Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
When a person is under a lot of unmanaged stress, it begins to break down their physical health and can lead to a number of illnesses and diseases. This ongoing stress response can also begin to break down the mind, making a person both physically and mentally unstable.
Although many blame stress on circumstances or the people around them, it has more to do with our reaction to those so called stressors.
Think about it: one mom can be completely stressed out handling two kids while another can have nine and be handling it just fine. One person might be nervous before public speaking but still get up and deliver a great speech while another might get physically ill and have to cancel due to nervousness. The issue isn’t really what is happening to you, but how you process what is happening to you. It all comes down to what you think and believe about your situation.
When you face a stressful situation, your mind goes into imagination mode. If all you see is a negative outcome, you will begin to become very anxious. For example, the person who delivered a successful speech likely saw themselves doing at least an okay job of it. But the person who had to back out of speaking likely imagined freezing up on stage or the entire crowd laughing or walking out.
When you’re feeling stressed, take time to assess what you’re thinking about. Are you imagining the worst? You may not even realize that you’re doing it, but when you become aware of your thoughts, you can choose to let go of the negative and focus on the positive instead.