The word "stress" seems like a word that is overused in our society. Everyone is telling us we need to de-stress. I was recently told this by my health care practitioner and my internal response was, "but I don't FEEL stressed." As a therapist who practiced for 25 years, I know that stress is not always felt, but as a patient, I wanted to throttle my health care practitioner because I just knew I needed a different tincture, food regimen, supplement, or something I can "take."
From time to time I have written about dealing with some pretty intense allergies and asthma. It has become increasingly worse in the past few years and so I sought out healthcare. I've been using inhalers, which stopped working quite a while ago, and I've been looking for the root cause going on three years now. I will continue to follow the new ideas that come across my path about mold and fungi, mast cell activation, auto-immune issues, and on and on, but in the meanwhile I came across a talk that explained some of the biology of stress that I had never heard before.
If I can sum up that talk I heard (in the Super Healthy Lungs Summit) there is an
important word to know about. It is "galectin." This biological protein can be a
culprit for chronic disease, and even cancer. It is produced whenever the body thinks it is under attack. The production of galectin 3 can trigger a cascade of inflammatory signals, which can provide fuel for chronic diseases and even cancer.
A new study recently demonstrated that galectin 3 levels were significantly reduced
for a group of heart patients that incorporated daily meditation for 60 days. I've
always known the healing power of "de-stressing," but it is so helpful to learn about a biological protein, that can be measured in the body, that is directly impacted by
incorporating daily "stress management" techniques.
So, why am I telling you this? As a follower of Jesus, I want to take care of my body
(which is my temporary temple) in a way that follows the Word of God. God knows
me, and how my body works, better than I know myself and God was kind enough to reveal to us how to care for our mind, our body, and our soul. "Meditation" in the
Biblical model is not a process of emptying your mind, but rather a process of filling
your mind with the glorious truths, encouragement, and assurance of the agape love of our Heavenly Father.
Getting into a DAILY practice of meditating upon God's truths, love, and
encouragement is one very important puzzle piece to dismantling the galectin 3
proteins in your body which will allow your body to start healing processes. For me,
this is actually really good news. Because I love to read God's Word, meditate upon it, and even make art about it, I feel like I now have permission to carve out a half an hour (or an hour) each day to enjoy the Presence of God.
Looking back over my life, I've always been a fighter. Whenever a health issue or some other issue rose up, I was ready to learn how to fight it off. Now, I'm learning that you can't "fight away stress." You can provide the environment in your mind and your heart for the beautiful Presence of God and His truths to take root and grow to the point where there is no more room left for the stressful thoughts that run amok just under the surface of our conscious thoughts.
There are several recommendations I would like to share with you that can help you
get into a daily practice of meditating upon God's Word and doing things that will
create less room for stress. Rather than go into "fight mode" let's look at it as going
into ''fun mode."
1. Use your creativity. Recently, I've enjoyed art journaling about the characteristics
of God. I will usually read several passages and pick out one or two characteristics of God and then paint some images using colors, designs, and writing that visually
"describe" God's character traits. You can engage your own creativity to help your
mind focus on the Bible passages God brings to your attention.
2. Read "God's Psychiatry" by Dr. Charles L Allen and put it into practice. He uses
Psalm 23 (and other Bible passages) as "prescriptions" to cure anxiety, depression, and other emotional issues. Here is a link to the book: https://www.christianbook.com/...
3. Pray. Become more intentional about conversing with Jesus all throughout the day and set aside some time that is just for you to pray, to pour out your heart to God, to sing worship to God, to tell Him all the things you love about Him.
