by Rebekah Fedrowitz
I stood in my kitchen, resting my weight on my counter from the soul-sucking exhaustion of yet another battle with stress. I wanted to believe that with the next move, a new city, a different house, success in my job, or relief from my husband’s current project, it would be better. It would be easier then, right? But in my heart, I knew those things had nothing to do with it. I looked at my husband and I said the must truthful words I’d uttered in a long time. “Stress is my cancer. It’s our family’s cancer.” We knew our struggle with stress had to be fully healed or the next city, the next job, the next “great” adventure would only lead to another relapse.
Stress is such a common word that carries different meaning for everyone. The state of stress is so accepted as a way of life these days that we rarely give it much thought until it’s taken the life we love and distorted it (and us) into something we don’t even recognize. But we need to begin recognizing stress for the disease that it is. This state of existence that we have conformed to is causing us to become deformed from who God created us to be and collapse under its pressure.
Why then do we do it?
I would say it’s our modern culture, which in many ways isn’t wrong, but the reality is this isn’t a new issue at all. In Isaiah 30:15 as God is speaking to the Israelites about their struggles, he tells them that they are in the place they are because they wouldn’t have any part of his call to rest in him. Instead of finding strength in quietness and confidence, they were striving to earn and that created stress and struggle.
We’ve been living in stress for centuries, and God’s been giving us an out the whole time. Let’s take what is ours and heal from stress so we can live the abundant life and purpose he planned for us. But how? If it were as simple as that, wouldn’t more people be doing it?
Healing from stress is surprisingly simple, but it’s not always easy. In order to heal, we must address both the spiritual and the physical impact of stress. Physically speaking, stress can lead to numerous diseases and imbalances in the body, from digestive challenges to hormonal imbalances to mental health issues. But spiritual health is foundational to all health, and I believe much of our stress is rooted in misguided faith. The journey to healing from stress supports both the body and the spirit.
Here are three steps you can take to support your body, mind, and spirit as you recover from stress:
1. Reprioritize
We are called to seek God above everything else. The Message version of Matthew 6:33 says to “steep your life in God-reality, God-Initiative, God-provisions…[and] you’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”
When we are stressed, the first place to look is at our priorities. What are we seeking first? A clean house? Good health? A successful career? A smart child? We don’t usually intend to place these things before God or even before our families, but our actions eventually lead us to doing so.
This step may be the hardest of them all because it takes some deep assessing, but it’s essential to success. Psalm 139:23-24 reminds us to ask God to search our hearts. Start there. Ask God to show you where your priorities have become skewed so you can re-center and place your energies in the right place.
2. Let Faith Guide You
I recently read something about faith that caused me to realize how much I was relying on my belief of things more than my trust in God. Belief takes comprehension that something is possible. But faith – it has to go beyond that. Faith is trust when belief runs out.
When we live our lives based on belief, we have to work really hard to do everything we can to ensure something will happen. This leads to so much stress because enough will never be enough. Instead, we must be guided by faith, trusting in what we can’t quite wrap our heads around. God promises to take care of us and to provide all of our needs, so trust that, even when you don’t believe it. You can rest in him, even when it feels like you have so much to do to ensure things turn out as you want.
3. Eat a Stress-Healing Diet
The biochemical reaction of stress can place increased demands on your body and can lead to disruptions in normal processes, like digestion and hormone production. It’s essential that we eat in a way that supports the weaknesses and deficiencies that happen during stress.
Focus on a diet that’s full of healthy fats, proteins, and unrefined carbohydrates, especially vegetables. These foods can help to replace some of the much-needed nutrients that are quickly depleted during stress. Favor foods that are easy to digest, as digestion is often weakened during stress. Ensure you’re getting plenty of water, good quality salt, and foods high in magnesium and vitamin C.
It’s also important to avoid foods that add to the stress on your body. Caffeine may seem like your best friend on those busy days when you need a pick-me-up, but it places more demands on the organs that respond to stress and can end up making you feel so much worse. The same is true of alcohol and sugar, which we often crave during stress. Keeping those to a very limited amount is one of the best things you can do for your body. Other things to watch for include processed foods and foods with lots of chemicals that require more work on your body to detoxify.
For more tips on a balance diet and good sources, download my Nutrition Essentials for Whole Body Health.
What’s Next
There will be days when you feel like you are fighting your very nature and working against your cravings, but it should get easier with time. The greatest changes happen one step at a time, one day at a time. Carve out some time each week to plan for one change. Maybe that’s how to get in another serving of vegetables each day, or perhaps it’s how to adjust your schedule so you have time to rest or pray. Pick one thing to focus on and do that until it comes naturally.
Sometimes the impact of stress is greater than what you can address on your own. Stress can lead to some serious issues that require professional support. If you’re facing more serious issues, like anxiety or depression, digestive problems, or other health challenges that you know are not normal, seek support! Going it alone can only add to your stress.
No matter what level of stress you’re facing, it’s not too early or too late to start addressing it. Take it from someone who has relapsed more times than I care to admit – stress is a disease that will steal your life. Stop it before it takes its hold.
Call to Action: Click here to join my current series and gain access to my Freebie’s Library with a 7-Day Jump Start Guide (with healthy recipes, simple workouts, and daily devotionals), List of Life-Giving Foods, 10 Tips to Improve Your Mental Health, an 11-Week Action Plan to Overcome Anxiety, and more!
About the Author: Rebekah Fedrowitz is a board certified holistic nutritionist and an integrative health speaker and writer. She is passionate about helping Christian women rewrite the rules of health and discover the art of living well so they are able to live into the abundant life and purpose God created for them.
Rebekah has experienced many of her own health challenges, from weight challenges and hormonal imbalances to stress, anxiety, and depression. It’s through this experience, combined with her work with dozens of women from around the world, that Rebekah is able to practically relate and help women transform their body, mind, and spirit wellness. To learn more about Rebekah’s story, visit her blog post or podcast. You may also want to check out the following podcast episodes:
- How to Use Nutrition to Change Your Health
- Quit Your Cravings Without Sacrificing What You Love
- What To Do When The Effort Doesn’t Feel Worth It
Rebekah is also the founder of You Are Well, an integrative health membership community for women, and the host of the You Are Well Health podcast. You can follow Rebekah on Facebook & Instagram @rebekahfedrowitz.
