Take 10~ Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help YOu Life Longer, Feel Better, and Look Book.....Golden Rule 2 part 2

Take 10~

 Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help YOu Life Longer, Feel Better, and Look Book.....

 

Golden Rule 2

The Law of Rest and Restoration

 

Dr. Hans Selye, an Austrian-born endocrinologist, served on the faculty of the University of Montreal for 32 years. He became famous for his pioneer work in the field of defining and understanding stress. In his trail-blazing book entitled Stress Without Distress, Dr Selye points out that stress cannot be avoided, unless we died and that's not the kind of solution we would choose. Even under anesthesia the body can experience stress.

 

The feeling of stress doesn't come from the outside; it happens inside. No two people - not even twins- react to stressors the same way. Our personal response to tension is the key to defining stress. The most noticeable responses usually are an increase in pulse rate and the tendency to sweat. Most often those under stress become irritable, too. Sometimes the pressures become so intense that the body is forced to call upon hidden resources. When this happens, we may get the strange feeling that our stomachs are tied up in knots. When we become anxious or alarmed, we respond with strong emotions. These reactions prepare us for either fight or flight. Blood pressure  shoots up. The heart pounds faster. Breathing becomes more rapid. Sugar increases in the blood. Cholesterol rises. Muscles tense- ready for action. Every non- essential body function shuts off. Juices in the stomach and intestines stop flowing. Blood shifts from the skin to the vital organs. We look white and pale. 

 

When we are called upon repeatedly to undergo these kinds of chemical changes, our reserve of energy can be damaged. Almost anything can produce stress. The causes of stress range across the board from physical, to mental, to social, to spiritual happenings nd evens. It is of course absurd to suggest that we can live without encountering stress-producing situations. But what we can do is learn how to cope with the flood of change that is swirling about us.

 

We live in a fast, harried, and hurried world which brings many stresses. Poet Virginia Braisier quipped:

 

"This is the age of the half-read page,

And the quick hash, And the mad dash,

The bright night with the nerves tights,

The plane hop, And the brief stop,

The lamp tan in the short span,

The Big Shot in the good spot,

And the brain stain, And the heart pain,

And the cat naps, Till the spring snaps,

And the fun's done."

 

Anxiety, tension, frustration, anger--all wear out the life forces.

 

How does stress cause disease? There is a direct relationship between the body's resistance to disease and the demands made by the rapid changes that take place around us. The more devastating the changes, the steeper the price. For example, death rates among widows and widowers within a year after the loss of a spouse are 40% higher than normal, according to studies done in London. The body is built to handle a normal amount of stress easily. But if the responses to stress mentioned above are called upon often, day after day, they can lead to a host of real, not imaginary, illnesses. IN most medical problems stress is at least a contributing agent because it affects our ability to resist disease.

 

According to Kenneth Cooper, it isn't the amount of stress we're under that is most important, it's the way we handle it. What can we do to handle tension and stress? Obviously we nee to deal primarily with lifestyle. Because stress results from pressures that come from very dimension of life, it is futile to merely treat physical or mental symptoms. We must deal with the underlying stressors. The only adequate method of coming to terms with stress is to deal with the total person. Because of the high cost of medical treatment, it is important to spend more time and effort on preventing disease than attempting to cure it. Let me give you a few examples of things that can be done in each dimension of life to cope successfully with stress:

 

PHYSIOLOGICAL: 

 

Relaxation Techniques

Regular Exercise

Balanced Diet

Noise Reduction

Frequent Change of Pace

Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle

 

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL:

 

Cheerfulness

Being Realistic

Planning Ahead

Reducing Life Changes

Developing Positive Attitudes  

 

PSYCHOSOCIAL:

Being Helpful

Setting Goals and Priorities

Budgeting Time

Forgiving and Forgetting

Simplifying Lifestyle

Looking for Good in Others

 

SPIRITUAL:

Trusting in God's Love

Learning to Pray Effectively

Studying Bible Promises

Deciding to Do God's Will

Confessing Your Wrongs

 

The goal in managing stress is not avoiding it-- that cannot be done-- but keeping it within manageable limits. Dr. Donald A. Tubesing warns that we often over spend our stress energy by using $10 worth on ten cent problems. It takes careful thought and wisdom to properly budget stress energy.

 

Much of the space in this chapter on the golden rule of rest and restoration has been devoted to the discussion of stress because it contributes to many diseases by lowering immunity.
But, as illustrated above, this law is one of the golden rules of life and health because it applies across the board in the physical, mental, social, and spiritual functions of life. The Great Physician invites us, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV). The rest Christ offers brings freedom from the guilt that crushes us and from the anxiety, selfishness, and hostility that so often take the joy out of living. Although we still have to face up to the problems of daily life, we can do so refreshed with the peace and tranquility that comes from complete confidence in Him. After the Good Shepherd provides "green pastures" in he twenty-third Psalms for His sheep to rest in, He "restores" their souls. This restoring, healing process take place as we respond to His invitation to "come apart....and rest awhile" (Mark 6:31).

 

The major secret in coping successfully with stress is the recognition of what we are doing to harm ourselves and to determine the improve our lives through more balanced and effective living. That's easier said than done. But by tapping the hidden resources available, including spiritual dynamics, we will discover that, although troubles and tensions will not disappear, they need not beat us or break us. The Great Physician, knowing how prone we are to physical, mental, social, and spiritual stress, has made ample provision for our rest, relaxation, and restoration. He won't force us to do what He knows is best, but lovingly counsels us "Take it easy--you'll last longer!"

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Come back on Friday when we will do the Study Guide for this lesson. :)