Happy Saturday all!

As we are winding down from a week of work and/or school, I want to share some practical and biblical ways to manage stress. After a week of turmoil or just simply working hard, our bodies need an outlet to release viciously stored stress and we need to make sure as Christians that we are using healthy outlets and not damaging ones. Before we get into the healthy ways, I would like to point out some unhealthy ways we have commonly tried to relieve our stress.

Most people go to food for stress relief. I am definitely guilty of using food as a comfort to which I have gained much weight as a result. Another unhealthy way to manage stress is doom scrolling on your phone. Most people associate doomscrolling with social media, but any time you are using a phone tablet or computer for mindless scrolling is considered doom scrolling. Most people aren’t opening up an actual book to take their mind off of stressors from the day. They resort to finding solace in whatever they are searching for or streaming online. Binge watching television shows is another unhealthy way to manage stress. Although we could find comfort in some television shows or movies watching them for a ridiculous amount of time or hours on end is not healthy for our brain health. Obviously there are several ways we can manage our stress in an unhealthy way, but I will only stick to these points for now. Okay, so now that I have went over the unhealthy ways let’s discuss better alternatives.

Instead of looking to comfort yourself with food, try feeding your soul the word of God! Often times the hunger that we have is spiritual, and we try to feed it naturally. Next time you have a long day or a week I encourage you to feed your spirit man with the word of God first and that will add balance to how you eat for fuel and not utter ruin. I hinted around my next point, which is to read a book instead of doomscrolling. I’m not saying it’s completely unhealthy to scroll on your phone or stream TV shows. What I am saying is the amount of time that we spend doing so can be unhealthy. Especially when that time isn’t balanced in the word of God. Most people, even Christians, spend more time watching TV and on their phones than they do in the presence of God whether it’s reading His word through prayer or just time in Worship at home. My final alternative for healthy stress relievers is exercise. Now this can be light exercise, such as taking a walk outside or a slight jog on the treadmill. You can also take it up a notch by doing interval exercises or strength training. The point is to move your body so that those endorphins can be released opposed to just sitting still and only absorbing what you see on your phone or television.

We were created for more than couch surfing and plastic screen absorption. Allow your mind to decompress the way God intended before the world made it easier to be mindlessly distracted for long periods of time. Eat, yes, but do not let your appetite overtake you. Watch tv, sure, but with limited time. Scroll if you must, but not for hours on end. These are things I have to constantly tell myself too and I don’t always get it right but the point is to keep trying. Managing stress is a lifelong task and no one is rushing you to be perfect just encouraging you to live in the peace that God has established for you – be blessed!