Tom. So many people are saying that they are having stress levels that are really affecting their day to day lives. It's affecting their relationships, it's affecting their sleep. And even people in ministry are experiencing high levels of stress.

Tom. So many people are saying that they are having stress levels that are really affecting their day to day lives. It's affecting their relationships, it's affecting their sleep. And even people in ministry are experiencing high levels of stress.

Yeah, it's hard to escape stress. I was about to say my coworker Toby says that she has difficulty with a coworker, and that leads to her heightened stress anxiety each and every day.

Yeah, it's hard to escape stress. I was about to say my coworker Toby says that she has difficulty with a coworker, and that leads to her heightened stress anxiety each and every day.

So true, so true. Thanks for remembering that.

So true, so true. Thanks for remembering that.

Yeah. And so we're just praying about the relationship between Toby and Jacob. And so we're talking about stress. And you know, we're not experts on dealing with this by any means. So we're going to need some help talking about this one this morning.

Yeah. And so we're just praying about the relationship between Toby and Jacob. And so we're talking about stress. And you know, we're not experts on dealing with this by any means. So we're going to need some help talking about this one this morning.

I think we should bring in Doctor Charles Stone. He's been in ministry for probably over 40 years, and he's been a pastor for over 30. He's written a book called Stress Less nine habits from the Bible and Brain Science to Build Resilience and Reduce Anxiety. And thank you so much for being with us, doctor Stone.

I think we should bring in Doctor Charles Stone. He's been in ministry for probably over 40 years, and he's been a pastor for over 30. He's written a book called Stress Less nine habits from the Bible and Brain Science to Build Resilience and Reduce Anxiety. And thank you so much for being with us, doctor Stone.

Hey, it's great to be with you both this morning.

Hey, it's great to be with you both this morning.

So stress seems to abound, and, uh, let's just go ahead. Whenever you start talking about something, it's really good to be on the same page. So if you could just take a moment, just define stress in simple terms for people who just feel overwhelmed but don't really understand exactly what's going on at the time.

So stress seems to abound, and, uh, let's just go ahead. Whenever you start talking about something, it's really good to be on the same page. So if you could just take a moment, just define stress in simple terms for people who just feel overwhelmed but don't really understand exactly what's going on at the time.

Yeah. Well, you know, you guys were talking about pollen a few minutes ago. I live in Mississippi, and that yellow pollen is everywhere. That's a great image of stress events out there. It's like pollen. It is everywhere. And I find this helpful to kind of differentiate between what we would call a stress event that maybe we have no control over, and we have no control over the pollen and how we respond to that stress. We have control over that. You know, we can put air conditioners in our house and those air cleaners, those kinds of things. So there's a differentiation. There's the thing out there that evokes the stress response inside of us. Now, that stress response is how God designed us to protect us so we don't run into danger and keep it, keep ourselves safe. So those two kind of concepts are really good to to keep in mind. The bottom line is that stress is our body and brain's natural response to real or perceived threats or demands on our lives. So that's that's kind of a simple way to look at it.

Yeah. Well, you know, you guys were talking about pollen a few minutes ago. I live in Mississippi, and that yellow pollen is everywhere. That's a great image of stress events out there. It's like pollen. It is everywhere. And I find this helpful to kind of differentiate between what we would call a stress event that maybe we have no control over, and we have no control over the pollen and how we respond to that stress. We have control over that. You know, we can put air conditioners in our house and those air cleaners, those kinds of things. So there's a differentiation. There's the thing out there that evokes the stress response inside of us. Now, that stress response is how God designed us to protect us so we don't run into danger and keep it, keep ourselves safe. So those two kind of concepts are really good to to keep in mind. The bottom line is that stress is our body and brain's natural response to real or perceived threats or demands on our lives. So that's that's kind of a simple way to look at it.

Okay. I like just that simple definition of it. But if it's our body's natural response, what happens in our brains and bodies when we face chronic stress?

Okay. I like just that simple definition of it. But if it's our body's natural response, what happens in our brains and bodies when we face chronic stress?

Yeah. Well, there are two flavors, like, you know, I like ice cream, I like chocolate, I like vanilla. There are two flavors of stress. There's acute stress. That's when it comes. The event comes and it it dies down a bit like a few moments ago when we were trying to connect and the connection wasn't working, or I started feeling some acute stress rise in me, but it helped me focus. So it was a good thing. Now I'm coming down to baseline so that one flavor is acute stress. It comes and it goes. A chronic stress is that long term stress when it remains with us more than a few days. And that's what happens with a negative effect that really affects our body and our brain in a negative way. If we don't deal with that chronic stress and we're going to have chronic stress events, some folks maybe have a chronically ill child or they adityan job. Those things are. But God has given us the equipment and the insight from his word on how to be more resilient in response to those stress events.

