Have you ever heard someone say, or caught yourself saying, that they love stress on occasion because it helps them to perform better? I am guilty of saying in my past career that I worked better under pressure. But is that really the case most of the time? I think it was my excuse for being a chronic procrastinator if I’m being honest. It’s obvious that stress is a part of life, but the ways that it can affect you should move most people to want to figure out better ways to get things done. Study after study have shown us that stress is not good for our health. The more grounded in my faith and walk with Christ that I become, the less life situations cause me stress. Now I don’t live a stress free life, but I am better at avoiding and even creating undue stress in my world. What does constant stress really do to our bodies?
Damages Your Memory and Brain
A calm mind is always the best way to solve any problem. God created our brains in such a complex and beautiful way. He did not intend for us to live in a state of perpetual stress. When you get super stressed out, the signals and host of chemicals that comprise your thoughts and memories are traveling back and forth at extremely fast rates. Rapid fire chemicals create more chance for a miscommunication, and because stress can slow your cognitive ability, something is likely to be disrupted in some way or another. Stress is so detrimental that it can actually shrink the physical size of your brain, so it would be a good idea to learn control as soon as you can. When life throws me a curveball, I have learned to stop think and pray for guidance before reacting. This has made a huge difference. God has a plan. Even if the stress is being caused by my poor choices or missteps, God has a plan. It will be okay.
I try and remember ALWAYS that as a child of God, my time here on earth is just a blip in eternity and no matter what happens, even IF something is so serious that it literally kills me, I know where I am going and I will be okay. No earthly problem is bigger than my God. Christ is with me always and that knowledge brings me a sense of peace and calm, even when the storms of life roll in without warning. My go to verses for storms of life are Psalms 46:1-2 and Isaiah 43:2 ( yes I purposely left the actual verse out so you could look them up). These are so calming and reassuring.
Directly Kills Brain Cells
Stress can have such an effect on you that it makes some parts of your body sick, but what is even scarier is that it literally kills new brain cells in your hippocampus. After extensive testing, researchers could predict a loss of new cells in animals that were exposed to a stressful situation while in the study. The heaviest revelation became apparent when they found that those cells weren’t replaced a week later. I often have to remember to pray and ask God to help me make good choices that align with His will and keep me out of stressful situations. I don’t know about you, but I need all the brain cells I have and do not need to lose any of them if it can be avoided!
The Structure of Your Brain Can Change
The makeup of the brain is a precise balance of tissues that God created to do work for you until the day you die. It still amazes me that there are people who still do not believer that is the result of intelligent design by a divine Creator. If you have experienced a high amount of stress for prolonged period, then the structure of your brain is different than it was before that. Some people who experience these changes, like soldiers who suffer from PTSD, will show some pretty serious changes to the makeup and amounts of specific tissue types. These imbalances could set you up for a possible future of multiple health issues. Taking care of the brain is a very important; and often neglected part of overall health.
The bottom line is that life will never be stress-free. Just like being a follower of Christ will not insulate us from strife and worry. When life feels overwhelming, there is one place to turn for peace and comfort. Christ is the one true port in the storm. The closer my walk with The Lord becomes, the less stress and worry impact my life. Praying for pray and comfort is a daily thing for me and not a one off order when life gets hard. I pray that anyone reading this relies on Christ to comfort them whenever life throws a storm their way!
God bless!
Erin
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