10 Relaxation Tips for Stress at the Office

The symptoms of stress are varied and can range from tension headaches to back pains and sleeplessness. Therefore study yourself so that you can know how your body reacts when you are stressed. This self knowledge will help you manage the source of your stress and enable you to begin practicing relaxation techniques before you succumb to full-blown stress-related illnesses like hypertension and peptic ulcer disease.

This blog post on 10 relaxation tips for stress at the office will teach you the steps you can take to deal with the stress at work.

Pray

The first thing that you should do when faced with any stressful situation is to pray because it is written, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6)

Therefore, take a minute of two to pray about the things that are stressing you in the office and ask God to help you deal with them.

Breathe

The body's reaction to stress involves taking small, shallow breaths. 

Therefore counter this response by inhaling deeply until your abdomen rises and exhaling deeply until it drops. Do this several times and you will begin to feel less stressed because abdominal breathing is a very effective relaxation technique.

Meditate

Meditation reduces stress, anxiety and depression. It also improves focus and concentration.

Therefore, when you find yourself getting stressed at the office, take a moment to meditate on Bible verses like I can do all things through Jesus Christ Who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

Do not be afraid because I am with you. Do not be dismayed because I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous Right Hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Click here for more Bible Verses to meditate on

Organize your Work Space

Clutter contributes to feeling stressed. 

Therefore, organize your work space by tidying it and de-cluttering it. Place all your items in their designated spots. Make this an ongoing daily process by ensuring that everything that is brought into your office is neatly placed in its nook.

Organize your Work

Before your work day begins, plan how you will do the activities you are expected to do. If possible, develop a routine since engaging in repetitive activities relaxes the body and ensures you will not miss a task.

Skip the Coffee

Skip the coffee during your morning break since caffeine can trigger reactions in the body that are similar to those of the stress reaction. 

Therefore, drink fresh fruit juices or sip green tea since it contains L-Theanine which reduces your body’s responses to stress.

Eat a Stress-Reducing Lunch

Eat foods that will not affect your mood adversely to avoid aggravating the effects of a stressful workplace. 

For example, eat sandwiches made from whole wheat bread since they will not cause the rapid changes in blood sugar levels that are associated with the release of stress hormones. For optimum results, finish your lunch with a single square of dark chocolate since studies have shown that dark chocolate lowers stress levels.

Click here to learn about the Christian Chocolate Meditation

Relax over Lunch

After eating, relax for a few minutes by reading or giving yourself a temple massage with relaxing lavender oil. You can also fill crosswords or complete Sudoku puzzles during your lunch break to divert your mind from the stressful events in your work place.

Relax Yourself Progressively

At the end of the work day, if you find that you are tightly wound because of work-related stress, progressively relax your muscles. 

To do this, tighten the muscles of your right foot for a few seconds and focus on how they feel. Follow this by relaxing the same muscles and focusing on the sensation so that you can know when those muscles are relaxed as this will help you differentiate when you are tense from when you are relaxed. Proceed with this tightening and relaxing of your muscles groups as you work your way up your body until you finish with the muscles on your face.

Visualize your Vacation

If you need a vacation because of the stress you are experiencing, but you cannot afford to take one, practice guided imagery. 

To do this, close your eyes and imagine yourself at your favorite vacation spot. See the sights, hear the sounds, feel the sensations and even taste the food you are eating in your mental vacation.

To learn more relaxation tips for stress at the office, read Rules of Relaxation.

Please share in the comments section how you deal with stress at the office

  

How to Deal with False Accusations

How to deal with false accusations is part of our Dealing with the Devices of the Devil Series and has been adapted from the book We Are Not Ignorant Of His Devices.

Have you been accused of committing a crime you have not done?

Are you being punished for something you did not do?

Are you suffering physically, mentally, socially, legally, professionally and in any other way because of lies that have been perpetrated about you?

If you are, know that you are dealing with false accusations which are one of the devices of the devil.

