Fight Back Against Stress

We all know that stress at work is unavoidable. But while every job has stress, not all stress is created equal. It’s well-known that first-responders and military personnel face more routine and/or higher intensity stressors. The 2019 Jobs Rated Report from CareerCast.com evaluated 11 factors and found enlisted military personnel, firefighters and police officers comprise 3 of the top-five most stressful jobs of 2019.

Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash

Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash

Here is the top five list:

  1. Enlisted Military Personnel

  2. Firefighter

  3. Airline Pilot

  4. Police Officer

  5. Broadcaster

(source: CareerCast.com, “2019 Most Stressful Jobs”)

If you or your mate is experiencing high stress from their job – or either of you find yourself overwhelmed with the busyness and demands of life – there are ways to fight back. Let’s take a look at God’s remedy for stress:

  1. Consider what God is doing (James 1:2-4). One of the best antidotes to stress is seeing God’s purposes in the trials of life. God uses every situation, even the petty, irritating situations of life, to teach you to become more like Jesus.

  2. Take time each day to be alone with God (Psalm 16:8-11). Planned times of solitude are a key to a balanced life. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit has a chance to change the way you see your difficulties so you can better cope.

  3. Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). Stress makes you focus on what’s going wrong. Guard your heart against pessimism. Rest in God’s faithfulness.

  4. Number your days and live intentionally (Psalm 90:12). Decide what is really important, choose your priorities, and live for them. (Reminder: Your marriage has a consistent need for time and energy, so it must always be a priority!)

  5. Cultivate a thankful heart (1 Thessalonians 5:18). When you work to see the good in life, you will feel more positive and the little things that go wrong will cease to look so important.

We hope that you both will be successful in all your noble and praiseworthy endeavors, but we trust that you will subject these pursuits to the lordship of Christ and to the nurturing of your spouse and children. You can handle your many pressures, including those between you and your spouse, without seeing all your plates crash to the floor. It takes planning and resolve, but it can be done.

*For more practical marriage advice, check out The Great Marriage Q&A Book. It's available in our online bookstore!