One of the most familiar responses I hear from people when asked how they are doing is, "I'm hanging in there!" Each time I hear this response I am reminded that as Christians, no where in the bible does it tell us to just hang in there.
Stress was originally an engineering term; NOW people are collapsing, not buildings.
We are built for a normal amount of stress; everyone has it, but I have listed a few unnecessary stressors below:
Planning our life up to the point that we have no free time.
Making commitments on the spur-of-the-moment without thinking them over. Being OVER committed is a major stressor.
Taking on unnecessary cares and problems from others that are not ours to carry. (Playing God) - when the bible says in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast the whole of our care, all our anxieties, all our worries, all our concerns on to Him, because He cares for us affectionately.
Not setting any boundaries for our marriage & families and getting caught in the trap of busyness.
Choosing to walk outside of the plan of God by getting our priorities all mixed up. The bible says in Matthew 6:33-34 to Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Stress depletes our bodies, our immune system becomes weak and sickness can set in. In Philippians 2:25-30 - Epaphroditus was sick from overwork in the ministry. We can't keep ignoring God's laws set out for us to protect us. Even God worked six days and rested one day. We are made in His image and His likeness, therefore we may want to follow in HIS footsteps. Whose pace are you moving at? God's pace for you or someone else's pace? Be a God pleaser, not a man pleaser.
