as 'wear & tear on the personality which, if uncorrected, can result in physical or mental breakdown.' A British osteopath who has made a special study of stress, claims that it comes from 2 main causes : (1) too little change, or (2) too much change. He says that 'to function at peak efficiency, we all need a certain amount of novelty & change. However, when changes come too fast for us to cope with, the personality is put under tremendous stress.'
Have you heard of Dr Thomas H. Holmes? He is a recognised authority on stress & he measures stress in terms of 'units of change'.
(1) Death of a loved one - 100 units
(2) Divorce - 73
(3) Marriage - 50
(4) Pregnancy - 40
(5) Male & Female differences - 39
(6) Change in no. of arguments with spouse - 35
(7) Mortgage or loan for a major purchase - 31
(8) Change in responsiblity @ work/trouble with in-laws/child leaving home - 29
(9) Change in social activities/change in working hours or working conditions - 20
No one can handle more than 300 units of stress in a 12-mth period without suffering physically or emotionally during the nx 2 years. Holmes, of course, was speaking from a strictly human point of view - with God 'all things are possible'.
Psalm 139:23 "Search me O God, & know my heart, test me & know my anxious thoughts".
What then is the 1st step toward recovery from, or prevention of, stress? I identify what causes me to feel stressed.
What is one thing above all others tt makes me feel jumpy & irritable or gives me the feeling I cant cope? I keep questioning myself until I can pin down the things tt produce stress. After that I apply biblical principles that will not only modify its impact, but enable me to turn my weaknesses into strengths.
If you do not arrest the stress factors, you can be irritable & over-act to relatively trivial frustrations, laugh less, hv no inspiration fm bible reading & become plagued with feelings of inadequacy & self-doubt. Sometimes stress manifests itself physically eg tension headaches, indigestion/lack of appetite, ulcer in the stomach or acute stomach pains. I remembered feeling so stressed with my biz partners that I fell sick several times that year due to certain expectations fm me & handling personalities who are different from me & of course trying to accomplish too many things during the day.
So I've learnt that to cope with stress while dealing with different personalities be it in biz, in the cell, or at home, I have to try to overcome any rigidity in my personality. Flexibility is the opposite of rigidity. Rigidity is when a person clings to one's actions/attitudes even when objective conditions indicate a change is desirable.
I've learnt long ago to take a breather too - stop n smell the roses. Lastly, we owe it to God & ourselves to find out the source of stress and lay them on the cross. Then believe that God will help/guide you.
Psalm 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the hill - where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven & earth.
So, dont be stressed ok? I know Calvin.. u were v edgy yesterday over you know what! And tabby... r E l A x, you have such a beautiful smile, use it! Love, Mummy