Stress: How I view and manage the ups and downs

I’ll keep this brief so that you may carry on with your day but I want to share with you a particular perspective of mine, in hopes that it may help you manage your stress level a little better.

Let’s face it, stress is an everyday part of life and to be honest some types of stress can be good for you. Sometimes stress (good stress called eustress) can lead to innovation, radical improvements in productivity and even a better perspective on things. What I’ve come to realize, personally, is that I can have all of those things without necessarily having the physical burden put on my body. I won’t turn this into a health seminar but stress has been linked to all kinds of health problems, and according to Dr. Michael Roizen (yes he was on Oprah)Â can add years to your “real age” (the age in which your mind and body operates at – not your calendar age).

So you’re thinking just get to it already Justin… you said you weren’t going to make this long! Well you’re right so here you go.

My View of Stress

To me stress is a distraction. Stress is one of the many obstacles that we receive into our lives and we just kinda deal with as best we can. For a long time I felt that way but I realized that my mind and body was paying the price for something that I often times don’t have control of. Like many, stress leads to several thing including; lack of mental and physical rest, poor eating habits, and a very poor attitude. With so many “negatives” and too few “positives” I decided to pray a little more and do something about it. With that intitiave and insight from God I figured out that stress, for me, is merely another form of shallow faith. “How so?” you may ask. Well if I am to believe that God can and will handle it all then what am I really doing when I “stress out!” Well for me stressing out equates to wasted time, and being an entrepreneur wasted time equals wasted productivity (and money) further pushing my mind and body into a vicious cycle! So, since I’ve pretty much concluded that stress equals wasted time… I’ve simply decided to stop wasting my time and continue to keep my eyes fixed on God’s kingdom. You may be thinking that’s a fairly shallow explanation but the truth is… that’s it! If you disagree here’s an additional way of looking at it. As a believer, allowing stress to consume you does 4 things;

1. Erodes the connection between you and our Father
2. Distracts you long enough to miss God’s next blessing and opportunity
3. Prohibits you from being completely faithful
4. Causes harm to your physical temple.

I don’t know about you but #2 alone is enough for me to stay focused and to worry less. I absolutely hate feeling like I missed something. Anyway what are you thoughts? How do you manage stress? Let’s come up with a plan to maintain our focus and keep our minds, bodies, and spirits free and clear.