As a Christian believer, do you worry about the stress-relieving techniques being a big too “new agey” ???? Maybe all of that, “look to the universe” or speak to “mother earth,” may scare you a bit. I definitely used to worry about it myself, until I realized that I can put God in everything that I do! And as believers, we should be seeking His guidance in ALL areas of our life.
Stress & Anxiety
Unfortunately busyness in life is not something that you can easily get around. I know we are all so very busy! Stress and Anxiety plagues us all day, everyday. In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded by stressors, such as work deadlines, traffic, family obligations, and even more of a pressure to want to make more time for God and a healthier lifestyle and feeling inadequate if you can’t! I am betting you rarely get a break long enough to relax and relieve the stress. Unfortunately, the over-activation of our stress hormones have been linked to high blood pressure, heart attacks, lower immunity, depression, anxiety, and more.
So how can you relieve stress and still stay focused on the Lord? Here are five easy stress relievers to get you started. And yes, these seem so easy and like “common sense,” but so important to make the time for each of these. Make small changes….
- Eat Well – yeppers! Seems so easy but we all know that it is not! I’m sure you being a very busy lady, eating on the go is a common thing. But start small and replacing bad items in your diet one by one. If it’s Diet Soda, start omitting one per day. If it’s processed foods, try replacing that with one salad each day. Remember, our bodies are God’s temple!! Before you open up that twinkie, think, “is this honoring to God’s body?”
1 Corinthian 6: 19-20 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
I am always here to help get you started, so don’t hesitate to ask. And check out my recipe book, Shake Life. I share so many tips on eating right, exercising and HOW I changed my life around. Not to mention 21 recipes!! CLICK here to get your free download.
- Dance! Sounds silly, right? But honestly, even Tony Robbins teaches about the importance of dancing, jumping up and down and just moving! Have you ever attended one of his conferences? I attended “Unleash the Power Within” conference years ago and was so incredibly exhausted because of all of the dancing and jumping up and down we did, lol! I felt like I was at a Zumba convention HA HA HA HA!! But honestly, it works!! There truly is psychological proof behind this. If you’re stressed, upset, sad or just in a funk, get up, put on some of your favorite music and just MOVE!! This truly is one of the quickest ways to relieve stress and release endorphins. And try being stressed while dancing to your favorite music; I dare you!! Check out my YouTube Channel HERE, I have so many dance fitness routines you can dance along with me. DON’T FORGET to subscribe, too!!
- Get a good night’s sleep – Sleep and stress tend to cause a vicious cycle – if you’re stressed, then you can’t sleep, which means you’re not prepared to handle the stress of the next day, leading to more stress. To relieve stress before bed, try some relaxation techniques (see below) and disconnect from technology as much as possible an hour before bedtime. To ensure the proper amount of rest (7-8 hours is recommended), set an alarm reminding you to go to bed. I don’t like to ever encourage sleep aids, but if sleeping is an issue you have had for years (this is my issue), try an all natural supplement, such as melatonin. I have found a 3 mg, chewable Melatonin works really well for me. Here’s a link to check it out: Buy Here
- Guided Meditation and Breathing – Being a believer, the thought of meditation can be intimidating, but don’t let it be. You can spend your time putting on some worship music or just instrumental music and use this time to pray. Or you can use the time to be still before the Lord. YouTube is also full of guided meditation that walk you through relaxation and breathing techniques. If you come across a meditation that mentions “the universe” or “mother earth”, do what I do and replace that with Jesus, God or the Holy Spirit. And of course, BREATHING: We do it all day, every day, and yet we often forget the healing powers of deep breathing. By slowing down your heart rate and lowering blood pressure, breathing deeply relieves stress. My mother, a licensed psychotherapist, uses breathing techniques daily with her patients to relieve their anxiety. And she will even be teaching this in our upcoming STRONGER TOGETHER Retreat. Click Here for info. Here’s a good guided meditation to do before bed; he works on breathing, too: Guided Meditation before Sleep
- Christian Yoga – maybe you weren’t aware that there is such a thing, but YES, there is! I am even going to be teaching Christian Yoga at my upcoming wellness retreat I am running with my mom! Click Here if you want more info about joining us. If you did not see my blog post I did about Christian yoga, Check it out HERE. There is a myth out there where many think you can’t do yoga if you’re a Christian; so so so not true!! Yoga is NOT a religion! So you can make yoga whatever you want it to be for you! I personally use my yoga practice as a time for prayer, focus on the Lord, listen to my worship music and just “Be Still and know that HE is God!” Check out the YouTube link below with one of my Christian Yoga workouts.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk9be1MoYcs[/embedyt]
All of these stress-relieving techniques seem so easy, right? Yet so often, all of these are the first to go. After having so many clients in the fitness coaching business, I see that healthy eating, fitness and most importantly, time with God, is the very first to go!! Yet, we make time for Facebook, watching TV, etc… It’s time to change our focus and make US number one!! And, NO, that’s not being selfish girlfriend!! If you don’t take care of you, who will? If you don’t love yourself, how can you love our creator, God???? (OUCH!!)
If you need help learning how to fit God into your everyday, make sure you get my Ebook: “But First, Pray,” Click Here to get it!! I teach you 4 very easy steps I took while learning how to put God first in my many days as a lonely single woman.
What you really need is a GIRLFRIEND GETAWAY!! Truly a way to put yourself first and relax, getaway, and meet some new friends. My mother and I have joined together to launch a STRONGER TOGETHER Wellness Retreat in the North Georgia Mountains on October 21st Just a sampling of what we’ll be doing…
- All Inclusive
- Spa Treatments
- Daily Prayer Time
- Christian Yoga
- Mindfulness Workshops (remember that meditation and breathing we spoke about…)
- Winery Tour
- Bonfire
and so so so much fun bonding with new girlfriends. Share this with a friend, sister, mother, daughter, or just YOU!!! Stay tuned; our 2019 Retreat is Oct 13-16; add to your calendar!!
And do let me know what stress relieving technique you are starting to add to your day….