Yeah. Well, there are two flavors, like, you know, I like ice cream, I like chocolate, I like vanilla. There are two flavors of stress. There's acute stress. That's when it comes. The event comes and it it dies down a bit like a few moments ago when we were trying to connect and the connection wasn't working, or I started feeling some acute stress rise in me, but it helped me focus. So it was a good thing. Now I'm coming down to baseline so that one flavor is acute stress. It comes and it goes. A chronic stress is that long term stress when it remains with us more than a few days. And that's what happens with a negative effect that really affects our body and our brain in a negative way. If we don't deal with that chronic stress and we're going to have chronic stress events, some folks maybe have a chronically ill child or they adityan job. Those things are. But God has given us the equipment and the insight from his word on how to be more resilient in response to those stress events.

Okay, so we're talking with Doctor Charles Stone about stress. And let me ask you this. If stress is our natural response to those stimuli. And then there's this chronic stress that keeps happening and happening and happening. I mean, how do we actually deal with that stress kind of on a long term basis?

Okay, so we're talking with Doctor Charles Stone about stress. And let me ask you this. If stress is our natural response to those stimuli. And then there's this chronic stress that keeps happening and happening and happening. I mean, how do we actually deal with that stress kind of on a long term basis?

Yeah. Well, going back to stress events, there are some situations in life that are with us. We don't know until we go to heaven. Those are real. But in my research in the book, I discovered there are probably more nine specific steps that we can take to deal with those stress stress events and to calm the stress response. So there are nine in the book, and happy to pick apart 1 or 2 of those, if that would be helpful.

Yeah. Well, going back to stress events, there are some situations in life that are with us. We don't know until we go to heaven. Those are real. But in my research in the book, I discovered there are probably more nine specific steps that we can take to deal with those stress stress events and to calm the stress response. So there are nine in the book, and happy to pick apart 1 or 2 of those, if that would be helpful.

Doctor Charles Stone is here with us. He's talking about stress because you're in a book called Stress Less.

Doctor Charles Stone is here with us. He's talking about stress because you're in a book called Stress Less.

Yes. And doctor Stone, right before the break, you were telling us about these nine areas that we can look into their nine practices for resilience. We can't get into all of them. People are going to have to get the book to get all of them. But can you give us a couple of these practices to help us?

Yes. And doctor Stone, right before the break, you were telling us about these nine areas that we can look into their nine practices for resilience. We can't get into all of them. People are going to have to get the book to get all of them. But can you give us a couple of these practices to help us?

You bet. The press, my favorite one, and the easiest one is what I call seize and breathe. Now, if you look at Scripture, you find the word breath and the concept of breath throughout. Psalm Home. 156 says, let everything that has breath praise the Lord. In Genesis, God breathed into Adam. He became a living being. In the New Testament, Jesus breathed on the early church, and the Holy Spirit came. And the way God wired us. When you think about breathing, you know we do it naturally. But a little neuroscience insight is this that when we breathe and if we extend the outbreath, you know, we breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, breathe out. It actually dials down the stress response. So when you're a stressful situation, I have a little acronym called stop adding an extra P stop. The first one S is stop. Just basically when you're in a stressful situation, stop. Pull away, get by yourself, stop and t take a breath. Take a few deep breaths through your nose, and when you exhale, extend that a little bit. It calms the nervous system. So S is for stop. E is for take your breath. O is observe. Just take a mental note. What's really going on inside. What's going on outside. That's O. P is pray Lord, I'm in a stressful situation. Give me wisdom. The final P is for proceed. And this season you can take it anywhere. You don't have to have a book. You don't have to have a smartphone. But it really, really works. So that's one practice. Another one has to do with gratefulness. You know, all throughout Scripture it tells us that we're to be grateful. Uh, you can find many references. Well, a little neuroscience insight is this that gratitude? When we're grateful, it releases positive brain chemicals and it enhances our ability to control our emotions. It decreases those negative thoughts and promotes overall well-being. And here's a simple application. It's called three good things. The first thing you get do in the morning before you even get out of bed, think of three things you're grateful for. It'd be small, could be large. Better yet, when you get up, if you diary or keep a journal, write them down. Better yet, think of three good things before you go to bed, because the way God designed us is if we set the default focus for the day on gratitude. It's amazing how resilience rises from that and we're more able to deal with those stressful experiences. So those are I guess you could say, my my two favorite ones that are portable, that you can take to any situation.

