1. (NU) - Sponsored News - It
sounds so simple: Relax. Let go.
Just breathe.
These mantras, while sooth-
ing, are difficult to embrace
because most Americans are
overworked, over-scheduled and
generally stressed out.
The reality is that anxiety is
a universal affliction affecting
millions of Americans. And
while most will admit to being
under some kind of pressure --
be it financial, work or family
challenges -- getting America to
unplug and unload is proving to
be a difficult task.
“Many of us have a certain ap-
propriate nostalgia for a quality of
life that has been lost,” Rev. Diane
Kessler, retired executive director
of the Massachusetts Council of
Churches, told the Boston Globe
in an interview. “Many of us re-
member when we went to church
on Sunday morning and then had
a family meal afterwards. In a 24/7
society, those rhythms and those
patterns have been lost.”
Joyce Meyer, best-selling au-
thor, speaker and Bible teacher,
agrees that the demands of mod-
ern life can be all-consuming,
making it hard to mute distractions.
In her new book, OVERLOAD:
How to Unplug, Unwind, and Un-
leash Yourself from the Pressure of
Stress, Meyer addresses this prob-
lem by identifying the catalysts of
worry in your life, as well as of-
fering practical, effective advice
and wisdom from a scriptural
standpoint that she believes is the
answer to curing your stress.
“Nobody is immune to stress,”
Meyer says. “But through explor-
ing the inspiring insights of
the Bible and calling on God’s
strength to help you triumph
over stress, you can achieve
the joyful, peaceful life that is
intended for you.”
Other ways that may help you
regain some sense of control and
generally decrease anxiety can be
found below:
• Make your home a haven.
Your home needs to be a place
where you go to recuperate and re-
juvenateforthenextday.Thespace
should be calm and harmonious.
• Take a moment. “There are
thousands of ways you can relax.
Whether it’s unwinding with mu-
sic, reading a good book, taking
a warm bath by candlelight, going
for a walk or engaging in a sport
you enjoy, you know what relax-
ation feels like and you know when
it’s happening to you,” Meyer
writes in OVERLOAD. “I strong-
ly encourage you to make relax-
ation a part of your daily life.”
• Use your driving time or
commuting time to calm down.
This may seem like an oxymoron,
but you’d be surprised at how
easy it is to disconnect from dai-
ly pressures or work on the car
ride home. Relax by listening to
an audio book or singing along to
your favorite music, and, if the
weather permits, roll down the
windows and let the sun and
breeze carry your troubles away.
OVERLOAD is available
wherever books are sold or at
faithwords.com/overload.
How to Unwind
BeforeYour Unravel
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