3 Biblical Coping Strategies for Stress and Anxiety
I sit with the dawn and let my thoughts gather. The grey morning light lifts her sleepy head, and the thin air is embroidered with a crimson cardinal’s song. My mind is scattered, and I feel like I’ve been stretched too thin. I’m thinking about packing lunches, painting walls, mid-morning Zoom calls, and new rain boots for the little one. I could use a few Biblical coping strategies for stress today.
I don’t want to be stretched and stressed.
I’m tired of snapping at my kids and rushing through moments I should have cherished.
“I need a stress detox,” I whisper to no one in particular.
Throughout the past months, I’ve had dozens of conversations with women who are stretched and stressed, just like me. We’ve been crying far too easily. We’ve been escaping into Netflix, Doritos, social media, or whatever will numb the realities of our lives.
Do You Need a Stress Detox?
We’re tired on a soul level.
We all need a stress detox.
But how do we detox from the stress of our lives when we can’t exactly opt-out of nonnegotiable roles like parenthood and bringing in the money needed to pay the bills?
As my thoughts and worries accumulate beneath twirling ribbons of morning light, I pull out an old-fashioned notebook and barely sharpened pencil. I begin listing ideas to help pull me from the whirlwind of stress that has become my new normal.
My list includes ideas such as, “Drink tea while the little one naps, break up with my to-do list, stop eating my feelings, and begin the day with a few minutes of silence.”
Throughout the next few weeks, I intentionally slow down. Every time I feel my chest tightening with stress and worry, I take a deep breath, return to my list, and employ a strategy to help me reclaim peace.
Some of my strategies are too far-fetched for this very full season of life with three little ones. However, some of the strategies work.
Gradually, over the course of a few weeks, something miraculous happens. I realize I’m snapping less at the kids, enjoying our moments more, and living in a way that’s more attuned to what God is doing around me. It feels like I’ve just undergone some kind of stress detox.
3 Biblical Coping Strategies for Stress:
Here are a few highlights from my journey of pursuing life with less stress and deeper peace:
1. If you want less stress in life, slow your pace.
I’ve written about this dozens of times, so forgive me for beating a dead horse.
Perhaps I keep writing about it because I keep needing to remind myself. Just when I think I’ve learned to live without hurry, I go and have a baby, or a global pandemic sends my kids home from school, or I realize I’ve overbooked our schedule again.
Meanwhile, time and time again, the truth is the same: Hurry ruins my days. It stresses me out. I yell at my family and grumble under my breath. I feel like I can’t get a grip.
I’m breaking up with hurry again. For the millionth time.
I’m breaking up with hurry again. For the millionth time. #hurry #SlowingDown #LiveSlow Share on X2. Relish the gifts in your life, and you will push out the stress.
You can’t be stressed out while you’re sincerely soaking in the goodness of God’s gifts around you.
I’m learning to relish God’s gifts, especially the simple ones.
I’ve been embracing cool autumn mornings, snuggles with wiggly bodies, and meals shared around the kitchen table. I’m enjoying good food, meaningful conversation, and long walks in the chilling air.
The more I give thanks, the less the stress weighs on my shoulders.
3. Steward the calling but leave the outcomes to God.
In this season of my life, God has called me to love my family, pour into others, write words, and serve in myriads of quiet and humble ways.
Unfortunately, I tend to turn my calling into a to-do list. I tend to set high standards and stress out over completing every item on my list perfectly. I want the outcomes to fall in pleasant places, and I stress out over it.
I’m learning to change my approach. I’ve been learning to give my best effort and leave the results in God’s hands. These responsibilities are mine to steward, but they are not mine to control.
A Free Devotional With Dozens of Biblical Coping Strategies for Stress:
I’m excited to release a new devotional for you today. The 7-Day Stress Detox is your one-week guide to overcome the stress that has you in a stranglehold. The premise is simple: Each morning for the next seven days, I’ll invite you to take a few minutes to read the daily reading. At the end of each reading, you will find a “Stress Detox Activity.” The activity will take less than five minutes, and it will help you exchange stress for peace and start your day. Today’s post is an excerpt from the first reading in the devotional.
Click here to get your free copy using promo code STRESS. You’ll notice the retail price for this guide is $7.00 – one dollar for each day of your journey. Your financial contribution will help me pay the fees to keep my blog running, but I am also offering this online guide for free because I want it to bless you! 
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Calling All Moms and Daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can find this book in eBook form for free on the Kindle Unlimited Plan or buy a print copy for 11.99 right here.
