USA Today reported on the physical consequences related to the stress people are under, especially over this last week. An article on September 19th - today as I write this - titled “Money Woes, Other Stresses Bring Unwanted Physical Response” says “As the market melts down, hurricanes wreak havoc, war grinds on and feelings of helplessness set in, stress goes up.” ComPsych, an employee assistance and wellness provider, has seen a 10% to 15% spike in calls since the weekend according to their vice president of health and wellness.
“The connection between mind/body is seamless,” says Linda Rosenberg, CEO of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. “There isn’t a separate brain and a separate body. What you’re thinking about has an effect on your physical well-being. General good health means good mental health.”
So what’s a Christian to do during times like this? We take care of ourselves in a variety of ways: Get plenty of sleep, eat well, engage in regular physical activity, review our investment portfolios, manage our time effectively and we care for our heart in a spiritual way. We do the very best we can to give our cares and worries to Jesus. We pray for our self and our leaders. We put our trust in Him. (Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 26: 3-4)) We spend more time with Him. We ask God for wisdom. (James 1:5-6) We remember that it’s in our trials that our faith has an opportunity to grow… we get opportunities to exercise our faith muscles at times like this.
And we invite Jesus to be our personal trainer.
See a listing of scriptures for faith in times of stress on my website.
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Dale Fletcher is the founder of Faith and Health Connection. A speaker and wellness coach who lives in Charlotte, NC, Dale conducts workshops and retreats on personal wellness/wholeness and the link between faith and health. He is a member of the Christian Medical Association, the Society for Spirituality, Theology & Health and the Christian Coaches Network. Connect with Dale at Faith and Health Connection .
