The Danger of Too Much Stress

Stress is a part of life. There are housework demands, work responsibilities, family issues, personal problems, physical problems, financial difficulties, extreme traumas, and suffering, to name a few. Often, when a person first gets a diagnosis of mental illness, it results from having too much stress which has caused the mind to break down.

An extreme traumatic experience was what caused my mind to break down into psychosis the first time I was diagnosed as schizoaffective. I spent two weeks out of touch with reality and interacting with voices. Then I spent the night in the woods after following the voices’ instructions, and my neighbor called 911. I was taken to the emergency room and then placed in the state psychiatric hospital where I spent a month recovering my sanity.

That was twenty-seven years ago. Since then, I have been hospitalized ten more times with psychotic breakdowns.  One other time I spent a month at home, foregoing the hospital, one of the scariest breakdowns of my life–I only had my unsupportive mom to help me.  

Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

The Lord has taught me how important it is to listen to my body and to pay attention to what level of emotional stress I am currently experiencing. This was a hard lesson to learn. A year ago, a preacher preached a word from God: “You are too stressed. If you don’t take measures to relax and destress, you will collapse. And if you refuse to take time to destress, I will make you lie down in green pastures.”

When God Warns Us, It Is Important to Pay Attention

Did I take His warning seriously? I didn’t think I could stop all my activities because they were too important. I didn’t make time to relax. All I could think about was getting my goals done and I worked on them diligently.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

A few months later I had a full psychotic nervous breakdown. I was so catatonic that I spent the majority of my time lying down, including the eight days I spent in a psychiatric hospital. It took five weeks before I returned to a sound mind.

I could have prevented that from happening if only I had heeded the Lord. We can’t avoid becoming stressed, but if we want to prevent mental breakdowns, we’ve got to take time regularly to relax and destress.

So, I learned my lesson. And now I know I’ve got to take action when my anxiety level goes up between a 6 to a 10. Some of the ways I reduce my stress level are: journaling, stretching, walking and praying in nature, putting on nature videos from YouTube, doing a brain dump for 30 minutes to an hour in a notebook writing out all my anxious thoughts, working out at the gym, watching funny videos, going to the park to eat lunch, feed the squirrels and journal, listening to bird sounds, watching motivational speakers and preachers, spending time unwinding at night which is “me time”, and taking supplements and vitamins.  

God Cares Enough to Help Us Relieve Our Stress

Isaiah 40:28-31 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

If I ignore the warning signal my mind and body give me that I’m too stressed, disaster occurs. Sometimes the most stress-relieving thing I can do is talk to someone like my therapist about the issues that are causing me extreme anxiety. She always manages to change my perspective and offers solutions that I’ve never thought of.

Taking Action to Reduce Anxiety Leads to Peace  

Psalm 37:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.   

A change of environment can be just the thing I need to feel calmer, especially when my house feels chaotic. Talking to a supportive friend always ministers to me. And when I am too overwhelmed, calling a prayer line and requesting prayer helps to place all my anxiety on God’s shoulders and off of mine.  

Whatever you find works for you, don’t neglect rest and relaxation. When your stress level gets high, try to do a relaxing, destressing activity every day for that period. You might prevent yourself from having a psychotic episode. God cares about our mental health, and He knows that rejuvenation is one of the keys to maintaining a sound mind. If you have a sound mind, you can handle life’s responsibilities. You can face problems and difficulties with more grace. And you can prevent setbacks.

Who doesn’t love to relax? We love the way it makes us feel, how it reinvigorates us.  It’s not just a good thing to do; it’s a necessity for those of us who are mentally ill. So, next time your body and mind cry out for relief from stress, listen. Heed. Relieve. Repeat. Watch how you benefit.