There are two stress types, one is good for you and the other can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle of
- anxiety
- depression
I am not a doctor by any means I am just going off of my own personal experiences. I have been diagnosed by professional therapists with an anxiety disorder. The right kind of stress is not life altering and can actually benefit you, but the kind of stress I am going to be talking about will not.I would like to share how it has caused negative effects in my own life, and how I have learned to manage it.
What Anxiety Takes
I don’t know if this explains anything that maybe someone else has gone through, but personally, anxiety has taken way too much of my life from me, and I am ready to take it back. For many years it has stolen my peace and caused fear and panic. It has caused me to procrastinate. I used to think it meant that I was lazy, but now I realize my procrastination was just a way of coping with everything that was overwhelming, and guess what, things that stress can keep us from God’s perfect will for our life. So not only was I living in fear, but my anxiety and this particular stress type was keeping me from my life goals. It stole my joy and my happiness, and my identity. So I know by now whoever is reading this is wondering how I got through it. Well, let me be clear it’s not something that will just magically go away, but there are ways to combat this kind of life-altering stress.
How to Cope with Anxiety and Stress
Like I said before I am not a medical doctor these are just my own personal recommendations that I have used that have helped me get through my anxiety. What worked for me may not work for others. Each person’s experience is going to be a little different than the next.
- Get in the Word. There are so many comforting scriptures that will help you get through your moments of stress and anxiety. My favorite verse is found in 1 Peter 5:7, and I personally enjoy the NIV version, because it literally says, “to cast your anxieties on Him, because He cares.” If you are looking for chapters to turn to Psalms 91, and Psalms 40. If you’re looking for a book, then read Psalms. If you don’t have a Bible I will leave a few recommended below!
- Pray! Prayer is talking and communicating with God about your daily life. If you feel like you have no one to turn to, or you feel like a bother you’re not, but if you feel that way, please know that God will always be there ready to listen to you in moments of stress and happiness. He is there for both. If you are not sure where to start my favorite author who speaks on prayer is Stormie O’ Martin. I cannot speak enough about how amazing her prayer books are.
- Eat healthy foods! I cannot stress this enough. What we put into our bodies makes a huge difference in how our mood is. I will go more into this later, but I can tell you this always drink lots of water and take your vitamins.
- Worship music is so empowering. I love listening to worship music when I’m having a hard time. “You’re Going to be Okay,” and “You Say,” and “Blessings,” are three of my favorite songs that I turn to.
Click on the links below to see the beautiful. NIV Bible’s, and the book called, “The Power of a Praying Woman.” All of these can be purchased on Amazon, and worth every penny in my personal opinion.
There are honestly so many ways that I cope with anxiety, and stress that I will need to turn this into a two-part series. This is something that I am very passionate about, and something that I want to really go deeper with to help others who are going through this too. If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful please share it so that others can see it too! And if you have any suggestions to combat anxiety and stress leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you. Have a blessed and less stressful week!
