Devotions from Stephen Smith’s book, Soul Custody

The author gives 10 suggestions for dealing with our stress

      1.  Practice the spiritual discipline of slowing down. Practice silence and journal how you can eradicate hurry from your life.

  1. Explore what is contributing to your stress.  Identify the sources of your stress and seek to make choices that will lead you to de-stress your life in specific ways.
  2. Park the farthest from your destination and pray as you walk. Talk it out with God
  3. Incorporate more humor in your life.  Laughter is a stress buster.
  4. Decide to join the slow food movement. Enjoy meal preparation as a soulful, life-giving, and even spiritual exercise.
  5. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier every night for a month and evaluate how you feel.
  6. Do something that gives you life every day. Work with the question, “What makes me come alive?” and practice it.
  7. Choose one day a week, perhaps your Sabbath, not to check voice mail, e-mail, or use any form of technology.
  8. Become less available to people’s demands and more available to the choices that lead to caring for your soul.
  9. Walk 30 minutes 5 days a week at a steady pace and monitor how your feel after that time.

You might want to find a friend who is an encourager to share with and help you during this time.  Let us all find a rhythm of living that rids us of our stress and helps us to give it to Him who gives peace!