You bet. The press, my favorite one, and the easiest one is what I call seize and breathe. Now, if you look at Scripture, you find the word breath and the concept of breath throughout. Psalm Home. 156 says, let everything that has breath praise the Lord. In Genesis, God breathed into Adam. He became a living being. In the New Testament, Jesus breathed on the early church, and the Holy Spirit came. And the way God wired us. When you think about breathing, you know we do it naturally. But a little neuroscience insight is this that when we breathe and if we extend the outbreath, you know, we breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, breathe out. It actually dials down the stress response. So when you're a stressful situation, I have a little acronym called stop adding an extra P stop. The first one S is stop. Just basically when you're in a stressful situation, stop. Pull away, get by yourself, stop and t take a breath. Take a few deep breaths through your nose, and when you exhale, extend that a little bit. It calms the nervous system. So S is for stop. E is for take your breath. O is observe. Just take a mental note. What's really going on inside. What's going on outside. That's O. P is pray Lord, I'm in a stressful situation. Give me wisdom. The final P is for proceed. And this season you can take it anywhere. You don't have to have a book. You don't have to have a smartphone. But it really, really works. So that's one practice. Another one has to do with gratefulness. You know, all throughout Scripture it tells us that we're to be grateful. Uh, you can find many references. Well, a little neuroscience insight is this that gratitude? When we're grateful, it releases positive brain chemicals and it enhances our ability to control our emotions. It decreases those negative thoughts and promotes overall well-being. And here's a simple application. It's called three good things. The first thing you get do in the morning before you even get out of bed, think of three things you're grateful for. It'd be small, could be large. Better yet, when you get up, if you diary or keep a journal, write them down. Better yet, think of three good things before you go to bed, because the way God designed us is if we set the default focus for the day on gratitude. It's amazing how resilience rises from that and we're more able to deal with those stressful experiences. So those are I guess you could say, my my two favorite ones that are portable, that you can take to any situation.

You're hearing from Doctor Charles Stone talking about ways that we could stress less. The first one is to develop gratitude, really as a lifestyle. Starting your day, ending your day with thoughts of thankfulness and gratitude for different things. But if you could do me a favor right now, could you just go back over the stop, um, acronym that you had created?

You're hearing from Doctor Charles Stone talking about ways that we could stress less. The first one is to develop gratitude, really as a lifestyle. Starting your day, ending your day with thoughts of thankfulness and gratitude for different things. But if you could do me a favor right now, could you just go back over the stop, um, acronym that you had created?

You bet. Yeah. Stop. The first S stands for stop. Literally stop what you're doing. T stands for take a breath. Remember that as we breathe a few deep breaths, especially on the outbreath, by extending that physiologically, it dials down the stress response. So S is for stop. P is for take a breath. O is for observe. That is, pay attention to you know, What thoughts am I thinking right now? Pay attention to what is the real situation. Have I made it bigger than it is? Do I need to change my mental challenge? Uh, mental. Uh uh, stations that I'm tuned to rather so s for stop he take a breath o observe P is pray focusing on the Lord's presence in that moment to guide you. And the final P is proceed. Just go on the rest of your day. Just take the next step. Whatever you need to do. I think I may have skipped that one when I gave it to you originally, so stop.

You bet. Yeah. Stop. The first S stands for stop. Literally stop what you're doing. T stands for take a breath. Remember that as we breathe a few deep breaths, especially on the outbreath, by extending that physiologically, it dials down the stress response. So S is for stop. P is for take a breath. O is for observe. That is, pay attention to you know, What thoughts am I thinking right now? Pay attention to what is the real situation. Have I made it bigger than it is? Do I need to change my mental challenge? Uh, mental. Uh uh, stations that I'm tuned to rather so s for stop he take a breath o observe P is pray focusing on the Lord's presence in that moment to guide you. And the final P is proceed. Just go on the rest of your day. Just take the next step. Whatever you need to do. I think I may have skipped that one when I gave it to you originally, so stop.

Doctor Charles Stone is our guest. He's written a book called Stress Less nine habits from the Bible and Brain Science to build resilience and reduce Anxiety.

Doctor Charles Stone is our guest. He's written a book called Stress Less nine habits from the Bible and Brain Science to build resilience and reduce Anxiety.

And so, doctor Stone, you were sharing with us about some ideas from brain science that could help us as we deal with our stress. But I would love to hear a story, maybe from a character in Scripture that we could learn from. Could you share that?

And so, doctor Stone, you were sharing with us about some ideas from brain science that could help us as we deal with our stress. But I would love to hear a story, maybe from a character in Scripture that we could learn from. Could you share that?

