There are many ways to relieve stress. Two excellent ways to relieve stress worth considering are via prayer and spirituality. Now don’t get me wrong. personally I am not a religious person, but many out there are. Connecting to your spirituality and using it to help heal yourself and others can be a very powerful thing.
Defining Spirituality
Spirituality focuses on the individual. It can be defined as each person looking deep within themselves and discovering their purpose in life. Spirituality means different things to different people. Here are a few common questions concerning your spirituality:
Inspiration: What inspires you? What gives you hope?
Values: What is important to you? What do you value most?
Joy: What gives you joy?
Relationships: What is important to you in relationships? (Platonic, romantic, etc.)
Accomplishments: What achievements are you most proud of?
The answers to these and other pertinent questions will help serve as a guide on how you deal with stress from a spiritual perspective.
Relieving Stress with Spirituality
Here are the top ways spirituality can help relieve stress:
Let it go
Too many of us worry about things we can’t control. Spirituality allows a person to let go of these things, which can decrease stress levels.
Tap into your inner peace
Once a person learns to let things go, they are able to become more at peace with what goes on around them. This inner peace is essential for dealing with stressful situations.
Designate a “quiet time.”
In today’s society, many are always in a rush to get from Point A to Point B, or get as many things done they can within 24 hours. As a result, they rarely have time to catch their breath, or let their minds rest. Giving yourself time to collect your thoughts daily through prayer and meditation is an excellent way to de-clutter your mind and refocus on what’s important. Doing so can help to relieve stress.
Discover your purpose
By knowing what your purpose in life is, less energy can be spent on items that don’t help you achieve your purpose. The result is less time and energy spent on those things.
Make spiritual connections
Having the support of others with similar spiritual views can be a great outlet for relieving stress.
Keep things in perspective
Spirituality prompts you to remain focused on what’s important to you. As stressful situations arise, a quick check on how it affects you and your purpose can help determine how important it really is to you, and if it should be made a priority or dismissed.
Prayer and Stress Relief
When it comes to dealing with stress, prayer can be a powerful tool. Prayer is often used for religious reasons, but a person who focuses on their spirituality can find it useful as well.
Anxiety is mentioned in the Bible:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7
For billions of people around the world, prayer provides a sense of comfort, relief and hope. This is because their problems are now shared with a higher power that is listening and will help them overcome those trials and tribulations.
Here are several basic prayer techniques:
Humble yourself. Ask for help. Acknowledge that you can’t do it alone.
Give thanks. Be thankful for what for what you do have.
Ask for forgiveness. Admit past mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
Pray for others. Praying for others can signify compassion and a giving spirit.
Be detailed. Describe in detail what you want to be delivered from.
These basic prayer techniques can be tailored to each individual person and their specific situation.
Prayer and spirituality are two powerful ways to combat stress. Tap into your spiritual side and giving praying a try. You might be pleasantly surprised at the results.
