Dealing with Stress

I get married in a couple days, which is exciting. However, over the last few weeks—during the time you would expect my excitement and anticipation to be ramping up—I have been afforded very little time to look forward to the “big day.” Despite the consistent reminders from friends and family that we will not remember the wedding day, planning and preparing has not slowed down for me or the unstoppable force that is my fiancée. Instead life has continued to speed up, and my mind has frantically jumped from one task to the next.
      Naturally, stress has ensued for me and Lauren. Neither one of us are the kind that “operates best under pressure” (and people that say that are liars, anyway), so this stress has taken a toll—making us a little more angsty and a lot more tired. In addition, it is no secret that unchecked stress can lead to excessive anxiety, which is emotionally and physically unhealthy. The very thought of this is, itself, exceptionally stressful.
      There are many techniques for dealing with stress. Modern psychology recommends identifying the sources and avoiding them. I like that technique, but I can’t really practice it right now. Another technique is meditation—meditation that brings peace. The Bible, and particularly Isaiah, talks a lot about peace. I think foremost of Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace / whose mind is stayed on you, / because he trusts in you.” The time-tested and best way to deal with stress is trust in another who is more capable and more dependable. It is on this that I must meditate.


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