Christianity Oasis Forum

[Sylvia]

After last nights discussion; a couple people wanted me to list my notes on Christian ways of dealing with stress:
Jesus said "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest" Matt. 11:28

1. prayer. Pray always and don't wait to pray about it at bedtime. Pray in the moment of your stress.
2. Go to bed on time and get up on time. Rest is important during times of stress.
3. Say "No" to projects that won't fit into your schedule.
4. Delegate tasks to other capable people
5. Simplify your life. Get rid of unnecessary stuff in your life. Ask God to tell you what they are.
6. Allow extra time to do things.
7. Take one day at a time. let God take care of tomorrow
8. Separate worries from concern. If its a concern ask God what He would have you do and let go of the anxiety.
9. Live within your budget. Before you spend, ask God about it
10. Practice K.M.S. (Keep Your Mouth Shut) Don't get into needless arguments with people. Let God take care of them.
11. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting for something.
12. Find a time to be alone with God daily even if it has to be in the shower or in your car.
13. eat right. You need to be healthy during this time of stress.
14. Get organized. This will cut back on time spent looking for stuff.
15. Listen to Christian Music. It helps keep you centered.
16. Have a problem? Talk to God about it first. No matter how small you think the problem is. He wants us to ask Him for His help
17. Make friends with other Christians. Like in Oasis! God will use them in your life
18. Thank God daily for something. Even if its just that you got out of bed.
19. Laugh and Laugh some more.
20. Forgive others. Ask God to help you forgive. He will.
21. Be kind. determine in your heart that you will be kind.
22. slow down. You need time to be able to hear God's voice and gain inner and outer strength
24. Sit on your ego. Try and stay humble. Don't be ashamed to tell God you are having a problem with something or someone. He understands.

Luv Ya
Sylvia

[Dora]

Thank you for posting this sylvia.

Great ideas.
It is so important we eat healthy and sleep to help us deal with stress. I think many of us, including myself, let this slack when we are stressed.
Love ya

[foreverHis]

thank you Sylvia...good list

[susidivah]

This is great Sylvia! Sometimes when you are in the midst of all the chaos its soooo hard to stop and realize who's in control and that we CAN change our way of thinking and reaction to stress... the world has conditioned us so much to the fast pace "dog eat dog" mentality that it can shut out His voice easily.

Imma copy this list too to use for myself as well as at work...

Luv ya much Sylvia, and bless you for sharing HIM with us!
Susi

[Show Forth the Praises]

Thank you so much for the excellent words of wisdom, Sylvia.

I found items 1 - 24 very useful.

In my early retirement, I try to incorporate LESS work and duty, and MORE relaxation, play and leisure. So far, it's working out well.

Your sister in Christ--------

PAMELA

[Dora]

Hello Diane (humble angel)
Nice to meet ya.
I to find it peaceful to look at the sky.
Can totally understand what you are saying.
Hope to catch up to you in chat sometime.

[---]

I have been so stressed out to the point that it has made me physically ill, I'm 33 & just had my gall bladder removed, found out I have a bacteria in my stomach called H Pylori & Gastritis. I'm on anti-depressants, Valium & narcotic pain relievers for tension headaches. I've dropped 34 lbs in 4 mos because I can't eat without having bad stomach problems, I can't keep anything in & stress makes it so much worse. My job as a caseworker for the state has seem to become so impossible to keep up with everything needed to be a good worker, there's too many people to service in the community, not enough time & time limits we are under. They have implemented a new system to work our cases in that was supposed to be faster & smarter but there have been problems after problems & so we don't hear good things from our clients. I pray & pray but as soon as I walk into that building, I get sick. My daughter who will be 13 this Thursday told me she did "something" with a boy for the 1st time. I took her to the dr to have a female exam, as I thought this was the right thing to do no? Well, CPS has been notified. I so did not expect this from her. I have yet to hear from CPS & this has been a few mos ago but I found more innappropriprate pictures in my phone she has sent to a boy, this was not the 1st time. I now have her in therapy & watch her like a hawk. I laid in bed tonight & just felt so totally alone & overwhelmed while I was praying & started just crying so I got up needing to get this off of my chest. Sylvia, I'm printing out a copy of that list because I so needed it right now & will read it & pray daily because this is all a daily battle with me. I went looking for help & when I read you list I felt like God guided me here to this list & I somewhat felt some relief. Please pray for me & my family. I'm tired & weary. I just want to lay in bed & sleep the time away & not deal with life anymore. Thanks so much again...(sorry to have written a book)

[comfy]

God's Love, that's awful, but I'm glad you're sticking with her to do all you can to keep her from doing what is wrong to herself.

"'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.'"
(Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus calls to "all" > so He has hope for "all" of us to have this perfect rest.

He says, "learn from Me" > we learn from Jesus and then we can live more stress-free lives. It is not a self-help thingy, but we need Jesus, and I'd say how He desires us to share with and help each other, since we are "members of one another" (see Romans 12:5, Ephesians 4:25). God has us, so we need each other > we are part of His healing medicine >

"Confess your trespasses to one another,
and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
(James 5:16)

In my case, how I see and understand people can get me into stress. I can get very busy with criticizing people and imagining ways to control them, instead of first caring about problem people and ones I imagine to be a problem. As I get into more of caring first about each person who comes to mind to be a problem, I find the person can even disappear very quickly from my memory > perhaps Satan does not bring people to mind for prayer

Once I was trying to change Internet-phone servers, and I got quite a variety of service, anything except simply taking care of me. I got to meet with various overseas workers, then got patched through to a woman who flirted and then tried to make a sale. I was getting pretty angry and walking in circles for maybe hours, imagining ways to make them do what I wanted. But it was coming to me, how that was not loving those people. God wanted me to *first* be concerned about caring about them, not just trying to use and control them for what I wanted. Then He helped me out of that nasty semi-raging stuff and paranoid imagining how I might talk to them, and I got into peace and caring and being ready to be supportive and encouraging and blessing with each one, no matter what they did.

Then things fit and worked together, and I was as a cheerful and best friend to each one, thanking them for whatever they did. I was a different person. So, I'd say loving and caring "aggressively" worked very well. But first I needed to wait on God to clear me of the stress and messy and nasty stuff, then I still needed how He would want me loving, instead, and blessing.

And it has come to me, recently, how I must not be criticizing people and thinking of how I would straighten them out . . . God can do better with people, than how I might straighten people out; so I need to trust You to do good with each person, better than I can think and hope and pray