The most effective way to deal with stress

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23:6

In the break room of one particular office building in New York, an anonymous employee posted what was labeled the “Stress Diet.” Here’s what was written:

Breakfast: ½ grapefruit, 1 slice whole wheat bread, 8 ounces skim milk

Lunch: 4 ounces broiled chicken breast, 1 cup steamed zucchini, 1 Oreo cookie, 1 cup herbal tea

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Rest of the package of Oreo cookies, 1 quart Rocky Road ice cream, 1 jar hot fudge sauce

Dinner: 2 loaves garlic bread, large pepperoni and mushroom pizza, 3 candy bars, entire frozen cheesecake eaten directly from the freezer

When it comes to stress, it’s easy to slip into unhealthy ways of coping. Whether it be overeating, outbursts of anger, withdrawal, or some other way of managing stress, these unhealthy behaviors can actually make the problem of stress worse because once you’re done, you feel worse about yourself than you did before.

So what’s the best way to manage stress? It’s to have an understanding of both God’s goodness and His sovereignty. We have to see everything that happens as part of His plan—a plan He promises to work out for our good. So trust God with your stress. He’s in control, and He’s out for your good.

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you a heavenly perspective in dealing with stress, trusting both His goodness and His sovereignty.

Questions for Thought

What circumstances seem to push you to the limit stress-wise? Why do you think that is?

What would it look like for you to fully trust God’s goodness and sovereignty in those moments?