It’s 8:45 am, and you are suddenly faced with a detour sign on your way to work. Yikes! You have eight clients that will be waiting for you to start the meeting at 9:00 am. This is an important meeting, and you want to make a good impression. With your husband having just lost his job due to the economy and you being the sole breadwinner for the family, you have to stay on your toes. Your heart starts racing. You grip the steering wheel like it’s the only thing keeping you from spiraling out of control. Your muscles go rigid, and you become hyper, focused on the road and the person in front of you who insists on going the speed limit. Doesn’t he know that you are in the middle of a crisis? Why can’t he just pull over to the side and get out of your way?
The good news is that once you get to work, your body will start to recover from the stress you were feeling on the road. You may begin to breathe more slowly, sweat less, and your heart may start to slow down. The bad news is that the stress you are feeling about being the sole breadwinner for your family will probably linger like a flickering light switch in your body over time. Unless you do something physically and mentally to deal with the everyday detours as well as the ongoing demands of life, you may be at risk for succumbing to the symptoms of stress.
What is stress anyway? According to most experts in the field, it is any real or perceived demand put on us, whether it is physical, mental, or emotional. Our bodies are hard-wired to respond to stress. A little bit of stress is important for optimum performance, but too much of it is not good. When we feel stressed, our heart rate increases, muscles tense, immune and digestive systems slow down, breathing becomes shallow, and we sweat. These stress responses are a great to help us if we need to run away from or fight a tiger, but not so good if we experience them day after day after day…for things like traffic, work, financial worry, etc. The stress response can take a toll on our bodies after a while. It can weaken our immune systems, and we may become susceptible to all kinds of illnesses from colds to more serious afflictions. Ongoing stress can also lead to mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
One way to head off stress at the onset is to recognize when you are actually feeling stressed. Sounds simple, right? Well, it’s not always that easy to do, especially with accumulated stress. The most common symptom of stress is irritability. If you (or someone else) notices that you are chewing everyone’s head off lately, it might be a sign that stress is building up. Do you have changes in sleep or eating patterns? Do you experience fatigue often? Are you having difficulty with memory and concentration? These can all be stress-related symptoms.
So, what can we do to manage stress? First, take care of your body. We’ve all heard it before, first from our moms and then from our doctors. Get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat a balanced diet. Avoid alcohol and smoking because these substances can actually make stress symptoms worse. And don’t forget recreation; do something fun!
So what if you’re doing most of that now? Next, take care of your mind. Determine what you have control over and what is out of your control. Focus on the things that you can do. For instance, if your finances are your main source of stress, take an honest look at your income and expenses by setting up a budget and recording your financial history over the last several months (start out small). If you find that you are coming up short at the end of each month, look for ways to cut expenses, even small ways. You may be surprised how a few changes add up. There are plenty of financial websites and financial experts that offer tips that can help.
The key is feeling a sense of control over whatever is causing you stress by focusing on the things that you can do and then taking action. Another thing that you can do is look at your situation in as many different ways as possible. Elicit the help of a friend, family member, or counselor for this. The idea is to gain a more positive perspective.
So, maybe that detour on your way to work is actually a good thing. It might offer you a new, scenic route to work and the opportunity to hear a song on the radio that you absolutely love.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.