Page 120 - Advanced Biblical Counseling Student Textbook

cope with temporary stress, prolonged stress can produce physical deterioration. The brain’s
production of new neurons slows. 185 Here are some ways you and others may react to stress:

What events provoke stress responses? Research has focused on our responses to three types of
stressors: catastrophes, significant life changes and daily hassles (Myers, 2009). I’ve listed one example
in each stressor. Write your own examples next to mine.

Catastrophe: an earthquake in a community
Signifanct life changes: moving to a new city
Daily hassles: traffic

What factors affect our ability to cope with stress?

Having a sense of control, developing a more optimistic explanatory style, and building our base of social
support can help us cope with stress emotionally, cognitively, or behaviorally. Direct, problem-focused
coping strategies alleviate stress directly; emotion-focused coping tries to reduce stress by attending to
emotional needs. People who see life positively (optimists) seem to cope more successfully with stress
and enjoy better health. 186

What tactics can we use to manage stress and reduce stress-related ailments? Stress-management
programs may include exercise, relaxation, and prayer. Learning to slow down and relax has helped
lower rates of heart attacks. Researchers are working toward understanding why religious beliefs help
lower stress levels. 187

Read the following thoughts from Pastor Steven J. Cole as he reflects on our response to stress. It is
lengthy but I found the article to be insightful, interesting and helpful:

Psalm 31: The Remedy for Stress

“Try this for a stressful situation: a group of enemies have conspired together to kill you. They have
instigated a widespread campaign of slander and lies. As a result, your name has become a reproach,
even among your neighbors and former friends. When they see you coming, they turn and run the other
way. They fear being identified in any way with you, because they figure that your time is short. They
don’t want to be implicated by association.

As a result of these problems, you’re struggling with depression. You also realize that many of your
troubles stem from your own sin. So on top of everything else, you’re wrestling with guilt. The whole
experience has taken its toll on your health. You don’t have strength to do your daily tasks. Your body is
wasting away. Wherever you look, it seems that terror is staring you in the face.

This is how David describes his situation in Psalm 31. We can’t be certain of the exact situation that lies
behind this psalm. Many think that because David mentions being rescued from a besieged city (v. 21), it
was when the residents of Keilah conspired to hand David over to Saul, who was trying to kill him (1

185 Ibid.
186 Myers, 2009.
187 Ibid.

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