We know that false accusations are a device of the devil because the Bible tells us that Satan is the Accuser of the brethren. (Revelations 12:10)

We can even see a good example of this when Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s life and imprisoned for several years because of it. (Genesis 39:1-20)

Nehemiah and the Israelites were also accused of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem so that they could rebel against the king. (Nehemiah 6:5-7) This was a false accusation because Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls because this was what God had placed in his heart for him to do in Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 2:12)

How To Deal with False Accusations As A Christian

If you are a Christian and you want to deal with false accusations, do the following:

Pray

When Nehemiah was sent the letter with the false accusations, he prayed and said, “O God, strengthen my hands”. (Nehemiah 6:9)

Therefore if you are being attacked with false accusations, pray and ask God to help you and strengthen you so that you can continue doing what He has called you to do without being afraid of the consequences of the false accusations.

Sample prayers that you can say include the following:

Heavenly Father I ask You in the name of Jesus to vindicate me O Lord because I have walked in integrity and trusted in You. (Psalm 26:1)  

Father God you are a God of justice (Isaiah 30:8) and I ask You in the name of Jesus to look into these false accusations and prove my innocence. 

Heavenly Father I ask You in the name of Jesus to let justice flow like a river (Amos 5:24) in my life.

Heavenly Father I ask You in the name of Jesus to strengthen me (Nehemiah 6:9) so I can be strong in You Lord and in the power of Your might (Ephesians 6:10) as I deal with these false accusations and continue doing what you have called me to do. 

Strengthen Yourself in the Lord

In addition to praying for God to strengthen you, strengthen yourself by encouraging yourself in the Lord so that you can continue doing what He has called you to do like Nehemiah. Click on the link to read How to Encourage Yourself in the Lord. 

Continue Serving God 

When Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned, he continued to be faithful to God. He exhibited his faithfulness when he found Pharaoh’s incarcerated butler and baker looking sad because they did not have an interpreter for their dreams for Joseph praised God and glorified Him by saying that all dream interpretations come from Him before he interpreted their dreams correctly. (Genesis 40:5-22)

As a result of his interpretations, when Pharaoh dreamt a dream that his wise men could not interpret, his now freed butler remembered Joseph and recommended him to Pharaoh for his dream interpretation skills. Joseph then interpreted Pharaoh's dream and was promoted to be the Prime Minister of Egypt. 

When Nehemiah was falsely accused, he also continued serving God faithfully by continuing to do the work that God had place in his heart which was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Therefore even if you are suffering because you have been falsely accused, continue being faithful to God by praising Him and using your gifts and talents to glorify Him because He can use them to help you the way He did for Joseph.

To learn more about how to deal with false accusations and 19 other devices that the devil uses to attack God's people, read We Are Not Ignorant Of His Devices.

  

Anti Stress Home Decor Ideas

Decorating your home with these anti stress home decor ideas is a great activity for Stress Awareness Day, which is celebrated on the first Wednesday of November, because it can help you relieve stress since it allows your brain to switch off from thinking about your stressors and focus on the task at hand of creating a more pleasant living space.

Decorating your home becomes an even more effective stress management technique when you do it with a non-judgmental attitude. This is because it adds fun to your life and gives you something pleasant to look forward to at the end of a stressful work week.

Since decorating also gives you an outlet to express yourself and let your creative juices to flow, it is a great complementary hobby especially if you work at a strict, stressful job.

Decorating your home is also a great stress-relieving hobby if you like doing something constructive during your down-time instead of just sitting around. This is because finishing decorating a room gives you a sense of accomplishment and this improves your emotional well being since it leaves you feeling fulfilled.

Studies have shown that persons who engaged in activities that they enjoyed during their leisure time had lower blood pressure, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower levels of depression. These persons were also noted to  have higher levels of positive psychosomatic states. Therefore make decorating your living space one of your stress relieving hobbies.

Even if you have never decorated before, you can still reap these benefits of decorating by reading a book like Anti Stress Home Decor since it teaches you the basics of decorating and leaves you with enough room to create a room that is pleasing to all your senses.

