Last week, I shared with you a few tips for dealing with stress. Those tips focused on the things you can do yourself to help you get through those difficult times. For this week’s post, I want to share with you two ways you can deal with stress by looking outside yourself and connecting with others.
Let’s jump in!
Reach out to others for support and guidance.
It’s important to remember that when going through stress, you are never alone. Each of us is surrounded by people who care about us, and we need to allow ourselves to rely on them when we’re dealing with difficult times.
Friends and family are great sources of support when you need it. Never underestimate the power of just having somebody to vent to, or a shoulder to cry on. The other person may not be able to help your situation directly, but they can ease the burden a little bit by being there for you and showing you that they care. It doesn’t sound like much. But when you’re stressed, it can go a long way.
Other people can also offer us guidance when we’re stuck and don’t know what to do. As we talked about last week, stress impacts the body, and that includes the brain. We don’t always do our best thinking under pressure. So it’s always a good idea to talk with someone you trust and get their advice on what you should do.
You never know. They might have a really helpful idea that never crossed your mind! But even if they don’t, talking the situation through with someone can help you process what’s happening and make better decisions.
The main thing is to remember that you don’t have to face any stressful situation by yourself. Your relational health is extremely important, and maintaining it during times of stress will help greatly in getting you through.
Stay connected to God.
And of course, we cannot forget about the importance of our spiritual health. A solid relationship with God is key to dealing with the stresses of life. He is our partner in every phase of our lives, including times when we struggle.
If we rely on Him, God will get us through. Scripture tells us over and over that God loves us and wants to carry our burdens for us. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” And that is the truth. He wants us to entrust every burden, every stress, and every anxiety to Him so that He can carry them with us.
My relationship with God has gotten me through a lot of stressful times. Without Him, I’m not sure I would have been able to get out of a lot of those situations as smoothly as I did. My relationship with God provides me comfort, wisdom, and strength that no earthly relationship can provide. And for that, I am so thankful.
Don’t let stress interfere with your relationship with God. Don’t put Him on the back burner when life gets hard. Just like with all other areas of fitness, it’s important that we actually prioritize our spiritual health when we’re stressed because that’s when we need it the most.
Stress is unavoidable, and it isn’t fun for anyone. But if we prepare for stress and go into it with an intentional plan, we can set ourselves up for success. We can get to the other side of stress and say, “Hey, I actually handled that pretty well.” I believe that these tips will help you do that if you will put them into practice.
Do you have any other strategies for handling stress? I’m always open to new suggestions. Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook!
I’m constantly trying to put these tips into practice and improve my stress-handling skills. It’s an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and it is my hope that you find healthy ways to deal with stress, too.
That’s all for this week. Join me next week as we talk more about improving in every area of our health.
To your fitness!