How Do We Stress Ourselves?

How Do We Stress Ourselves?

Excerpted from All Stressed Up and Everywhere to Go!

I (Gaylyn) was driving home one evening with my eight-year old, Timothy and we were in the middle of the biggest blizzard I’ve ever been in—and I’ve lived in Colorado for sixteen years. By the way, it was mid-October.

Driving down the divided highway, I struggled to see through the almost white-out conditions. As I inched along, suddenly my car began to spin. I found myself doing a 360 degree turn in the middle of the road. Timothy yelled, “Do it again, Mom. Do it again! That was fun.” Personally, I was terrified. I like a bit more control in my life!

When we stopped, to my horror, we were on the wrong side of the road, facing the oncoming traffic. It was amazing how God protected us from getting killed that night.

My perception of the situation was totally different than my son’s. He had no internal stress to bring to it, so he thought the spinning car ride was a blast. I, on the other hand, could see us getting creamed, like the drunk driver slamming into my car when I was in college.

We had the same stress situation, but totally different reactions, because of our different viewpoints.

The reason two people can have opposite reactions to the exact same situation is because of internal stress—the baggage they bring into the situation.

Let’s look at what internal stress is. It is the burden of unresolved mental and emotional stress we carry with us and bring to new stress situations.

Often we can’t distinguish between the stress caused by external events and the stress we already have within us. We tend to think it always comes from outside of us. The truth is that most of our stress comes from inside of us. It can easily make up more than half of the total pressure experienced in a difficult situation.

You can get 52 free stress-management tips.

Gary Wilkerson, President of World Challenge and Pastor of The Springs Church said about All Stressed Up and Everywhere to Go!

I recommend you take the time to read this important book. Stress can ruin your life, but Jesus offers a better way  The Biblical solutions and personal truths in this book can set your heart, mind and soul free. This book is a timely remedy for a culture consumed with pressure, over-scheduling, impossible deadlines and sleepless nights full of anxiety.  Read and be restored to the life God intended.

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