Pause, Pray, Plan: Mapping Strategies to Manage Stress

Stress has often been labeled as a silent killer. Its effects don’t only undermine physical health, but also impact our emotional and mental wellness. When we place too much expectation or activity on ourselves, the results of an overload will show.

Instead of savoring the gifts that life has to offer, we find ourselves in survival mode, trying to subsist on the fumes of leftover energy from one day to the next. We may not realize it, but the struggle associated with stress keeps us one stressful moment away from a crisis.

External pressure that is not balanced by internal resilience will cause us to implode. The lopsidedness of life without margin squeezes our capacity to dream and hope, despite the presence of stressors.

Stress builds its own frenzied momentum, frustrating instead of fueling us toward God-given dreams and purpose. Invariably, our lives and bodies, when crushed under the weight of stress, will tell a story of a purpose thwarted, not thriving.

God created us for nothing less and nothing different than abundance. As sons and daughters in God’s kingdom, we are formed for lives that overflow with peace and joy. We need to be aware that our enemy seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

Strategies to Manage Stress

Stress is one of the tools that he uses, flooding our thoughts and schedules with activities that fluster rather than fulfill (John 10:10). However, we can buffer our souls, building them up with spiritual truth and practical strategies that will manage our stress and make room for the God dreams we were intended to live.

Time.

So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. – Ephesians 5:15

We all begin with a balance of 168 hours each week. Often it isn’t until we burn out under the strain of stress that we assess our priorities and begin to organize our lives around them.

We don’t have to wait for a health incident or breakdown to initiate change. We can choose how to spend our time budget. It may seem like we are offering every resource to everyone and everything that doesn’t replenish, but we can decide to partner with the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to determine what we will give time and attention to and what we won’t. 

Activity.X

Even as we reassess our time and how to organize it, we need to set boundaries by prioritizing and protecting what we value. Difficulty has a way of revealing our loyalty to commitments that don’t align with who we are now, who we can be, or even who we want to become. It may seem that our present priorities compete with what’s needed to activate and realize destiny dreams.

However, God’s peace will guide us in identifying not only what makes good sense, but rather God-sense that aligns with His wisdom. How we spend our time now, because of what we want to experience later, will prompt us to corral time, attention, and activity around what matters in time and eternity.

Attention.

Focus is not about the absence of distraction, but rather what we choose to divert our attention. We cannot eliminate the noise of the world or even the disruptions that surface in our lives. There will always be matters to which we must attend, but working with a professional, a partner, or even God assigns priority status to the matters requiring our energy.

We select where to devote our energy and attention rather than succumbing to the stress of saying yes to too many, far too often. We can learn to manage stressors better by extending our commitment to the people, places, and pursuits that align with our purpose.

Regroup and re-commit to overcome stress.

Redirecting our selective attention isn’t just about ignoring or minimizing distractions, nor is it about simply shifting our concentration to the present. God has created us with purpose in mind, but we sometimes become overwhelmed with busyness. When we fail to see the fruit of our efforts or experience the fulfillment of our investment, we can become discouraged, losing sight of our original vision.

The best move we can make in that moment is to pause. Recalibrating in stillness with God can help us reset our vision, not only on what He values but also to recommit to what matters to us as well.

Pause.

Every vision won’t happen overnight. We often become weary when we don’t see the results that we imagined. Pausing to rest in the Lord’s presence is a proactive measure to guard ourselves against burnout. When we choose to regularly embrace stillness in God’s presence, we unburden ourselves of unnecessary loads. Quieting our soul offers fresh resolve to reaffirm pursuits with God that we would have otherwise abandoned.

Pray about your stress.

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9, ESV  

The secret place of prayer and contemplation prepares our hearts and minds to envision what is possible with God. the power of His Word stirs faith and activates our godly imagination to hope and believe what God wants to bring into our lives, beyond the scope of our present conditions.

Visualization acts as a dress rehearsal to experience this before it fully manifests in our lives. Many well-known personalities and accomplished people have practiced visualizing or imagining themselves experiencing a particular result, citing it as a strategy that leads to successful outcomes.

However, this practice is not reserved for those with celebrity status nor is it anchored in new age philosophy. Rather, God’s Word invites us, as sons and daughters to commune with God to experience what we have never seen, heard, or perceived.

And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end – it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” – Habakkuk 2:2

Scripture makes it clear that we become what we constantly behold (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we write and create mental pictures or visual images to detail the dreams that God has given, we rivet focus on a reality that God wants to create through us.

Through the prophet Habakkuk, God encourages us to make our vision distinct enough to read and refer to it regularly. Doing so equips us with the drive and discipline to run with God toward destiny.

Plan to overcome stress.

Dreaming is important, but so is planning. It helps us manage the tension between being fully present in our current conditions, yet hopeful and invested in advancing toward our expected end (Jeremiah 29:11). Any life or purpose project we take on will require us to count the costs in advance.

Yet, we can be sure that God invites us to dream with Him because He has graced us for what we cannot yet see. God’s wisdom outlines the wise steps that we need to take to steward the dream and manage stress.

Walking through the steps to arrive at our destination unfolds a process and a plan to map our course. That not only guides us toward what our hearts hope for in the long-term, but plans offer practical help.

They arrange schedules, balancing time and attention to accommodate the activities our dreams require, yet in manageable steps. Though we may not have met the goals that build out our dreams, the practice of envisioning it before we experience its tangible reality encourages us to keep going forward with God.

When our lives are overwhelmed by stress, we lack the fuel to take steps in and on purpose. As we follow the Holy Spirit’s lead, we learn to edit our activities and focus our attention. Doing so recovers the strength required to thrive in faithfulness, even when our assignments seem mundane or circumstances appear discouraging.

When we face a range of uncomfortable emotions and challenging conditions, our plan helps us to remember and recommit to what we need to do. The dream or the vision helps us remember why.

Next steps.

Left unattended and unmanaged, stress will strip all you’ve built, revealing legitimate needs that you may have ignored. That doesn’t have to be your reality, but your quality of life depends on embracing the truth you may have minimized in previous seasons.

What God has placed within is far too valuable to continually overload your life with stress that extinguishes life and dreams. If this resonates with you, take a moment to contact us at McKinney Christian Counseling in Texas. Schedule an appointment with a Christian counselor so you can begin to resuscitate the full life and purpose-filled dreams that God has intended for you to experience with Him.