“Stress that cannot be avoided may help us grow in faith and character. Romans 5:3-4, states, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.”The stress we experience in our daily lives need not lead to internal feeling of
being “stressed out.” Philippians 4:6-7, states, “Don’t worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him
for His answers.” If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more
wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and
your hearts quiet as your rest and trust in Christ Jesus.

STRESSFUL TIMES

50 Ways to Manage Stress Effectively
by Dr. Tracy Scott

1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier. Morning mishaps are less stressful and also less
likely when you have time to spare.

2. Prepare for morning the night before. Set the breakfast table, get the coffeepot
ready to plug in, make lunches for those who take them. And check to see if the
clothes you plan to wear need pressing or mending.

3. Never wear ill-fitting clothes. If shoes pinch, panty hose creep down or a
waistband binds, even a stroll to the mailbox can be stressful.

4. Set appointments ahead. If you’re always waiting for others, tell them to meet
you ten minutes earlier than you plan to arrive. “When I give a dinner party,” one
host admitted, “I give different times to different guests, depending on whether
they’re usually prompt or chronically late.

5. Don’t rely on your memory. Write down addresses, directions and phone numbers and
take them with you to unfamiliar places. Leave notes on your mirror, refrigerator or
car door to remind you of important dates and errands.

6. Practice preventive maintenance. You’ll have fewer breakdowns of automobiles,
heaters, air conditioners, washers and other machines you depend on it they’re
cleaned and serviced regularly.

7. Make duplicates of all keys. Exchange house keys with a trusted neighbor, hide
car keys in your garage, keep extras for luggage storage closets and strongboxes in
a safe, convenient place.

8. Rearrange work hours if possible. A thirty minute change in arrival or departure
times can make a big difference in traffic, crowds and other stress producers.

9. Say “no” more often. It’s amazing how much stress can be eliminated by giving up
unrewarding activities, refusing inappropriate requests and turning down invitations
from people you don’t enjoy.

10. Never shop for clothes with critical teenagers, skinny friends or those who
look terrific in everything. We all have imperfections; why call attention to them?

11. Take advantage of off hours for banking and shopping. And shop by mail or by
phone whenever possible. Why put up with crowded stores, long lines and impatient
Clerks if you don’t have to?

12. Re-arrange mealtimes. If it’s a hassle to get dinner ready on time, try
postponing it. Your family won’t starve if they ear an hour later.

13. Feed the children separately. It’s nice to get the whole family together for
meals, but not if you have to endure spilled milk, sibling squabbles and cranky
remarks about the food. You deserve to eat in peace.

14. Keep an emergency supply of necessities such as; soap, toilet paper, toothpaste,
tampons and use them only in emergencies.

15. Walk everywhere you can. Exercise has a soothing effect, especially when it
permits you to avoid traffic jams, crowded buses and costly taxis.

16. Make copies of all important papers and keep the originals in a safe place.
Never let go of an original deed, birth certificate, will or important receipt; send
copies instead. When originals are required (such as for securities, passports,
insurance policies) send them by registered mail.

17. Anticipate your needs. Make sure you have plenty of coins for toll collectors,
electronic pass, batteries, toys, pens and pencils that will write, and panty hose
without runs. And always stop for gas before you really need it, especially at night
and on holidays.

18. Don’t put up with anything that doesn’t work properly. No one needs the
aggravation of malfunctioning alarm clocks, key rings that loose keys, radios that
buzz and squeak or appliances that smoke. “My mood improved remarkably,” one woman
told us, when I treated myself to a new purse that doesn’t pop open all the time.”

19. Make advance reservations at hotels, restaurants and theaters; reconfirm time,
location and other details before you go.

20. Allow extra time. If it usually takes thirty minutes to get to the airport,
allow an hour. It’s better to arrive well ahead of schedule than to fret over every
stoplight or traffic tie-up along the way.

Reducing Stress

21. Be prepared to wait. A long line at the post office or a delay at the dentist’s
office is almost pleasant when you have a good book with you.

22. Never arrange a meeting place that has no cell phone service. An unavoidable
delay can be a nightmare when there is no way to make contact. If it’s impossible to
meet at a place where you can receive calls, agree on an alternative communication
process you can both contact if something goes awry.

23. Find the humor in it. Every disaster has something funny about it if you look
for it. Seeking a taxi in the rain, for example, use to put us out-of-sorts. But now
we remember the passerby who told us, “New York taxis are water soluble,” and hardly
mind at all.

24. Keep a “busy kit” handy when you travel. Transportation snafus are easy to
ignore when you have an ipod, a favorite magazine or a needlework project with you.
“I learned to speak French,” one mother told us, “by listening to the information
whenever I chauffeured my three kids around.”

25. Relax your standards. Doing everything perfectly is no only unnecessary, its
boring. Life is a lot easier if you ignore a little dirt, take more shortcuts in the
kitchen and let the sheets go a few more days between launderings.

26. Get help with the jobs you hate. If you find that certain chores always make you
tense, such as paying bills, defrosting the refrigerator or scrubbing bathtubs, get
someone else to do them. Beg barter or pay for help if you have to; it’s worth it.

