It’s All About How You Handle Stress

What would life be like if we had no stress?  I won’t kid, it sounds pretty good to me.  No challenges, no heartaches, no crisis, no emergencies, no tough choices, no hassles.  Sign me up!

What is stress?

Stress is (technically, according to Webster’s):a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc., something that causes strong feelings of distress.

An alternate definition could be that tightness in your stomach when it is test time and you did not study, or when you are trying to talk to someone without stammering or trying to squeeze in a job while going to school.

It is how we handle stress that makes the difference.

Here’s the thing, we cannot live in a bubble, we cannot live and at the same time get away from the pressures of life.  It is just not possible.  We can have smooth days, smoother days and then we get some rough and tumble days.  There is no easy way around it and it is true–stress is bad for us.

How we handle stress, I think, depends on our outlook.  I believe sanity is found in accepting struggles and stress as a part of life. If we handle life calmly and rationally while we are being pressed, we can defeat the negative symptoms related to stress.

The secret is simple.

There is no such thing as easy street, no such thing as a simple life without hurdles and problems to contend with.  One of my all-time favorite words are from the book of Philippians 4:11.  It says this, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty … I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

Some days we are in need, some days we have plenty.  Some days are easy-peasy, some days feel all up hill.  The secret is that no matter what, remember this:  We can do everything because He gives us the strength to do so.

What are your stressors?  In what ways do you handle them?