I had been having back pains, neck pains, headaches ‒ and eventually I wound up in the hospital having three stents put in my heart. I was worried about where I would be sent on my next mission assignment. Then too, I started stressing out over not being able to sleep. Of course, I also stressed about my unhealthy stress.
Please, please – give some relief here! What do I do? How do I stop this dreadful snowballing of pressures? How do I get out of the way of this avalanche? As a leader, how do I slow down and get relief from stress? How do you do it? What works for you?
First of recognize that this is a matter of obedience to God. You must take of yourself, being a good steward of the life and ministry God has entrusted to you! You must take care of yourself so you can be an effective caregiver of those you are called to lead.
If it is not too late to answer, I do a combination of things: #1) I schedule my time off and do my best to take my Sabbath. #2) I find ways to “play” and take breaks within my work schedule. This will often include having lunch with some of the guys from the church, or special short “dates” with my wife. #3) First and foremost, choosing to stop and worship the Lord and pray over and above my regular prayer times – probably the hardest to do!