Coping with stress

Stress is the main killer ~ Danny Devito

I would like to start with a familiar Biblical story known to most people. The story of Job — the morally upright man of the East.

I find his story extremely fascinating from a human angle. I mean, here was a man who had done no wrong, but yet had the worst of misfortune befall him due to his uprightness in the eyes of God. From the spiritual angle, we know the story — Satan provoked God into taking away all his earthly possessions and health.

However, it’s important to realise that Job had no inkling of these heavenly machinations against his being. All he knew was that one day, he was rich. The next day he was poor. One day he had 10 children, the next day he lost all of them! What a test!

If there was any man that knew what stress was, Job was definitely one of them. No wonder he fell sick from the stress of losing all his possessions and children. Who wouldn’t?!

At a point, all he had was his pride as a righteous person, and boy did he hold on to it! Pride, even of your own righteousness, is a very slippery slope on which to base your existence. Before he knew it, his ego set in.

His ego began to loathe the fact that people who couldn’t look at him in his eyes in his heydays were now showing contempt in his presence.

Therefore, an erstwhile innocent man began to incriminate himself. He began to err, complain and contend against God.

“The human thing to do is complain, to be honest. I would and you would too.”

Thankfully, Job realises his folly, and repents and his story ends with the complete restoration of all he had lost.

Lessons I have pulled from Job’s story/the coping mechanisms for stress

1. He had friends who hadn’t given up on him. Yes…his friends were annoying most times, but I suspect they provided him with the company that he didn’t know he needed. (I mean his wife and siblings had abandoned him to his fate).

I shudder to think what would have happened to him if he had sent them away in a rightful and proud rage.

2. Complaining about your situation magnifies the problems on the ground (and increases stress levels). Try not to harbor complaints.

3. Forgive those who annoy or hurt you because your “restoration” might just depend on it.

4. Your ego is most certainly your enemy. It will militate against your progress or escape from tough circumstances. Eschew it!

5. Open up and seek advice (from all and sundry). If you do not get a solution to your problems, at least you would have relieved some stress by talking about it.