8 Practical Ways to Deal with Stress

Stress is a common experience with most people. At some point in our lives, we experience stress that overwhelms us to the point of mental paralysis. We feel as if we can no longer take a step forward. We struggle to breathe under the weight of stress.

Chronic stress is inflammatory and can cause physical ailments and mood disruptions. Finding ways to deal with stress will increase your likelihood of a longer and healthier life.

Ways to Deal with Stress

What can you do when you are stressed beyond your limit? First, remember that you are a child of God, a son or daughter of the Most High. God is aware of the pressure you are under, so turn to Him with your repentance, shouts for mercy, and requests for help. Sometimes God makes a path through a situation clearer. Other times, He gives us His strength to carry on during a challenging season.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:29-31, NIV

Below are some ways to deal with stress that you can apply today.

Pause and breathe

Stress can hit its hardest when we run ninety miles a minute with responsibilities, errands, house chores, work, family life, illness, and a hundred other things. We forget to stop and regroup. Think about military missions. When something is not working, the leaders pause to assess and regroup and find a way to come at the battle from a different angle.

How we deal with stress is much like a military battle. How much of your stress is due to events that have not happened? Are your thoughts imagining worst-case scenarios and feeding them to you as reality?

Take a few minutes daily to pause, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. You can use this time to meditate or pray. Or use the time to calm your mind and just exist in the present moment. How does your body feel? What do you smell? What do you hear?

Much of our stress is from future worries or past regrets. Force your mind to stay in the present and take one step at a time. What one thing can you do to make things easier on yourself?

Exercise and stretch

Stress comes as a result of our innate fight-or-flight response. When confronted with danger (like a hungry lion), our adrenaline rises so that we can either fight the lion or run away. Most of the time, we do not have a hungry lion chasing us. Instead, we have overdue bills, business failures, student debt, mortgage loans, illnesses, aging parents, and unruly children. Our bodies are unaware of the difference. The brain only knows we feel as if we are in danger.

Perhaps the answer is running away, not away from your responsibilities, but physically exerting your body. When you exercise, you increase your heart rate, strengthening your cardio output. Your brain releases endorphins that make you feel better and able to manage stress on another level. Chronic stress can make you physically ill, but you can negate these effects by exercising and taking time to stretch, or practicing yoga poses.

Avoid sugar and caffeine

Certain foods have been shown to worsen stress, anxiety, and depression. Processed foods, fast foods, foods and drinks high in sugar, and caffeinated drinks will raise your blood pressure, increase your sodium levels, trigger inflammation in the body, and contribute to obesity and diseases.

It may be difficult to stop if you consume these foods and drinks all your life. Instead, take a baby-step approach. Make a list of foods and beverages you know are high in sodium, sugar, and caffeine. Next, choose one to cut back on and eventually remove from your diet. For example, if you drink soda pop daily, consider reducing it to one every other day for a week. The following week, go every three days before you have one. Conquer each item on your list in this way.

Do something fun, but comforting.

When finding ways to deal with stress, we often forget to take time to do something fun. Choose a hobby or interest you can get lost in, a task you find comforting. What does that look like for you?

Is there a novel you read during a happier time in your life? Reread the book. Did you feel comfortable when your grandmother taught you to knit or when your father took you fishing? Spend a day knitting a sweater or fishing at a nearby lake. Choose an activity that you associate with happiness and comfort. You will feel a rush of serotonin as your brain makes the connection, relaxing your muscles and leaving you happy and peaceful.

Go to bed on time

Sleep deprivation makes it challenging to manage stress. Our levels of stress rise when our bodies and brains have not received a refreshing night’s sleep. Think of yourself like a mobile phone. If you travel, you know that eventually, you should reset your phone to avoid passing all the cell towers along your journey. Your body and brain work similarly. You need to reset from the day’s chaos.

To get a more restorative night’s sleep, begin shutting down your devices after dinner. Cue your brain that it is time for bed by forming a nightly routine. For example, you could straighten your room, take a bath, and read a book before bed. Or try spending ten minutes of light stretching followed by ten minutes of journaling.

Declutter your home and workspace

Researchers are now recognizing the link between clutter and anxiety. When your environment is cluttered and messy, it affects your psychological health. To release stress, you may need to consider removing things you no longer need or love.

If the thought of decluttering your home is overwhelming, take it in small steps. Try choosing a time frame of ten minutes to start. Choose a small area in your home or at work. For example, maybe spend ten minutes in a section of your bedroom tossing out the trash and finding things to donate. Tomorrow, spend ten minutes working on the kitchen table or countertop clutter. It will take time, but the stress level will decrease as you accomplish the daily tasks.

Share your burdens

When under a lot of stress, it is easier to hide. With the invention of social media, people only display the highlights and filtered versions of their lives, so you may be less likely to reach out to others for help. Yet, we were created to be social creatures having face-to-face interactions.

Consider sharing your burdens if you have someone you trust or a circle of close friends. You are not having a pity party. You are unpacking the stress you are under to others, so you do not have to carry it alone. Even the act of sharing will release some of that stress and enable you to leave the table feeling lighter. Confiding in others can also help to build relationships.

Christian Counseling for Stress Management

Do you need help brainstorming ways to deal with stress? Do you suspect that your stress is exacerbated by anxiety or depression? Are childhood memories, grief and loss, or the pandemic triggering your stress?

Contact a counselor at our location for help. Sometimes we need an unbiased person who cares about our well-being to listen to our hurts and fears so we can see clearly how to overcome challenges. Each counselor is a certified mental health practitioner and wants to walk alongside you as you start working toward your goals and embrace peace.