When I was a teen, I’d sometimes join my youth pastor Gary on whirlwind days where he’d have back-to-back appointments and an event to execute later the same night. In the moments of heavy stress, he’d drive to a public park, pull a basketball out of the trunk of his car and shoot hoops for 20-30 minutes. It seemed a little odd to me at the time, because the appointments and tasks were piling up, but later I saw how smart it was to flush the stress out for a moment and regain some peace and calm.
Now, sometimes faced with the same sorts of days Gary faced, I find myself looking for an oasis of rest in the middle of the storm. Here are some of the ways I’ve tackled it:
Friends – I’ve found most often I turn to friends for stress-relievers, calling them up for a random conversation, putting the mountain of tasks in perspective by realizing how much more there is to life. They don’t necessarily offer a solution to the problem, but just being there and listening works wonders.
Prayer – When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Running – When I used to run every day, thirty minutes later, I’d be loose as a goose. I was so laid back some people thought something was wrong with me. But I was just basking in the afterglow of the workout. Sometimes I’d run at night. I lived near a track and I’d look out on the darkness of the track even around midnight and question the run. I realized that if I could make it one lap, I’d be too tired/relaxed to care if Jason Voorhees came running out of the woods with a machete.
Music – The most memorable time of this was my second night alone in the hospital after breaking my neck. During the first night, I woke up and panicked, with all those morbid thoughts running through my head. I called my aunt just to hear a familiar voice. The second night, I asked her to bring me my music. When I woke up, I put the headphones on and worship music helped erase those worries.
What do you do? How do you handle stress?
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