Better Health Naturally

When I was in high school, stress was a physics term.  In today’s world, everyone from grandmother to grandchild knows what being stressed out means.  Excessive stress can mimic all diseases.  Just as physical stress applied to a building can cause that building to crack or collapse at the points of structural weakness, emotional stress trapped in the body can cause physical damage at the points of inherent weakness.     

            We all have many weaknesses that have been passed down to us from our predecessors.  These are not curses, merely warnings to compensate for those inherent weaknesses.  For example, let’s say that you have inherited weak lungs.  That might mean that when you are under unusual stress your breathing becomes labored.  You could take a drug to open those airways, or you could take preventive measures and learn to prevent that kind of stress.

            Some symptoms of being over stressed are headaches, tightness in neck, loss of appetite, excessive eating, pounding heartbeat, forgetfulness, depression, trouble sleeping, anger, hostility, feeling preoccupied.  I am sure there are more.

            How do you bring that stress level down?  I believe the first step is gratitude.  We are made for praising the Lord.  If you start to thank Him for the challenges in your life, instead of struggling against them, that is the beginning of real stress relief.  Second is to meditate on scriptures.  Psalms one is a good beginning.  Picture yourself as the tree.  Third is to eliminate all caffeine and sugar from your diet.  These two drugs will magnify the stress level you are feeling.  The fourth natural remedy for stress is exercise.  We are designed to do work.  This natural process stimulates the production of hormones that make us feel better and release excess stress.  The fifth thing is to get enough sleep.  If you do the first four steps, the fifth will come naturally. 

            The Bible calls it peace that passes all understanding.  I call it your natural remedy for stress and all of the disease it brings with it.