Introduction
According to the interwebs, the emotional symptoms of stress and anxiety can include: becoming easily agitated, frustrated and moody, feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control, having a hard time relaxing and quieting your mind, feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), and feeling lonely, worthless and depressed and/or avoiding others. The Physical symptoms might included: low energy, headaches, upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, aches, pains, tense muscles, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, insomnia, frequent colds and infections, loss of sexual desire and/or ability, nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ears, cold or sweaty hands and feet, dry mouth, hard time swallowing, clenched jaw and grinding teeth.
Whew, sounds, well… overwhelming. No wonder so much of our culture is devoted to eliminating, avoiding, and fighting stress and anxiety. But what if that is part of the very problem? What if shouting at someone who is drowning, “don’t drown!” doesn’t actually help…
Let’s dig in this week and see what we can learn about stress, anxiety and feeling overwhelmed (without adding to the load).
Grace and peace y’all,
John Ray and the teaching team
Leading Questions
Is not being stressed, anxious, overwhelmed even an option? What are the lessons? What are the warnings? How do we engage with them in a healthy way? What does it look like for us as a Church to be a place where healthy emotions are practiced?
Text
Philippians 4:4-7, Psalm 38 (NET)
Images, Music, and Poems
Resources
What’s Next?
Laura leads us through a look at expectations.
