How to Deal with Physical and Emotional Stress in Ministry

In this series, we examine several different types of stress, and offer some practical ways to deal with them. When these action steps are intentionally utilized, you can improve your physical health and mental wellness, but also maximize your effectiveness for ministry. If you are personally stressed out, your value to the church and ministry is diminished.

Now that we have considered the implications of personal stress, we switch our focus to stress induced by physical and emotional situations in this second session. Some stressors are more controllable than others. Stress may be due to an uncertain future. Science tells us that the difference between the non-stressed person versus the stressed person is not due to the uncertain future. The difference is that the stressed person’s focus is on the journey rather than the journey’s end. When our only focal point is on the barriers immediately before us, we lose sight of the big picture in our lives. Proverbs 29:18 reminds us of this, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

As a pastor, you know that emotional and physical stress are correlated. Can you remember a time when you were so overwhelmed with work, that all you could do was put your head down and plow through it? It was so emotionally draining that it began to also take a toll on your physical well-being due to sheer exhaustion.

When we are hindered by emotional and physical stress, we may feel like just letting it go, because time heals all wounds, right? That is not the prescription for reducing stress. If you are not intentional about taking measures to diminish stress, it will not happen on its own.

In this video, we talk about ten helpful things to consider for mitigating physical and emotional stress. We encourage you to watch this video and to make these things a matter of prayer for a more stress-free future.