It's no secret that moms are stressed. Our minds are constantly racing with the weight of responsibilities and expectations, and it is exhausting. A study conducted among psychologists at Queen's University in Ontario found that humans have over 6,200 thoughts a day. Imagine what that number would be if it was just among moms!
So what do we do to manage and relieve stress?
When you're about to fall apart and your mental stress feels unmanageable, try these 4 things:
1. Speak Your Thoughts Out Loud: Your mind runs faster than your mouth. While some may beg to differ, it is indeed a fact. We produce an unspoken thought at an exponentially higher rate than we do when we give voice to one. Just look to the aforementioned study. So when you find yourself stuck in a spiral of negative thoughts that contribute to mental stress, speak the thoughts out loud. When we vocalize them, it forces our mind to slow down. We process what we're actually thinking and it centralizes our attention.
2. Repeat one truth that you believe about God out loud until your heart embraces it, and you feel the stress reduce. It might take awhile. You might have to say it 100 times, but allow the Spirit to work. Phrases like "God is in control" or "God goes ahead of me" or "God has a plan" are powerful words to firmly interrupt those negative thoughts with biblical truth.
3. Actively look for God's blessings around you. Many times this looks like practicing gratitude, but the key here is "actively look." When we do so, we begin to see blessings that we may have dismissed in the past, like the clothes that keep you warm. The car that gets you to work. The shoes that protect your feet. Every blessing matters, and every time we acknowledge them it has a great impact on our mental state. Write them down on a list and read them out loud.
4. Suit up in your 3-piece armor: Stress often shows up when we least expect it. No one goes around looking for stress. So if we want to be prepared to manage and combat it when it rears its head, we have to suit up to battle it. Put on your 3-piece armor every morning:
- Reflect on where you saw God's goodness yesterday. This will root your heart and mind in God.
- Pray for today. What are you praying for and what do you believe about God's character?
- Embrace biblical truth. Memorize a verse that's related to what you're praying for and carry it with you all day.
Hear more about these mental stress reduction strategies on episode 38 of the Moms Grab Coffee podcast: www.momsgrabcoffee.com/38