Anti Stress Home Decor

Anti-stress home  decor accents that you can use to decorate your home include wall clocks, canvas art, mats and throw pillows or cushions like the following:

White chrysanthemum throw pillow

When you are up, don't believe the hype When you are down, don't believe the crap throw pillow

God can change the enemy's . into a , throw pillow

God can turn a distressing period . into a joyous surprise ! throw pillow

Do not dwell on past mistakes Dwell in future possibilities throw pillow

White daisy throw pillow

White daisy bath mat

White daisy wall clock

Blue sky with sun rays wall clock

It is well canvas art

You can also use cream home decor accents like the following to decorate your home with an anti-stress home decor theme:

Cream bath set

Cream wall clock

Cream lamp

Cream pendant lamp

Cream throw pillow

Anti Stress Home Decor Book 

Anti-Stress Home Decor 

uses color pictures and clear explanations 

to teach you five key interior decorating principles 

so that you can choose home decor accents that are appropriate for an Anti-Stress or 

relaxing home decoration theme. 

You will learn

* How to decorate by yourself

* How to choose colors

* How to choose patterns

* Home decorating ideas

* How to decorate your bathroom

* How to decorate your living room

* How to decorate your bedroom

Click here to read about Home Decor Therapy for Dealing with Depression

Click here to read about Indian Home Decor

How To Deal With Opposition As A Christian

This blog post on How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian teaches you the Biblical steps you need to take to overcome those opposing you.

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 1. Pray

The first thing you should do when you start to feel oppressed is to pray.

Therefore, pray and ask God to deal with the things that are oppressing you.

To pray more effectively over any situation, you have to use Bible verses since The sword of the spirit is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

Therefore combine your supplication prayers with anti oppression prayers which have been adapted from Scriptures like the following:

Heavenly Father I ask You in the name of Jesus to plead my cause O Lord with those who strive with me, fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler and stand up for my help. (Psalm 35:1-2)


Heavenly Father I ask You in the name of Jesus to make me like a fortified bronze wall so that these people fighting against me do not prevail because You are with me to save me and deliver me. (Jeremiah 15:20)


Heavenly Father I ask You in the name of Jesus to help me become more than a conqueror through Jesus who loves me. (Romans 8:37)

Heavenly Father I ask You in the name of Jesus to perfect that which concerns me (Psalm 138:8) so that I stop being opposed. 

As you say these prayers. ensure that you do not just pray for one day and then give up on praying because we are told to Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 2. Have Faith

As you pray, believe that you will receive what you are asking for because we are told to Ask in faith (James 1:6)

Even if you think that your faith is weak or small, decide to believe that God will answer your prayers because Jesus taught us that faith that is as small as a mustard seed can move something that is as big as a mountain for He said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

Therefore, believe that your prayers will be answered and if you feel that your faith is wavering, pray "Lord I believe. Help my unbelief." (Mark 9:24) 

To learn more, read How To Increase Your Faith which uses examples from the Bible to teach you how to strengthen your faith in God. 

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 3. Confess Your Sins

Confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you because it is written that The Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save you and His ear is not heavy that He cannot hear you. But your iniquities have separated you from your God and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2) So confess your sins so that they can stop separating you from God. 

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 4. Live Righteously

Ensure that you are also living a righteous life by doing the right things in the sight of God because it is written that The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16) So if you want your prayers to achieve a lot, pray fervently and live righteously.

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 5. Put On The Armor Of God

The Bible instructs us to, "Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the tricks of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11)

This armor of God consists of the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17)

Since you have already put on the breastplate of righteousness by doing the right thing in the sight of God and you are holding the shield of faith by believing that God will answer your prayers, put on the rest of the armor of God by doing the following:

Put on the helmet of salvation by saying with your mouth that "Jesus is Lord" and believing with your heart that when He died for our sins, God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Put on the belt of truth by being truthful in all your words and deeds.

