Stress awareness week

Stress is a different entity than anger, grief or sadness. Perhaps closer to anxiety, fear even. As our bodies perceive a stressful situation it produces cortisol, the stress hormone. Which is helpful when you are trying to out run a sabre tooth tiger or defending your village from marauders, but when it comes to modern life, mortgages, and work deadlines, stress is something that may do us more harm than good. As we acknowledge that stress in a natural bodily function, we can also accept that some aspects can be treated and soothed. Lavender is my own personal stress “go to” and there are also practises that help up move through our stress and re-align with calm. Breathing exercises, of which there are many different types, can help us relax our nervous system and reset our stress responses.

Within Unity we have a great saying which may also help. Let go and Let God.

This enables us to release the need to control outcomes. As we experience life and things don’t go our way, we may become fearful, worried that our power has been removed – especially in situations we cannot control. This is where faith can assist our journey. Faith that our good is unfolding even when we do not fully understand how. Knowing that divine love and guidance resides within and around us, gives us strength that we do not carry our loads alone. Understanding that our power is to choose. Choosing to be a source of love, to be patient and empathetic with ourselves and with others. Releasing the need to be right and to control each and every situation. This does not mean that we walk away from action, positive action can equally help us in relieving stress.

This Islamic proverb is one of my favourites, from the Hadith,“Trust in Allah but tie up your camel.”

With honest self-dialog we can uncover what is the cause of our stress, we can discern what care we need to give ourselves and what positive action list we need to make and work through.

At Unity Uk we offer our Morning Prayer service which is free to join on Zoom as part of your self-care and positive action.

To join us in meditation and silent reflection, to start the day from a place of peace and calm, join us every morning,
please follow the link below to our webpage for all the joining instructions. 

By Stef Bridges
Unity Adminstrator and Student