How to Prepare for Stress
Everyone experiences stress. An awareness of what goes on in the body when stressed is evidence of how fearfully and wonderfully God has made you.
He has designed your body with a coping system to deal with stress.
When stress begins, the tiny pituitary gland at the base of the brain — the repair-crew foreman — initiates protective response by secreting chemical messengers or hormones ACTH and STH. The blood system carries these agents to two small glands above the kidney and adrenal glands. The outside border of these glands, the cortex, then produces cortisone, and other messengers. The center of these glands produces adrenal hormones. These adrenal hormones instantly prepare the body to deal with the emergency. Proteins are drawn from the thymus and lymph glands which are broken down to form sugar necessary for quick energy. Blood sugar soars. Blood pressure rises; minerals are drawn from bones; fat is mobilized from storage deposits; an abnormal amount of salt is retained. Numerous other alert and standby precautions are made to equip the body for fight or flight.
Fortunately it is not necessary to understand the God designed miracle of all that. It is important to know a lot happens in your body when stressed.
God has provided an even more effective means of dealing with stress. William Wordsworth, the great English poet, descriptively spoke of the effect of solitude. “And I have felt the presence that disturbs me with joy of elevated thought.” Elevated thought is a therapeutic way of relieving stress.
Isaiah was familiar with stress resulting from the conflict with court and conditions. Out of his experience he wrote what was his and can be yours: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you. (Isaiah 26: 3)
The evening before His execution Jesus shared with His stressed disciples a truth that remains: “My peace I give to you: not as the world gives, I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14: 27)
Embed these truths and others like them in your mind so they can be drawn out like a file and applied. Thus, His peace can be yours. Much is to be gained from Scripture memorization. You will be amazed at how much you can memorize if you take in bite sizes and let each passage marinate in your mind. Slowly take it in. Continue the process.
Many people are manipulated by emotions rather than being regulated by reason so “….let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another ….” (Col. 3: 15, 16)
Resolve to pre-program your mind to deal with stressful circumstances.
Thus, you can cope more effectively.