Different People—Different Reactions
As mentioned last week, we are living in difficult and confusing times. For many of us, "normal" life is stressful enough. However now, in addition to the normal stressors we face, we now have to deal with major uncertainty and ambiguity. We can try to protect ourselves and our families with social distancing, hand washing, coughing into our elbows, etc. Those are good things and we definitely need to do them, but there are no guarantees. A personal belief is that extended uncertainty of this magnitude is very stressful (in adults and young people alike).
Stress is an interaction an individual and an event or situation. That is why some people aren’t as upset about a situation as others. We’re just different. We have different backgrounds, different genetic make-ups, different training, and other differences too numerous to name.
Stress usually begins with an event or situation that creates some type of arousal. This is actually helpful because our bodies and nervous systems are preparing to deal with the stressors. This is similar to what many call the "fight or flight" response. As time passes, another part of nervous system takes over, slows things down and we adapt or settle down emotionally as well as physically. However, in situations where there is an ongoing or extended period of stress, our systems will begin to break down if we don’t deal with it effectively. People can become more irritable, frustrated, over-reactive, have difficulty concentrating, etc. This has been described as the exhaustion stage. In addition to what was mentioned above issues such as fatigue, depression, anxiety, etc. This is often called “burnout” So the question becomes, how do we make to through this season without “burning out?"
Here are some thoughts to consider. We have mentioned this previously and I’m sure it will be mentioned again. Simply tend to regular “good health” practices—eat right, get enough sleep, exercise, etc. The greatest human gift you can give your family is a healthy you.
Write
Practice journaling. By that I mean to simply express on paper how you feeling on a day to day basis. This does a couple of things. It can help take what is churning around internally and maybe release it. It is also a good way to monitor how we are doing. Be brutally honest. If you’re mad, say so, if you’re scared, say so, etc. If you can, journal to a solution. That is after you get in touch with what’s going on with yourself, what are you going to do today to help yourself move on in a healthy way?
Read
Read Psalms and consider writing your own “psalms”. Pour your heart out to God like the Psalmist did.
Pray
Pray for other people. This will help get your mind off of yourself as well as be a blessing to people you care for. Serve other people if you can. It might be something as simple as a “how are you doing phone call”.
Relax
Try to take few minutes every day and simply relax. It might not be much, but something is better than nothing.
Finally, remember that God hasn’t gone anywhere. He is still with and for us and He is our ultimate hope and because of that it’s all gonna be okay!
With love and support,
Joe Scruggs
Remember, please feel free to call one of our pastors or staff if the struggle is feeling too overwhelming, or if you’d like someone to pray with you. Their cell numbers are listed below.