As the pandemic continues and we remain in the Orange Traffic Light setting, it remains stressful for so many of us.

It takes longer to do anything and often we feel like we are tackling issues on multiple fronts all at once. It also feels as if our world is fundamentally different - it is almost as if uncertainty and chaos are the new norm, something that Bishop Justin from Wellington noted in his Chrism message earlier this year (see below). 

We are certainly continuing to notice this uncertainty and stress at the Diocesan Office. It doesn't take much - something going on at home, a challenging email or phone conversation... and it can all feel very stressful. 

Bishop Justin, commenting on the disciples of Jesus asleep in the boat at the time of a terrible storm, reflected that what we see in this story is the disciples trying to "block out" the chaos as a way of trying to cope. But, God invites us to stay awake, not giving way to going to sleep or trying to escape everything. 

God does promise those of us who are weary that we will be lifted up. We can be empowered in our exhaustion. When the Spirit of God hovered over the chaos in the Genesis story, peace and order resulted: rather than submerging ourselves in sleep or running away... we can choose the way of love. In uncertainty, we can be empowered to be kind. We are all able to make our lives and the lives of others better - or worse - by how we respond to what is going on around us. 

Love

Kindness is all about Love - a word that says it all, but that becomes very apparent is (or isn't) present by what we do and say. It's something that we can refer to to evaluate how we are responding to things around us as well as a challenge to live up to. We keep reminding ourselves at the office over the past couple of years about Love and behaviours that demonstrate it - or not - and how Love results in ways of behaving that are "Above the Line". The opposite of Love (fear, anger, hatred and so on) result in behaviors that are "Below the line":

This is a really helpful way of reflecting on what we do and making sure we are part of making things better for ourselves and others, not worse.

Putting things right

One of the joys of our Christian faith is that we are continually reminded that although we can get things wrong, we always have the opportunity to put them right again. Confession, forgiving ourselves and others are an incredibly powerful extraordinary (and yet every day) gift that we have been given. We are reminded to bring to the surface things that are not right and let God take them on instead. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”

At times we just know we feel stressed...

Even through we know all about love and forgiveness, there can be so much going on that we find it hard to do what we need to do, It all feels too much and stress builds up. Too much stress can mean we have these kinds of symptoms:

1. Poor health, feeling run down

2. Inability to sleep at night

3. Anxiety and worry

4. Irritability

5. Feelings of panic, anxiety, depression...

What Can We do?

The first thing is to recognise we are stressed and that staying in this state is not good for us.

Once  we have said “this is me”, we can start to do something about it.

Although our body has “unconsciously” gone into a stressed mode, we can bring it back down by deliberately tackling the things we know are stressing us and (with God's help) finding ways to counter them.

A good place to start is thinking “what is the opposite of what I’m currently experiencing? What do I need to do to turn this around?”

For example, if we are finding our bodies are really tense – we can feel our muscles are stiff and sore… what will help us relax? We could practice some relaxation techniques, schedule things we find really enjoyable into our life, go for a warm relaxing swim, or lose our-self in something that we really enjoy doing.

Have a look at some other brief suggestions for what we could do:

The following suggestions can be seen as "love in action "for ourselves... and for others: 

Pray and meditate. Coming into the presence of God is a great way to connect with this Love that is so much greater than us and helps us to put everything into perspective. Confession, turning ourselves around, paying for others, giving thanks... all great antidotes to fear and distress that may be around and inside us. Let's remember to pray for our stressed health practitioners, for children at school, for families who continue to struggle with all that is going on. 

Share our feelings with someone we can trust, who lets us be ourselves. We may find this in our family/whanau, a priest, spiritual director or in a group of like minded people.

Be compatible: If you can, choose environments and people with whom you feel at home.

Like yourself: Try to find work, or a hobby which gives you a feeling of satisfaction or accomplishment and take the time to do it.

Work off your tensions in sport, gardening, cleaning, have a good laugh, or cry.

Give in sometimes. Give way to the bullies on the road. Have the courage to change the things you can change, and the serenity to accept the things you can’t. Flexible people are less likely to break.

Be positive: Recall your successes; let them help you through the times that are really difficult. Connect with all those people around you who make you strong, encourage and help you. Take time in prayer to put things right with God, and take a positive step by being reconciled with people around us.

Get fit: Brisk walking, jogging and other vigorous activities, burn off the biochemical products of daily stress - it improves your sleep and the way you feel. Fitness also helps you recover from stress.

Un-tense your muscles, relaxed muscles relax your mind. Loosen your jaw, let it sag. Let your shoulder drop. Let your knees flop apart. Uncurl your fingers and toes. Let your stomach hang out.

Slow down your breathing. Put a hand on your stomach and breathe in deeply, fill your stomach as if it were a frog’s. You might find it helpful to use a prayer or phrase as you breathe in and out to take in God's love and  expelling all that needs to go. Experts recognise that controlling our breathing using techniques like this helps control our level of stress.

Spot check your pulse, or your breathing rate during the day. When raised, bring them down with a stress reduction technique. Pause, breathe, pray and let go...

Don't forget, if these feelings are overwhelming and impacting on your life, talk to your priest, a trusted friend and family member. Check things out with your health professional. All of these people can help put things into perspective and look to a plan for going forward in positive ways.