When dealing with a stressful situation, it is very important to identify the specific source of your stress because of the following reasons:
It Enables You to Manage it Effectively
Identifying the specific source of your stress enables you to manage it more effectively than if you were trying to manage a problem whose root cause you do not know. For example, if you "feel stressed" every time you deal with some people in a certain place it is important to pinpoint exactly what rubs you the wrong way about those people or that particular place by asking yourself questions like the following:
What is the source of my stress with regards to those people?
Is it their attitude towards me?
Is it their words?
Is it their body language?
Is it their don't care attitude?
What is the source of my stress with regards to that place?
Is it the noise?
Is it the clutter?
Is it the colors or the lighting?
Is it the air of confusion and indecision?
Am I the source of my stress because of entertaining negative thoughts about those people?
Am I stressing myself by entertaining negative thoughts about that place?
Am I entertaining negative thoughts about my anticipated experiences?
Am I afraid?
Am I frustrated?
Therefore create time to analyze your stressful situation so that you can identify the root cause of your stress and deal with it as this will enable you to manage the stressful situation more effectively than if you dealt with the superficial effects of the root cause.
It Reduces Mental Burdens
Identifying the specific source of your stress reduces your mental burdens when you realize that you are dealing with one major cause rather than multiple different problems. For example, the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5) had the following problems:
1. Health problems because of her 12-year bleeding disease
2. Financial problems because she had spent all her money looking for a cure
3. Social problems because she was not supposed to socialize because of her bleeding
However, when she approached Jesus she spoke to herself saying, ""If only I touch His garments, I shall be made well". (Mark 5:28) She did not talk about her financial or social problems because may have realized that solving her health problem would solve those other problems for she would not need to spend money on doctors and she could now socialize.
Therefore if you have many problems, analyze them to find out if they are stemming from each other or they are independent problems. Then set out to first solve the independent problems that are causing other problems to develop.
It Helps You Pray Effectively
Another advantage of identifying the root source of your problem is that it helps you pray more effectively as you are able to precisely target your prayers.We can see from Matthew 22:32-33 that when Jesus asked the two blind men sitting at the side of the road what they wanted Him to do for them, they replied saying they wanted Him to open their eyes.
They had identified blindness as their chief source of stress and thus were able to articulate it eloquently to the Lord. They did not mention any other problem they could have been dealing with at that time.
Therefore, identify the root cause of your stressful situation so that if the Lord were to ask you "What do you want?", you can answer Him unambiguously. Name the root source of your stress clearly so that you can pray over it effectively.
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