You bet. And you think of the characters in the Bible, like almost all of them experienced stress in some degree. You think of Moses. I mean, he faced constant stress, you know, grumbling, rebellious people facing Pharaoh's wrath. And in fact, in numbers, it tells that he couldn't carry the burden of the people. And even when he got to take his own life and of course, God directed him a different direction. David, you can see all throughout the Psalms how he was very honest about his feelings and dealing with those stressful experiences. But Elijah. Remember Elijah? He had this great spiritual victory over the prophets of Baal, but he crashes after that. But then God comes to him and he has a rest and he gives him something to eat. And so we see someone who did not respond to stress. Well, but then God met his needs and he did some very practical things. And even Jesus, you think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was perfect in every way, but he was overwhelmed when Matthew says, overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death. So he. Jesus is probably the prototypical Example of how we deal with stress. Jesus faced all kinds of stress in his life, but he always responded with the power of the Holy Spirit to those stressful situations. So all throughout Scripture we find characters. Some didn't do so well, but some did.

You bet. And you think of the characters in the Bible, like almost all of them experienced stress in some degree. You think of Moses. I mean, he faced constant stress, you know, grumbling, rebellious people facing Pharaoh's wrath. And in fact, in numbers, it tells that he couldn't carry the burden of the people. And even when he got to take his own life and of course, God directed him a different direction. David, you can see all throughout the Psalms how he was very honest about his feelings and dealing with those stressful experiences. But Elijah. Remember Elijah? He had this great spiritual victory over the prophets of Baal, but he crashes after that. But then God comes to him and he has a rest and he gives him something to eat. And so we see someone who did not respond to stress. Well, but then God met his needs and he did some very practical things. And even Jesus, you think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was perfect in every way, but he was overwhelmed when Matthew says, overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death. So he. Jesus is probably the prototypical Example of how we deal with stress. Jesus faced all kinds of stress in his life, but he always responded with the power of the Holy Spirit to those stressful situations. So all throughout Scripture we find characters. Some didn't do so well, but some did.

Okay, you're hearing from Doctor Charles Stone and Charles, I just need to ask you this because of the way that God handled Elijah in that stressful moment, I think sometimes we need to get back to something as simple as that. You need a snack and a nap and you will be fine, because sometimes we just keep pressing through, right?

Okay, you're hearing from Doctor Charles Stone and Charles, I just need to ask you this because of the way that God handled Elijah in that stressful moment, I think sometimes we need to get back to something as simple as that. You need a snack and a nap and you will be fine, because sometimes we just keep pressing through, right?

Yeah. Some misconceptions we have about stress is that if you experience it, you're less of a Christian. That is not true. Just look at the Bible. That is not true. And another misconception is that it only affects our mental health. It does affect our mental health, but our physical health that way like you say, a snack and a nap sometimes. That's a great recipe, I love that. Haven't heard that before, so that's great.

Yeah. Some misconceptions we have about stress is that if you experience it, you're less of a Christian. That is not true. Just look at the Bible. That is not true. And another misconception is that it only affects our mental health. It does affect our mental health, but our physical health that way like you say, a snack and a nap sometimes. That's a great recipe, I love that. Haven't heard that before, so that's great.

Yeah, because we need those every afternoon.

Yeah, because we need those every afternoon.

Okay. And as we're wrapping up our time with you, doctor Stone, somebody stressing right now in the middle of their life, what would you share with them if you were having coffee with them right now?

Okay. And as we're wrapping up our time with you, doctor Stone, somebody stressing right now in the middle of their life, what would you share with them if you were having coffee with them right now?

Yeah. I would say two things. First of all, stress need not define you. That event does not define you. Rather, you can let God's power let it refine you. Because God refines us in difficult circumstances. He gives us the grace we need and everything we need for life and godliness. And that's not to be just under the trite spiritual answer, but it's true. That's the first thing I'd say. Secondly is that there is hope. You can. I'm saying, you know, to my friend, you can absolutely manage the effects of the stress response by applying some of these practices. So stress does not need to define you. It can refine you. And there is hope. You can manage it and come out of that even stronger if you apply some of these practices. So that's how I would you know, what I would share with a with a friend dealing with stressful situations.

Yeah. I would say two things. First of all, stress need not define you. That event does not define you. Rather, you can let God's power let it refine you. Because God refines us in difficult circumstances. He gives us the grace we need and everything we need for life and godliness. And that's not to be just under the trite spiritual answer, but it's true. That's the first thing I'd say. Secondly is that there is hope. You can. I'm saying, you know, to my friend, you can absolutely manage the effects of the stress response by applying some of these practices. So stress does not need to define you. It can refine you. And there is hope. You can manage it and come out of that even stronger if you apply some of these practices. So that's how I would you know, what I would share with a with a friend dealing with stressful situations.