COPING WITH STRESS AS A BELIEVER

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

EVERYONE experiences the type of stress in their life that leaves them feeling overwhelmed and not knowing what to do.

Many Christians find themselves at a crossroads where they are stressed to the max, and not only is it sucking the joy out of life, but it is sapping their faith. While stressful days are inevitable, some believers say they have come up with several coping mechanisms to ensure they do not lose hope in the midst of overcoming taxing challenges.

Pray

This may seem like the obvious answer, but Tribune Religion reader Shelia said the first thing she does when she experiences lots of pressure is turn to God in prayer. “People may well say, ‘What in the world can prayer do when you are dealing with the tangible tension of stress?’ Prayer does everything. When you seek God during stressful moments, in prayer you allow Him to search your spirit. Sometimes you may may not even realise what the root of your stress is, and in turning it over to God, He is able to show you exactly why you are stressed and show you what you can actually do about it. You get wisdom from seeking God in prayer to navigate life’s crazy moments,” she said.

Read your Bible

Another coping mechanism for stressful times is reading the Word, said Stanley. He has developed a habit of constantly reading the Bible, but especially during testing times.

“These are the times when you are tempted the most to lose faith and disconnect from God. You feel like there is so much going on in your world and the world is caving in on you. Sometimes you can’t even see beyond your own struggles. So to get out of my own head I read the Word,” he said.

Stanley said he gets great encouragement from all of the biblical lessons and stories of people who have had to overcome very unique and difficult circumstances.

“Seeing how others have overcome through faith in God, it really strengthens my faith and reminds me that God is greater than any challenge that I will ever face,” he said. Praise and worship Diana said when she is feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, the best thing she can do is start praising and worshipping God.

“I had a situation when I needed a financial breakthrough. I was waiting on money to come through that I needed so badly. I couldn’t borrow any money from anyone. No one could help me out of the dilemma I was in, and I think I was the most stressed at that point. I couldn’t think about anything else; I couldn’t function at work because the pressure was just too much,” she said. “Then I remember the scripture that says, ‘In all things give God thanks’. I cranked up some worship music and just started reflecting on who God is and how many times He has not let me down. I started worshipping Him and praising Him for who He is. Can I tell you that after shifting my focus, I felt so much peace. I didn’t even care what happened concerning my financial matter.

When I cast my care on Him, He fought my battle and brought me out on the other side with a sound mind.”

Quiet your mind

Sometimes when she is stressed, Jordan just unplugs.

“I quiet my mind and remove all the competing voices – TV, radio social media; everything just feels like a clutter,” she said.

And in quiet her mind, Jordan said she is better able to hear the voice of God.

“A lot of us are stressed out because we do not know what to do. We are out of answers when it comes to the things life throws in our direction. But if we oddly just shut off the distractions, the competing voices, we are better able to hear the solution God is trying to give us for our problems. We can’t hear Him if we aren’t paying attention. We have to cut out all the noises and listen for His voice alone. The only way to do that is by giving God our undivided attention,” she said.