Do you ever wake up overwhelmed? The stresses of life creep in through your barely open eyelids? As your vision clears, you’re already thinking about family, relationships, work, school, bills, and everything that’s undone about all of it. Thinking about all this is one thing, but then we open our mouths and so easily make it all worse. Here’s some good news. There is a way to lower all this stress naturally with stress management activities. And, it starts with your mouth. I’ll explain.
The fact is, we really can’t control a lot of what life throws at us, but we can always control how we react to life. When I’m stressed, tired, or upset, I often find myself spouting negative words from my lips, making everything—and everyone around me—feel worse. Stressful times are exactly when I find I need to take control of my thoughts and words the most.
When your stress-filled, negative words feel like they’re sucking the life out of you, maybe it’s because they are. The Bible says in Proverbs 13:3 that those who guard their lips preserve their lives. And Proverbs 16:24 teaches us that gracious words are sweet for the soul and bring health to the body.
I hope it encourages you to realize you can lower stress naturally for yourself and everyone around you as you replace the negative words of your mouth and begin to speak life instead.
Here are three stress management activities that will help you overcome the stress in your life with the words that you speak:
- Replace your negative words with the Word of Life. Memorize your favorite Scriptures. Try doing a search in the Bible App for the topic you need help with, like peace, joy, or trust. When stress tries to convince you there’s no way out, speak God’s Word and promises aloud, and let His Word bring peace and comfort to your situation.
- Don’t hold back on saying a good thing. If the day is beautiful, say it. If you’re thankful for something, share it. If someone looks good, let them know. If your cashier’s getting you out of the store faster than usual, tell them they’re doing a great job. Don’t hold back! Speak life and love into your day and into others. This is one way to help lower stress naturally for others you might not even know are stressed.
- Have a heart of gratitude. Jesus taught us in Luke 6:45 that our mouths speak whatever our hearts are full of. Let our hearts be full of gratitude toward our Lord Jesus. This is our opportunity to focus on the positives in our lives. See the wonder in your day and the gifts God has graced you with. I promise, no matter how difficult your situation is, if you look for God’s gifts to be thankful for, you’ll find them. Maybe it’s a caring friend who listens to you. Maybe it’s a sunset so beautiful it reminds you to trust the Creator with your struggles. Maybe it’s being thankful your loving Father listens to you and comforts you with His Holy Spirit. Be reminded of how much He loves you and that you are treasured and blessed.
