Healing From Chronic Stress and Reclaiming Peace

Janice –

Since I was young, I have been the type to overthink and stress about almost everything–from silly little things that most people wouldn’t think twice about to things that may be a bigger deal. What exactly was the root of this fear and anxiety? I don’t exactly know. But, I did carry it with me into adulthood: from worrying about not grating the cheese exactly right in someone else’s kitchen, to worrying about messing up my kids’ education, to worrying about the chaos in the world. The worries in my mind can be endless. 

I didn’t realize how much the stressful thoughts I allowed myself to dwell on were impacting my health. I started to notice that my stomach was often tight. I noticed I struggled to take deep breaths. I always felt on edge. My brain would race a million miles a second with all kinds of thoughts. My body was always tense. 

And so, I started remedying these physical symptoms with different herbs and supplements that I learned about. They always did the job until I stopped using them. What I didn’t realize was that although a supplement can help with a symptom, I also needed to make changes in my life to actually allow my body to heal—and not depend on supplements alone. 

As I am in the habit of doing, I cry out to God about all my problems. I have dozens and dozens of journal entries from over the years that all sound the same. But God is faithful and heard my cries. Slowly, sometimes painfully slow, and over time, God showed me little by little that all my worries and fears were rooted in not trusting Him. I was placing people on the throne in my heart instead of Him. As Sally Clarkson said, “God will not share the throne in my heart.” Sometimes we just need that blunt statement to knock us over the head to snap out of it. Thank you, Sally. 😉 

All of my stress, worries, and fears are rooted in not trusting God and not living with Him as the King of my life. This has been a great starting point for me to work from. I have also learned that God has provided me with practical steps to help my body recover from the stress I have put on it over the years. And that’s what I want to focus on in this blog post. As a believer, it has been easy for me to ask God to change certain things that I struggle with, and then just wait for Him to wave His “wand”  (my years of similar journal entries can attest to that). I’ve had years of the same struggle with no consistent change. What God has been showing me lately is that healing also requires action on my part. The physical and the spiritual go hand in hand. Why did it take me so long to understand this? I won’t dwell on that thought for too long, it just induces more stress. ;P 

I know a lot of others struggle in similar ways when it comes to stress and overwhelm. I want to share with you some of the practical changes I have made in my life that have helped me get out of that constant state of stress— also known as fight-or-flight. And guess what, it didn’t cost me a penny! 

7 OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL CHANGES I MADE TO GET OUT OF FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT

DEEP BREATHING EXERCISES 

It sounds crazy and maybe too simple, but this has been huge for me. In the past, as I would think about my to-do list for the day, my stomach would always become tight (my stomach is where I’d feel my stress).  I didn’t make the shallow breathing connection until a few years ago as I learned about adrenal health from some educational Instagram accounts. I won’t go into detail about how to do deep breathing exercises, because you can easily find them online. If you can relate to my struggle, it’s worth trying out. Since practicing deep breathing, I no longer experience that stomach stress and no longer need to purchase supplements for that specific issue. 

EAT WITHIN 30-60 MINUTES OF WAKING

I haven’t always been a breakfast person, simply because I wasn’t usually hungry first thing in the morning. When I learned how important it was for someone like me with struggling hormones to eat a nourishing breakfast, I decided to make that change. I started with having a small breakfast, even though I wasn’t hungry. After consistently having breakfast for a few days, I started waking up hungry! I notice now that when I don’t eat breakfast within that 60-minute window in the morning, my body starts to feel stress symptoms. Eating a nourishing breakfast has made a huge impact in my healing journey—not only breakfast, but eating a carb with a protein every few hours keeps my body from feeling stressed. 

(I have learned so much about hormone health from Carrie Korem (Vitt) on Instagram!)

NO CAFFEINE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

  I learned that having caffeine first thing in the morning on an empty stomach can increase cortisol levels. For someone like me, who is already running off of stress hormones, this is not a great move. I started noticing the connection too. Every time I would have caffeine on an empty stomach, my stomach would inevitably start to get tense again. So I switched things up. No caffeine before breakfast or on an empty stomach, and it has made a difference.

ELIMINATE STRESSORS WHERE I CAN

While I can’t eliminate all the stressors in my life, like the reality that I have to think of meals to make for my family for as long as I live, there were many stressors that I could avoid. I have become more aware of my capacity and how many commitments I can handle without feeling overwhelmed. I have learned to say no when I need to, without feeling guilt or shame. I have realized that I truly cannot do it all, and I was not created to do it all. I am still learning to focus on my row and not compare with others (though this can be a huge struggle for me). 

I stopped keeping up with current events, and anytime I am now presented with any negative news, I immediately talk to God about it. I don’t allow myself to dwell on things I cannot control, and I actively choose to trust God, and in return, experience His peace. I have unfollowed all social media accounts that focus on current events, especially in a hopeless way. I am a believer. I am never without hope! Praise God. I choose to focus on that. I appreciate this quote that I heard from Audrey Roloff, “His past faithfulness demands my present trust.” 

TAKE MY THOUGHTS CAPTIVE 

God has been teaching me a lot about my thoughts and inner dialogue lately. What I thought was humility in my self-talk, God showed me, was actually a combination of pride and self-condemnation—neither of which is godly.  I am currently still learning to discern my thoughts, which can be exhausting. I’ve learned that I can’t afford to have any negative thoughts about anything. Each negative thought that I had was draining me, therefore leaving me “lifeless”. It was affecting everything in my life: the way I homeschooled, cooked or didn’t cook meals, responded to conflict, was unmotivated, etc. I was making each decision based on how I was feeling and how I was feeling was determined by my unhealthy inner dialogue. I have learned that my thoughts can make or break me. I’m actively choosing to change the way I think. 

GET OUTSIDE AND MOVE

When I’m stressed, I default to hanging on the couch and dwelling on all the things that are overwhelming me. Who knew that getting outside in nature and moving my body would help regulate my mood and my thoughts. I have been actively choosing to go outside first thing each morning to say hello to the morning sun, our dog, and take a little walk around the yard. It truly has helped keep my stress down. I read something that suggested that everytime you’re overwhelmed or your thoughts are going crazy, get outside and go for a walk! This is something I’m trying to remember in moments of overwhelm. Being in nature and seeing all of God’s amazing creation around me, causes me to refocus on Him. That’s what it’s about: “fixing our eyes on Him” Hebrews 12:2. 

GET ENOUGH REST

Ok, this has been the simplest thing and I have realized how important it is. If I’m not well rested, I simply don’t function well. Sleep is especially important for women. I love this quote that I read from Joy Clarkson. She said,  “This is your gentle reminder that one time in the Bible, Elijah was like “God, I’m so mad! I want to die!” so God said, “Here’s some food. Why don’t you have a nap?” So Elijah slept, ate, and decided things weren’t so bad. Never underestimate the spiritual power of a nap and snack.” 

It’s so true! When I’m mad for no reason, I can often blame not having eaten for a few hours or not getting enough quality sleep. Late nights aren’t always worth it, and naps are always a good rescue plan. 

There you have it. These are the changes that I have made in my life that have helped me get out of a state of chronic stress– in constant fight-or-flight mode. This doesn’t mean that I no longer experience some stress or lows, but I have learned to ask myself these questions: What have I been consuming? What are my thoughts like? Have I been getting enough rest? Eating enough? I now bounce back quicker and no longer experience that tight stomach whenever I think about a simple to-do list. Praise God!