27. Establish a serene place of your own, even if it’s just a comfortable chair in a
quiet corner. If the sound of your teenager’s stereo, your husband’s ball game or
the neighbor’s barking dog still penetrates, wear ear plugs.

28. Change your perspective. Instead of worrying about what will happen if…, try
asking your self “so what.” So what if your mother’s birthday gift is a few days
late? So what if you can’t get your best dress dry-cleaned before the party? So
what if you actually miss your train or plane? Will it matter next week or next?
year? Even if our worst fears are realized, they often turn out to be not so bad.

29. Count your blessings. No disaster is so bad that I couldn’t be worse, and it
helps to remember that. After all, you could have burned the entire dinner instead
of just the rolls. The doctor could have kept you waiting two hours instead of only
twenty minutes. And you might have lost a thousand dollars instead of ten.

30. Keep time fillers by the telephone. You won’t mind being put on hold if you can
spend that time reading mail or writing a letter. And you’ll be more sympathetic to a
friend who “needs to talk” if you can do your mending or file your nails while you
listen.

31. Memorize scripture or poems and recite them to yourself whenever you’re forced to
stand on a crowded bus or get stuck in an elevator.

32. Keep a supply of individually wrapped candies or sugar-free gum handy. “Getting
one out, unwrapping it and popping it into your mouth,” one writer told us, “is a
welcome distraction that takes some of the tension out of bad moments.”

33. Travel light. The less you have to keep track of when you’re away from home, the
easier it is. If you never take more than you can comfortably carry onto an
airplane, you can avoid lost luggage, long waits at baggage claim counters and
frustrating searches.

34. Be prepared for rain. Don’t try to outguess the weatherman. Stock your handbag,
work place and car with rain hats, plastic rain capes, umbrellas and shoe
protectors.

35. Ask questions. You’re less likely to make mistakes or get lost if you make sure
to get detailed instructions first.

36. Take advantage of your body rhythms. If you’re at your best early in the
morning, that’s the time to schedule complicated tasks that require concentration.
If you don’t reach your peak until later in the day, start with easier things that
don’t require much thought. It doesn’t matter when your peaks and valleys come as
long as you plan accordingly.

37. Make contingency plans. A rained-out picnic, a sold-out theater or a closed
restaurant is disappointing, of course, but it won’t spoil your day if you’ve made
alternate plans “just in case.”

38. Unclutter your life. Get rid of clothes you never wear, objects that just
collect dust, furniture you hate, or activities you don’t enjoy. Anything you can do
to simplify your life helps reduce stress.

39. Avoid reliance on chemical aids. Alcohol, tranquilizers and sleeping pills may
reduce stress momentarily, but regular use increases stress in the long run.

Relieving Stress

40. Get in touch. Hold hands, stroke a pet, hug a love one, make love. Physical
contact is the best stress reliever of all.

41. Take time out to breathe deeply, stretch your muscles, nap meditate or do a few
tension relieving exercises. If you can’t arrange a brisk walk, try raising your
shoulders in a high shrug, hold ten seconds, release and repeat.

42. Find enjoyable ways to exercise. Experts agree on the benefits of aerobic
exercise, the kind that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe hard. But if
you hate to jog or jump rope, you’ll create as much stress as you relieve. Try
swimming, cycling, aerobic dancing, racquet ball or a few fast sets of tennis
instead.

43. Get it off your chest. Bottling up feelings just increases stress. If you buy
defective merchandise or receive bad service, write a letter of compliant. If a
friend lets you down, express your disappointment. If your husband hurt your
feeling, tell him. You’ll feel a lot better afterward.

44. Talk to a loving friend or relative. A sympathetic listener is always helpful.
“When I have a bad day,” one young woman said, “I always call my grandmother. To
her, I can do nothing wrong.”

45. Reward yourself after stressful activities. Stop for special lunch or snack
after shopping in crowded stores. Relax with a favorite television show or book
after cleaning the house.

46. Take leisurely baths. Showers are more efficient, but a long soak in a hot
fragrant bath is more relaxing (just unplug or turn off electrical devices), first!

47. Schedule more fun. Don’t give up seeing friends and doing things you enjoy
because you “have too much to do.” Pleasurable activities are important. And work
goes faster and produces less stress when fun comes first.

48. Take a break from children. Baby sitters are not just for emergencies or special
occasions. You also need time to yourself to listen to music, pursue a hobby or have
a heart- to heart talk with a friend. If you can’t afford to get a baby sitter,
trade child-care with another mother.

49. Have a massage. Tensions just melt away under the touch of experience fingers.
But a talented amateur, a friend for who you perform the same of equivalent favor
perhaps YOU CAN DO ALMOST AS WELL.

50. Unwind before bedtime. Do some stretching exercises to get the kinks out, then
read listen to music, do needlework or some other realizing activity. It helps you
sleep better and that’s a great stress reliever.

The Stressful Times was originally written by Dr. Raymond Mitch. Dr. Scott worked under Dr. Mitch’s supervision.