Stressed ?!?!?@?@?!@?!@?!?@

Stress it feels like sometimes I can never escape it...if I'm not feeling stressed, my clients are in panic because of it, and sometimes when I get home my husband stresses and then when I think I have it under control I take it on as well. Although past professors have taught that a little bit of stress can be good because it makes you preform. It also can cause you to be baker acted...lol i know I'm exaggerating!

I've been reading up on many articles and websites in order to give me and my clients some tools for when I or they are in stress to have tools on hand to use...Over my sessions I've come to learn a lot of different ways people handle stress so I thought I would give some tool to use as well!

1. Journal- using a stress journal can be a wonderful way to channel you stress out where you can be heard and not interrupted by someone else's stress or problems.  A stress journal can be also a way to identify things that make you stressed or trigger you to high emotions. Just think about it, if you journal while your stressed your more likely to write what is bothering you or on your mind, which means eventually you can train yourself, prepare yourself or use relaxation tools for when you encounter those hard to avoid triggers. An article suggest (which I agree with!) that you scale yourself 1 to 10 how happy you feel, how well you are working. By doing this it will also help you identify what are your most stressful triggers and what you can do to calm down.

2. Pray- when you feel overwhelmed, pause what you are doing, take a break, and just pray! Sometimes we forget our God is bigger then our worries. By taking a break you able to regain focus and be reminded who gives you strength to continue. I mean if anyone knows about stress it's Jesus! He knew he was going to be crucified and he was cool, calm, and relaxed.
Philippians 4:6 "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

3. Laughing- Be able to laugh at yourself. We are funny people...well i know I am. We make mistakes all the time it's part of life. If we learn to laugh at ourselves we will be more care free about our problems. Like the article I mentioned before said...next time you want to punch the copier think of how ridiculous it would look. I know I look funny when I grunt at work!
"Laughter is the best medicine for the soul."

4. Managing Anger- Most stress is caused by the angries as my clients would call it but unfortunately it's an emotion we cannot get rid of everybody gets mad...it's all about how you react to your emotions I like to tell my clients. Before you yell or react take some kind of pause to think about what is going to happen next (I like to call this stop and think). You can walk away, ask for a moment, take some deep breathes, or restate what was said. It is in that pause that you can think positive thoughts, pray, or recite bible verses before you respond in anger. I noticed that when i'm angry things are harder to get done then if I just relax.
"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering"-Star Wars

5. Try Empathy- I've had to learn this myself in my job. The more empathic I become the less angry or stressed I get. News Flash everyone is having a bad day and most times it's worse off then your day. When I'm having my panic attack over something not important my clients struggle with life threatening situations thinking this way has made me more understanding when things don't go exactly as planned.
Prov.19:8 "To acquire wisdom is to love oneself;

people who cherish understanding will prosper." NLT

6. Listen More- Reacting before you know what's going on happens alot to me. When you listen it helps you understand the problem more clearly and your mind starts working. Hey, it may not be as bad as it seems.

7.Re-prioritizing- Sometimes sharpening your time management skills helps reduce stress instantly. I know at my job I tend to focus on unimportant things at times which takes time from more important things. So re-evaluate where you spend your time...you may find adjusting that will help stop stretching yourself. Try taking this quiz (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_88.htm)

8. Relax- Take time or set a day of the week for the things you enjoy. I love cooking, shopping and vacationing with my husband. When I start to relax and become involved in the things I enjoy I forget all about stresses from my day. It has also been suggested by articles that I read that you can find a hobby to do, read a good book, exercise (as you sweat out the stress) ,get a massage or get your nails done every once and a while but find that thing that makes you relax and you look forward to every week.

It's so important that we take care of our temple that the Lord has given us. Your temple does not just include your body...it includes your mind as well. Satan will use these stress, worries, and doubts in your mind to keep your life from being happy and healthy. So please think of that next time you get stressed.

1 Peter 5:8
" Be Self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." NIV