Ten Stress Busters For Your Soul

Posted on September 14, 2015 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

Ten Stress Busters for Your Soul

What I am trying to do here is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. – Matthew 6:31-33 (The Message)

Stress. Stress. Stress. We all have it. We all face it daily. And it is eating us alive and for some, it’s actually killing us.

One doctor wrote: “ … on-going stress leads to linger effects on our souls. Physical exhaustion, inability to sleep, nightmares, depression, change in eating habits, irritability, anger explosions, withdrawing from meaningful conversation, a feeling of emptiness, sexual dysfunction, and escapist thinking all manifest in the soul!”

Stephen W. Smith say that “when stress is not dealt with properly, we can do bizarre, crazy, and never-before-considered things to relieve the pressures we feel. When the dam of unresolved stress bursts, we tend to act out, sometimes doing the unimaginable.”

In his book, Soul Custody: Choosing the Care for the One and Only You (David C. Cook), Smith gives 10 practical stress busters for our souls:

1. Practice the spiritual discipline of SLOWING DOWN.
2. Seek to explore WHAT is contributing to your stress.
3. Park in the parking place that is FURTHEST from your destination, not closest. PRAY as you walk. TALK IT OUT with the Lord.
4. How can you incorporate HUMOR into your life?
5. Decide to join what is called the SLOW FOOD movement.
6. Go to bed 30 MINUTES EARLIER every night for a month and evaluate how you feel.
7. Do something that gives you LIFE every day.
8. Choose ONE DAY A WEEK, perhaps your Sabbath, not to check voice-mail, e-mail, our use any form of technology. Give ALL ELECTRONICS a rest.
9. Become LESS AVAILABLE to people’s demands and more available to choices that lead to caring fror your soul.
10. WALK thirty minutes FIVE days a week at a steady pace and monitor how you feel after thirty days of practicing this.

Now go back and read Matthew 6:31-33 at the top of the page. How are you doing with the stress in your life. I confess, I struggle with stress. And you know what? Stress can be very addictive!!! Will you join me in working on at least three of the ten this week? I dare you – I double dog dare you!!!

How does stress affect you? How do you deal with the stress in your life? – Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick.

Daily Bible Reading: Judges 19-21; John 6:1-21

Think About This: Unresolved stress gets deposited right into our souls – the deepest part of ourselves. Stephen W. Smith

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Psalm 32:10