In today's hectic and demanding
society we often find ourselves
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feeling overwhelmed,
anxious, and stressed.
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It's reported that over
a quarter of the population
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are suffering from serious
stress at any time and 51%
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of adults who felt stress
reported feeling depressed
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and 61%
reported feeling anxious.
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Of the people who said
they felt stressed at some point
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in their lives 16% had self-
harm and 32% said they've had
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suicidal thoughts and feelings.
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These are alarming statistics,
stress is a big issue
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in our lives. The
triggers of stress may be small
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or it may be a huge event
in our lives, it can come from
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one or many possible
sources and overcoming stress
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can be difficult. And if this
stress is ongoing or chronic,
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it can slowly drain away
our joy in life, our energy and
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our feelings of
purpose and fulfillment.
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When the body finds
stress debilitating,
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when it cannot handle the
emotional overload of conflict
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and stress, it simply
lets us know by not functioning
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at its best.
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We may feel tired and fatigued,
we may try to find ways to
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help ourselves or
even look for an escape.
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But is there a way to
handle stress in our lives?
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And if so, what is the
best way to deal with stress?
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Well join me as we
chat with Dr. Delia McCabe
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a Specialist in Nutritional
Neuroscience who's going to
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share with us what is
happening in our bodies and
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brains when we are stressed.
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Stress, it's
something we all experience
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it can come from
conflict in our relationships,
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both family and friends,
our health, our finances,
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our school or workplace.
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It's all around us and we
all want to know the best way
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to deal with the
stress in our lives.
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Our guest today Dr.
Delia McCabe is a psychologist
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a neuroscientist who is focused
on nutrition and the brain
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for over two decades.
Delia holds a PhD from Adelaide
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Medical School and is the
author of two successful books.
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Delia, welcome to
our program today.
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We are delighted that you
can be with us to share your
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latest research on how
our brains deal with stress
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and the best
way to cope with it.
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I'm delighted to be
here, thank you Gary.
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So, let's get right to the heart
of the topic, what is stress?
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Well, firstly Gary,
stress isn't all bad,
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if we didn't have stress,
we wouldn't be here today.
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Good stress gets us out of
bed and keeps us motivated to
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pursue our goals and
helps us live a good life.
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The bad kind of stress is an
insidious stress a stress that
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lasts for a long period of time.
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So let's use an example.
Imagine if we were wondering
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through the forest,
it's a beautiful day
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the sun is shining, the birds
are singing and we're having
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a lovely chat, but suddenly
we hear a rustle in the bushes
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and before we can think about
it, we are running away from
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that sound to get
away from a possible threat
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which could have been a tiger.
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Now the stress response
was only supposed to last from
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between 30 to 60 seconds,
it was the tiger either got you
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in that time frame or
otherwise you escaped the tiger
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and you didn't need to
have that stress anymore.
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But in today's world, our over-
whelming very complicated world
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that stress response is lasting
a whole lot longer than 30 to 60
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seconds and then we
call it chronic stress.
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It's going on for a long
period of time and it's causing
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a lot of problems in our
body and in our brains and
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we call that a psychological
stress but it has the same
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effect on our body as if
we were busy running away
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from a tiger.
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So, what actually happens
in our body and our brain
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when we feel stressed?
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It's interesting because there
are a lot of things that happen
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very very quickly.
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So within the brain our
hypothalamus quickly talks to
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our memory to say, have
we felt this stress before?
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Then the message goes to
the pituitary gland which then
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tells the adrenal gland to pump
out adrenalin which then tells
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glucose to be sent to our
muscles to run away or fight
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the tiger, we
call that the HPA Axis
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So it's a little bit complicated
but the primary aim is to get
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us away from that threat.
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The challenges today are
threats are all psychological
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most of us are not
running away from tigers,
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and it's an insidious, ongoing
slow burn of adrenalin or
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and cortisol which are our
stress hormones which cause
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so much damage.
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So Delia, how does
stress affect what we eat?
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Well, when you think about
what stress is getting us to do
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run away from a
tiger, what most people do is
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reach for something that
will give them a quick rise in
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blood glucose and then
become accustomed to doing that.
