Stress management during difficult seasons

Friday, March 11, 2022


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Managing stress has been a resolve of mine. It started as a need to survive. It continued as a necessity for optimal living. Now, I’d describe it as the way to navigate difficult seasons with wellness and strength. Here are the latest things I am learning. 

Start with Recognition • I tell myself, “this is a big transition. This is stressful. This is uncomfortable.” I believe that voicing the challenges of the season allows me to make peace with all the feelings that come with the changes I face. Once I do that, I move on to mapping my way out of stress. 

Continue with Action • I ask myself: “how can I get to where I am to where I am going?” My family and I are getting ready to move, so in this case, my specific actions are to: 

1. Write a list of tasks. Every room in the house needed attention. Thankfully, I’ve been decluttering for the past 8 months. I am reaping the fruits because this is not as difficult as I thought I would be. Lists give us specific things to do. Specificity brings empowerment. Earlier during my stress journey I would feel overwhelmed. I felt disarmed and powerless. Taking the action of writing a list, helps me to get my power back. Here is another way to get your power back. 

2. Invest in wellness • I’ve been investing in exercise, sleep and nutrition during this move. The goal is to have the energy I need to pack and move my family successfully. Wellness means different things to different people. For example, I enjoy going to sleep early because when I get enough hours of sleep, my days are more productive. This also means that when I declutter during the day, I feel energized and I am able to make the right decisions. The peace I have when I sleep enough is pretty fantastic and worth the effort to get to bed on time. I understand that starting a new wellness routine is not always realistic. I don’t recommend it. I do think you should pick something small that will make a big difference. It may be adding one more hour of sleep to your night. It may be drinking 20 extra ounces of water during the day. The key is to find something that will impact your health in a positive way. 

3. Invest in your faith. God cares about you. He wants you to be at peace. It is wise to stay in touch with him during stressful times. I have invested in prayer during this season. I get on my knees first thing and I ask God for help. I repeat this during the day if needed. I also find that when I read my Bible, my entire perspective changes. Invest in your faith but make it a first-hand action. The temptation is to ask someone to get to God on our behalf. While there is nothing wrong with asking for prayer, you have direct access to God who wants to hear and help you. 

4. Do something good for yourself. 6 months ago, someone challenged me to do something good for myself each day. I’m not inclined to embrace this concept because mothers are caretakers. Others always come first. I learned that when I do something good for myself, the result is fuel to live a happier day. How so? At the time, I was trying to re-establish some healthy habits. Beginnings are never easy but I decided to keep going. It was still hot so I decided that the good thing I was going to do was to buy a new tank top for running. That small act filled my day with joy and encouragement. It also helped me reach my health goal. Doing something good for myself might be taking the time to paint my nails. Sometimes I take an extra walk outside. Do something good for yourself my friend. You will be encouraged to succeed. 

We all go through difficult seasons. We don’t necessarily need to crumble and fall because of them. We can do small things that will help us thrive, even in the midst of stress. Which one of these tips were the most helpful to you?
Jonna Griffin said...

Another good one. You have such great wisdom young lady. These are all very good and great reminders. I’m a list person too it really does help when I have a ton to do. Helps me prioritize my time too.
I have to tell you your blogs have really stretched and help me grow in areas I didn’t even realize needed to grow. For this I’m forever grateful for. One thing I’m for sure learning is take time and go to lunch or coffee with someone you want to know better. I’m sad I didn’t make that time while you were here!!