Pressure Check
Assess Your Stress Levels
We ALL experience pressure. Pressure from work or our career. Pressure from relationships or trying to meet expectations from friends or family. There might be pressure in your marriage or in your relationship with your kids. The point is that we all have different factors that can increase or decrease the amount of pressure we experience each day.
Pressure is everywhere. It can come from our finances or a lack of planning. Unexpected pressure sneaks up on us at a moment’s notice. In 2020, we experienced a multitude of new, never-before-experienced stressors that knocked many of us off our feet.
Anytime pressure begins to build, it will eventually need to be released somewhere. If we fail to deal with it in a healthy way, it will come spewing out in unfortunate places. This explosion of emotions can happen in a variety of ways. The explosion will look different for each of us.
If we allow the pressure to build until it finds a way out on its own, it could surface in what many call a “mental breakdown.” You have probably heard people say that they “just lost it.” This outburst could come in the form of anger, rage, or aggression. On the other hand, it could show up in the form of apathy, withdrawal, or isolation.
There’s no one thing to look out for, but we can all agree that something must be underneath the surface. If we do not take time to find healthy ways to handle the pressure, we can be sure that it will find its way out. From my experience, this tends to happen at the most inopportune times. So what can we do to proactively address these outbursts?
Tire Pressure
If you have ever driven a vehicle, you are probably at least aware of tire pressure. Tire pressure is the amount of air pressure within a car’s tires. If you ever want to add air to your tires, you would be wise to check the amount of air already in them. This prevents over- or under-inflating tires.
Like car tires, our bodies can only take so much pressure before something bad happens. It is wise to monitor our pressure. One great way to do so is to perform a pressure check. A pressure check is a great tool we can implement to help alleviate these emotional outbursts.
How do I do a pressure check?
There are different approaches for different people, but as believers, we start by going to God.
A great place for that is Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT). It says, ”Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.“
Psalms 139:23-24 NLT
Check, Check
I don’t know about you, but I need to regularly check in with God to see how things are going. It’s so easy to get caught up in our routine without stopping to do a pressure check. We should regularly ask God to search us and know our hearts. While we are here, it’s time to ask other important questions.
Stop and Ask:
What’s going on underneath the surface?
What stressors am I facing in my today?
Let’s evaluate “what” is stressing us and “how much” stress we are dealing with.
No matter what we go through, good or bad, both cause us stress. This stress can build up over time if we do not practice proper self-care.
In her book Reset, Debra Fileta says that a tool called the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory helps measure stress. This inventory is a good way to help predict the likelihood of having an “emotional explosion” based on the level of stress you are experiencing. It’s also worth noting that this tool included both positive and negative stress events.
In her book Reset, Debra tells a story about an interview she had with a high-profile pastor. This interview was part of a series on her podcast asking leaders how they’re really doing. The goal was to start conversations about mental and emotional health. This pastor was having regular panic attacks without even knowing what was going on.
All of the stressors in his life began affecting his body to the point where he thought he was having a heart attack. Ignoring the signs, he kept adding things to his schedule without stopping to assess what was going on. He finally got to his breaking point, where he thought he was going to die of a heart attack.
You might not be a high-profile speaker or a business leader, but we all have a limited capacity. If we continue piling things on until our bodies tell us to slow down, we are bound to experience the negative effects of stress. This is precisely why we need to make a regular habit of doing pressure checks.
How about you? When was the last time you took a few minutes to check in with yourself and God?
Verse for Reflection
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24 ESV).
Source
[1] Fileta, D. (2023). Reset. Harvest House Publishers.
