Nobody stresses me out more than me.
I am my own worst enemy.
Someone can talk about going somewhere and my mind is already planning the route, what time we need to leave, what the parking situation will be and how much it will cost.
That’s me. I never realized how bad it was until recently.
I can’t help myself. I’m always stressing myself out and mostly because I have always been a planner. Planning out routes and scenarios in my head. This is probably why I have issues with high blood pressure. I have always internalized my stress and it has worn my insides down over the years.
I guess I learned this growing up. My dad was strict and one that always had everything planned out and he was never late for anything. In fact, most of the time he was way too early. For him, being on time was the same as being late.
Of course, I can’t put this all on him. I have taken that start and built a pretty good layer on top of that.
I have tried to do better about this stress I put on myself. Prayer actually helps….when I take time to have a quality conversation with God. Too many times I say a prayer and it really was just going through the motions. When I actually take time and sit in silence before God and listen instead of doing all the talking, my stress melts away.
Did you know that God isn’t stressed about anything? Nothing takes Him by surprise. Even if we mess up and go against His will, He can work with it and make something out of it.
The Bible says that He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. I can’t say that I’m the same everyday. Some days are better and some days are worse. My mood tends to change daily at times.
I always remember the verse about “casting our cares on Jesus” and think I’m doing that but too many times I will attempt that and then pick those cares right back up and take them with me.
So what are things that work for me (when I actually do them)?
- Sit in silence (this is also when you will think about everything you need to be doing)
- Unplug from work - Our jobs take enough of our time and energy, when we take time off we need to turn it off.
- Take a timeout from social media - We waste too much time looking at our phones, scrolling and reading what others are saying. It’s too much.
- Enjoy nature - Nothing makes me feel closer to God than to get away on a trail or sitting next to the water and enjoying nature.
- Be in the moment - Stop yourself from thinking ahead, be in the moment you are in right now and enjoy it.
The Bible tells us to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." It works when we really do it. I will admit that it is very difficult to do.
I put a lot of pressure on myself but I need to learn to just shift down a gear or two and be in the moment and reign my mind in when it starts planning ahead or possible scenarios
