Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay
In our fast-paced world of pressure, competition, and a never-ending news cycle, chronic stress can overtake even the best of us. According to the National Library of Medicine, stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension caused by events or thoughts that make you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Not having a plan to cope with stress can lead to muscle tension, headaches, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, a weakened immune system, difficulty sleeping, and depression. Yet rather than become victims of the stressful world around us, we can combat stress by fortifying our bodies and spirits with fitness and faith.
The Harvard Health Letter cites many benefits of exercise to increase our resistance to stress (www.health.harvard.edu). Exercise reduces stress hormones and increases production of endorphins, which are the chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers and mood elevators. Getting your heart rate up changes the brain’s chemistry by increasing anti-anxiety neurochemicals such as serotonin, and it activates both the frontal regions of the brain responsible for organization and the amygdala, which enables us to react to threats to our survival. In addition, fitness leads to improvements in strength, endurance, and energy, which have the secondary benefit of improved self-image.
In our search for sense and stability in a chaotic world, faith can help ground us by creating meaning and purpose. The Mayo Clinic, in its column entitled “Mindfulness,” explains that the practice of some religion or spirituality can aid in stress management. It can help you cope with many perplexing and distressing questions that surround the meaning of existence. As religion focuses us on values of love and kindness, it lessens stress-producing feelings of anger and aggression.
Faith can provide hope and acceptance, and it encourages a sense of optimism and hopefulness, which teaches us to accept what does not work out and what we cannot control. Faith unites us with others; belonging to a religious organization can put you in contact with others who are less fortunate. This allows you to play a helping role, which shifts the focus from your own stresses to someone else’s. Finally, prayer and contemplation can result in a range of physical changes that reduce stress.
Standing strong against the many worries and stresses that block our way can seem impossible. But if we take that first step in the right direction, we can begin to feel some small amount of control over our response to stress.
Take active charge of your life and make a plan of action. We cannot control the events and demands around us, but we can be optimistic about the fact that moving our bodies can unlock positive brain chemistry, improve well-being, and increase energy. We can also turn to our faith to help us remember what is important and guide us toward peace. Take a breath, say a prayer, and focus on something beautiful. The burden is not ours alone. “In this world you will have trouble; but take heart, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
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