I AM continuing last week’s article herein, and quoting from Rick Warren, on the 5th to 8th guides to how to cope with “Stress” (pls. see my previous notes on why I have placed quotation marks on the word “Stress”, as I personally never use the phrase “I am stressed”. I prefer to address the stressors before they turn into “stress.”)
Here they are:
1. Know who you are
2. Know who you are trying to please
3. Know what you are trying to accomplish
4. Concentrate - focus on one thing at a time
5. Delegate - don’t do it all yourself – Even Jesus appointed 12 apostles to go out and preach the good news. Know that everything does not depend on you. And to make it happen, train others. Make them learn and grow. One reason we do not delegate is perfectionism. We believe only we can do it right. It is an egotistical attitude that says, “Only I can do it the way I can”. We deprive others of the chance to commit errors and learn.
6. Pray – Even Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer. Talk with God in prayer. Listen to Him in silence. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God”. We need to start our day with prayers and recharge our batteries throughout the day talking to God, reading His word, listening to His words, and receiving Him in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
7. Take time to enjoy life - We all need time to rest and enjoy. The military people have R&R. They have Rest and Recreation areas and activities. Take a day or two off occasionally. Reward yourself. Break the monotony. Strike a balance between work and relaxation. I would strongly add exercise and get lots of Sunshine.
8. Be transformed – Give your “stressors” to Christ. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Build a personal relationship with Christ, so it becomes easy to say, “Lord, please help me. I entrust to you my pain, my burden, my sorrows, my worries.” The greatest source of “stress” comes from living a life apart from the Lord, trying to go our own way, being our own god, or having things as our god.
My Dearest Michael, children, and grandchildren:
Delegation is a guide that I must keep reminding myself to do. Delegate. I must strive to do only the things that only I can do. Identifying those tasks and pursuing this goal of delegation is a major key to being able to address the stressors of overwork and too much pressure. I must believe that the perfectionism I expect from myself is not as important as getting the job done promptly and done well, and having allowed everyone else to be the best they can be. I must allow others to make mistakes (hopefully, not major ones), and grow too. I must encourage others to take the initiative.
Let us spend more time in prayer. We must make conscious effort to have family time together at play, and have prayer time together. We should persist in holding our weekly family prayer meetings. They would be more important and necessary than monthly or quarterly family business board meetings. It would be a great habit and tradition if you can do the same with your own families someday. Encourage and remind each other to spend time in prayer. How? By our example to one another.
Finally, let us seek and strive to conform to the teachings of Christ, and not to the ever-changing standards of this world.
God is constant and so are His teachings. Advances in science and technology do not change His Word. His words are the truth, and are eternal.
Yes, He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Let us all be transformed by Christ and address our stressors promptly and properly before they “stress” us.