Put on the shoes of the Gospel by reading your Bible every day.

Use the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17) by speaking Scriptures over your situation.

Putting on the Armor of God is very important when dealing with opposition because we can see that when Nehemiah and the Israelites faced opposition as they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, Those who built on the wall and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. (Nehemiah 4:17-18)

Therefore, ensure that you have put on the spiritual armor of God as you do the physical work that is facing opposition.

Click on the link to learn more about How to Put on the Armor of God.

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 6. Speak To the Situation

Jesus taught us saying, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

Therefore every morning and evening, speak to the things that are opposing you and tell them to leave your life. As you speak to them, believe that what you are saying will happen since you have to have faith as you speak to the mountain. (Matthew 17:20)  

To make your words even more effective, speak Scriptures that we will call SWORD WORDS since The sword of the spirit is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17) For example, you can declare over your situation:

The Lord God has made me like a fortified bronze wall so that these people fighting against will not prevail because He is with me to save me and deliver me. (Jeremiah 15:20)

In all these things I am more than a conqueror through Jesus who loves me. (Romans 8:37)

The Lord God is perfecting that which concerns me. (Psalm 138:8)

Go through your Bible to get more Scriptures to speak over your situation or get them from the book SWORD WORDS. 

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 7. Fast

Jesus taught that some things have to be dealt with by combining prayer with fasting when He said, "This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:21) 

Therefore combine your prayers with abstaining from food for 1 day or 3 days or 21 days or 40 days. If you have never fasted before you can begin by skipping 1 meal. If you have any medical condition or you are taking medication, consult your doctor first.

As you abstain from food, ensure that you are not engaging in pleasurable activities or taking advantage of people because when the Israelites asked God “Why have we fasted and You do not see? (Isaiah 58:3) He told them, “On the day you fast, you find pleasure and exploit your laborers.” (Isaiah 58:3)

To learn more read How to Fast Effectively which uses Bible examples to teach you the things you should do to ensure that you get great results when you fast.

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 8. Thank God

The Bible tells us Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Therefore, do not be anxious over anything. And, since you have made your requests known to God through prayer, thank Him so that His peace can guard your heart and mind.

Thank God for what He has done for you in the past and thank Him in faith for what you believe He will do for you in the future. 

You can also thank God because of Who He is. For example, you can say, "I thank You Father God because You are Jehovah Nissi the Lord Our Banner (Exodus 17:115) and You will give me victory in this situation and guard my heart and mind with your peace which surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)" 

To learn more read The Names and Characteristics of God.

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 9. Get More Help

Click on the links below and read more blog posts and books on opposition:

How to fight opposition with Bible Verses

How to overcome opposition: Part 1 Gideon

How to overcome opposition: Part 2 Cyrus

How to overcome opposition: Part 3 Nehemiah

Devotional: Whoever assembles against you shall fall

Opportunity comes with opposition

The enemy releasing prayer and affirmation

30 Bible Verses To Use As Spiritual Warfare Prayers

Christian Affirmations

20 Stress Management Bible Verses

How to Deal with Opposition as a Christian 10. Do Something Physical

Do something physical to deal with the opposition. 

The first physical thing that you should do is to emulate Nehemiah and continue doing the job that God has called you to do even under if you are being opposed. 

The second physical thing that you should do is to ensure that you exercise for atleast 20 minutes each day since physical exercise releases endorphins which make you feel good.

The third physical thing that you should do is to make sure that you engage in a selfcare activity each day.

For example, you can engage in a physical selfcare activity like eating healthy comfort food like mashed sweet potatoes and stew. 

You can engage in a mental selfcare activity like journaling about the things that are oppressing you. 

You can engage in an emotional selfcare activity like diffusing relaxing essential like lavender and Roman chamomile essential oils because Ointment and perfume delight the heart. (Proverbs 27:9) 

You can also engage in a spiritual selfcare activity like listening to Christian worship music. 

Please share in the comments section how you deal with opposition as a Christian