Why do some feel the effects of stress, and others can let the stressors roll off their shoulders and not be affected at all? It’s been reported and studied that our genetics sometimes determines stress. We are a product of who we are, where we come from, and how our predecessors dealt with life. When we see our family dynamics operate and respond to life, we learn, pick their routine up, and carry the process forward.
When stress builds, we struggle.
The slightest events can overwhelm us.
We struggle with emotions, reactions, health, family, friends, and job.
How do you handle stress? Some throw up their hands, throw in the towel, and run as far as they can go! We saw many stressed individuals in Alaska. Why go to Alaska? It’s the end of the road and as far from their problems as they could imagine. How do I know this? They told me. If only they could get far enough away, then life would be better. Not so. If you are stressed where you are at, then you will be stressed where you go. There’s no panacea found anywhere, especially if you do not learn how to handle stress.
When you travel elsewhere, you will have different stressors. In Alaska, long nights to long days, extreme cold, and mosquitos as soon as it gets over freezing! Isolation is real. Cabin Fever is Real!
Where’s the best place to learn about stress? Well. For me, it’s simple. Learn where you are right now! You don’t have to move to the promised land to kick stress to the curb. You’ll only take it with you.
When you change jobs due to dissatisfaction, you will probably find the same feelings at a new location. Marriage? The same. Relationships? Friendships? Community?
Dealing With Stress
Learning to deal with stress from where we are is very important. Peel back the layers of what brought you to this point, analyze the condition, and let your revelation open the door to success!
There’s a favorite scripture I turn to often. It’s Paul writing a second letter to the church in Corinth. As he teaches and reaches from afar, there are times of instruction to help the church get a grip on what’s happening. Perhaps this is one way of looking at life.
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed;
we are perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed—
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NKJV
In the KJV, the words are more familiar to my mind, but the feelings are real. When we are hard-pressed, it is well to understand that we can allow it to crush us. The weight of the world is precisely that – the weight of the world! We struggle under the load, hoping to lift and carry, or at the very least, deflect the moment.
I’ve taught this often. Adam. Alone in the Garden. God says, “It’s not good for man to be alone…” Hence, Eve. A helper, one to the other. When one is down, then the other can help lighten the load. No force can defeat them when they are strong together. But watch them when they both fall to the weight. Doom. Gloom. Despair. Agony on me.
Just this morning, I needed my bride as a stress relief. Yesterday, she needed me. When we know our role, then we find success. Lose our vision of how to best help the other, who knows where the relationship will go. Perhaps many a divorce court is full of those with this problem.
Celebrate Your Wins
Victory in Jesus! Written by a man who will die prematurely from a stroke, E.M. Bartlett penned the words and melody to this song enjoyed worldwide and in many languages. We sing it in church, around the graveside, and in many a memorial service. Victory! In Jesus!
One of the best ways to celebrate a win is with a song, poem, scripture reading, or a shout of victory!
What works for you will be different than what works for me. Regardless of how you celebrate, let the Win be noted. That’s how you kick stress in the teeth!