How Do You Trust God In Times Of Stress?

I’ve been saying it a lot recently, everything is just weird right now.

The stress has been real.

My kids have had bad attitudes, the teachers have had bad attitudes, people at church have been rude, strangers are mean to strangers. Even i have felt not like myself this last year.

It feels like every place you go these days there is a weird tension, a stress that carries through the interactions we have with each other in person and/or on social media.

I’m pretty sure we can all agree that things in general have just been on another level lately. And truthfully, i think we’re all just doing our best to survive.

Nothing has gone as planned the for at least the last 2 years which has left us feeling anxious, exhausted, and both mentally and physically stressed.

I feel like it helps to know that things we spend the most time worrying about are the things completely out of our control.

And if we want to protect our overall health it’s important that we become aware when the stress gets bad.

But to also remind ourselves that we do have some control in the situation.

Taking control of what you can to avoid any further illness or ailment on your body is the best action you can take towards caring for yourself in times of stress.

And then also have faith that God is in control of the rest.

So what does taking control of stress look like for you?

If you aren’t sure if what you’re dealing with even is stress, you can always use this free stress screening from Mental Health America to find out. 

Once you know what you are dealing with you have a better chance at actually tackling it. Have grace for yourself no matter where you’re at and don’t beat yourself up for being human.

Truthfully, I don’t think anyone has their stress handled 100%. Not one of us are perfect.

However, we can try every day to be better than we were the day before.

We can choose to smile at someone, or spend that extra time listening to our kid (even when we don’t want to), or even hold a door open for a stranger.

And to care for ourselves, we can schedule an appointment with a therapist or a coach. We can move our body in a way that we truly enjoy.

And if nothing else, we can also get down on our knees and give it all to God.

You don’t have to let your bad days define the good in the now and in the days ahead. You deserve so much better than that.

Joy can coexist in the middle of the madness we are living in. You just might have to search a little harder to find it some days.

Some days you may just need to sit and feel what you need to feel, and that’s okay too. Just don’t unpack and live there.

Try not to allow the stress to dictate any part of your mind. Don’t allow the enemy to take advantage of you where you are the most vulnerable.

Confront the stress you feel head on.

Make a list of all of the hard things you have conquered before in your life. Those things you made it through probably seemed impossible to overcome at one time.

But you made it through. You overcame. Now this new thing is just another bump in the road.

To help myself and others when we feel mentally stuck I like to ask these sort of challenging questions so that it enables a giant shift in perspective.

Hopefully this can help you too. So lets start.

What is the thing in your life right now that is bothering you the most?

What did you do during that time you overcame something hard that you could do again to help you overcome this new obstacle?

How can you react different this time that would be more helpful for your current situation?

This thing that you are stressing about, will it matter next month or even next week?

Now take inventory of the current influences in your life.

What are you consuming the most? Who are you listening to and getting advice from? How do these people make you feel?

Are you saying Yes or No to the things that don’t serve you?

Have you prayed or read your bible at all? Sometimes the answer we need is right in front of us. But we haven’t even asked God for his help to reveal any of it to us.

What reasons do you have for not wanting to deal with this thing? Are they legitimate reasons or are they actually excuses?

What is the outcome that would make you feel would the happiest?

Creating a game plan for dealing with stress by asking yourself these questions and journaling them is more helpful than you may think.

You will find that you will give yourself the answers you need and you will begin to connect the dots in the answers you and God find for yourself.

It won’t be hard for you to see what it is that’s been holding you back.

You don’t have to use these exact questions, you can come up with your own or look up others as well. The point is to ask the right questions that will help get you out of a mental funk caused by stress and anxiety. 

Living in survival mode isn’t just stressful, its suffocating. No body wants to be here. And that’s right where the enemy wants you to stay.

It’s a perfect opportunity for him to create a gap between you and all of the good that God wants for you and your life.

You were never meant to be in this place of constant stress and worry.

Even if your faith feels small right now, he will be patient with you as it grows.

Be still.

Allow God to speak to you through the hard times. He’ll remind you of the victories he has already overcome. He wont force you or misguide you. And He will fight all of your stress with and for you!

God wants you and your family to thrive. He wants more for you than you could even want for yourself.

Although the stress you feel is very real, remember who is ultimately in control.

Give it all to Him, and know that you are not in the fight alone.

No matter what it is you decide to do moving forward, just remember that one step at a time is sufficient.

Don’t overwhelm yourself even more like we sometimes tend to do. Start with wherever you are and with whatever you have. It’s okay to check things off one at a time.

Keep going!! I have faith in you 🙂