Dec. 18, 2008 - Stressful Times
I find myself during the holiday season every year feeling stressed out. I can tell by the way I bite my kids' heads off, constantly berate them for not doing what I think they should be doing, and, in general, cause everyone around me to become as grumpy as I am. I focus on the mess and clutter in my house and wonder out loud how anyone can stand to sit and play video games in the middle of a family room that resembles a warzone. And what about the nasty dishes that everyone leaves for the "kitchen fairy" to fly by and take care of? I can feel the tension taking over just thinking about it. Well, you get the idea. If you are totally not relating to any of this, then you might want to just skip the rest of this article. You will find it extremely boring.
My favorite scripture is Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." I believe this with all my heart, with every fiber of my being. My head and my heart both know that God is in complete control, but my body still goes haywire. My body reacts quite negatively to stressful situations. All of my energy is sucked out of me. My muscles tense up and ache. My digestive system misbehaves. My immune system goes into hiding. I've never been able to figure out how to tell my body not to react to stressful situations. For those of us who constantly battle with illness, stess can just make everything doubly difficult..
This year it seems that I have more stressors to cope with than usual. My husband found out last week that his company is closing down, which means that he will lose his job. He is our sole provider. We count on his paycheck and insurance coverage. (I work also, but I don't get paid for any of it.) We have 3 teenagers in our home and all the "stuff" that goes along with them. (I'm so thankful for my sweet 9-yr.-old.) I have a chronic illness that makes my health unpredictable. And then there's the economy!
Like I said before, I trust God to work all these things together for my good and for the good of my family, but my body just doesn't seem to get it. On top of that, this whole thing has a snowball effect: I'm stressed, so I'm sick. I'm sick, so I'm stressed.
Okay. Here's my plan of action. I'm going to read and think about God's promises. I'm going to take deep breaths. I'm going to drink chamomile tea. I'm going to stretch. I'm going to look for the positives in my kids. I'm going to ask my family nicely to help pick up around the house. I'm going to laugh. And I'm going to thank God for every blessing in my life.
Comments
Jan. 21, 2009 - your PF column
Posted by Anonymous
Hi,
I write the garden column for Positively Femine today, read your column today, and saw that your favorite Scripture is the very one I adopted as my verse for 2009. Proverbs 3:5-6
I hope this will turn out to be a joyful year for you and your family and that your finances will be solid too.
Terra
