Sunday Flows: Stressed? You Want To Do More than Cope.

Stress is one of the attendant outcomes in our increasingly fast-changing world, which is full of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, stress is our body’s response to the pressures of a situation or life event.

The causes of stress vary widely from person to person, but they remain a valid response of our bodies to external forces almost always beyond our control.

According to Forth research published in 2024, here are some critical facts about the state of stress in the UK:

* 1 in 5 over 16s in the UK are stressed every single day

* A massive 63% of people in the UK are stressed at least weekly

* Only 6% of people say they are never stressed

* Women are more likely to experience stress daily (24.52%) than men (15.33%)

WIN’s global research on rising stress levels shows results similar to the UK's. In the summary of the research report, they stated that “only 6% never experience stress, while 16% rarely do, leaving 79% of individuals experiencing stress to varying degrees of severity. People feeling most stressed daily are those working full time (82%) and students (83%).”

Just as our bodies experience stress differently, we also respond to stress in various ways.

That said, we all need to aspire to do more than cope with stress; we want to master managing it and overcoming the negative impact long-term stress can have on us.

My faith in God has been a crucial factor in my efforts to manage and overcome the negative impacts of stress effectively.

In stressful situations, I remind myself of these essential truths:

• God has the final say over my life, as He loves me deeply enough to allow just anything to happen to me. I establish who has the final say over my life—my God—not the life situations or events causing stress.
• God can be trusted because He has a track record of faithfulness and the ability to do all He promises. By understanding the character, ways, and power of the One who has the final say over my life, I have confidence that my stressors don't have the final say.
• When I surrender my stress to God, He gives me His peace and leads me to overcome the situations causing stress. So, I surrender my stressors to God and choose to agree with everything He (the One with the final say over my life) has said concerning me above the passing challenges (that cause stress) I face in the different life transitions.

Here’s one thing God has said about me that gives me the confidence that I can overcome stress every time and in every season of life; it is one of my anchors through the turbulence in the stormy sea of life:

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]. - 2 Timothy 1:7, AMP

I welcome you to find your path to overcoming the rising stress epidemic by aligning with the Creator of all things, who is invested in helping you live the best version of your life—a life in His rest.

In Him, you’ll be counted in the company of those who are never stressed.

Here’s to a less stressful week ahead!