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That becomes a habit. So,
that's lollies, carbonated
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drinks with lots of sugar
in them, coffee gives a jolt of
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energy and other highly
refined and processed foods
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when that becomes a habit,
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the blood glucose
becomes very very unstable
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and then you set up
another stress response because
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the body responds in a stressful
way when our blood glucose
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becomes unbalanced as well.
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So it's like a double negative
in relation to what happens
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in the body and why people
choose highly processed foods.
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Because guess what, the highly
processed foods are quickly
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absorbed and then the
person needs another energy hit.
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So are the nutrients that we
run out of when we feel stressed
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all the time. Absolutely, what
most people don't realize Gary
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that stress is very very
expensive from a nutritional
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perspective because adrenalin
and cortisol demand nutrients
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to be synthesized to be created
and many of those nutrients
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are the same nutrients that are
required for energy production.
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That's why when people
feel stressed all the time
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they also feel very tired
because the body and brain
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is prioritizing survival,
the stress hormone production
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over energy production.
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So we end up being deficient
in, for example, B Vitamins,
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Vitamin C, Magnesium,
Zinc, Selenium, many of those
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nutrients that are not in
processed food. So you can see
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the perfect storm here. Chronic
stress leads to a desire for
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highly processed foods that lead
to a quick rise in blood glucose
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and increased stress but don't
contain the nutrients like for
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example, we have around us in
this kitchen these superfoods.
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These are whole foods
that have a lot of fiber
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in them which looks after
the gut, they are full of the
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nutrients required to make
both stress hormones and the
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neurotransmitters that we need
to stay calm and help the brain
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function well.
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People don't understand
that when we are really stressed
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the demand for nutrients goes
up because we need to keep on
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making these stress hormones
but in the same way we also
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still need those nutrients
to make serotonin and melatonin
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which helps us go to sleep.
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So there's a very important
reason why when we are really
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stressed our diet even
needs to be better than under
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normal circumstances.
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Now when you say better,
you mean more of these natural
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plant-based foods they provide
the best nutrients to assist us
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when we are under stress.
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Yes, and the important thing
to keep in mind, these are not
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just nutrients for our
brain, they are also nutrients
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for our body because our body
is also under extra pressure
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when we are stressed. We
know that stress leads to things
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like cardiovascular
disease, Type II diabetes, and
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other health challenges
including putting on weight.
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So we are nourishing
whole body and our brain when we
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under chronic
stress eating this way.
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Delia, why do people put on
weight when they are stressed?
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Well, the first obvious answer
is that they naturally gravitate
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to highly refined foods
that don't keep them full for
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very long but are full of dead
and nutrient deficient calories
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so they eat more other kinds of
food that lead to weight gain.
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The second reason is a
little bit more insidious,
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because when blood
glucose rises and dips a lot
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what happens is that
the body says to itself,
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this person is having a bit
of a challenge maybe they're
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going to run out of food
and then the body start storing
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any excess carbohydrates
as fat and most people
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don't realize that's a
simple biochemical response that
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happens from too much-refined
foods, too much stress and
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blood glucose going
haywire, but the third reason is
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really rather sobering and
the reason why a lot of the fat
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that people put on
gravitates to our belly region.
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Cortisol is a very insidious
and sneaky stress hormone
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because what it does, it
also stimulates the release of
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specific enzymes that
tell the body to store fat.
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And because there are four times
more cortisol receptors in our
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belly region, we end up
with more fat gravitating to
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that area. It's like our
belly region is a magnet for fat
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when we are
experiencing chronic stress.
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So those are three reasons why
people naturally start putting
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on weight when
they are stressed.
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A psychological reason is
because when people are really
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stressed, they are looking for
comfort and they're looking for
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feeling good from an
emotional perspective.
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And often they gravitate
to foods that lead them to
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feel that sense of comfort.
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The challenge is
that many of those foods,
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especially the highly refined
very sugary foods also lead
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to something very interesting
happening in the body,
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this is the release
of endogenous opioids.
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These are natural
compounds that the body makes to
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calm us down. So for
example, you're really stressed,
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you feel uptight, you
can't control the circumstances
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you are in, you feel
overwhelmed and what do you do?
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You gravitate to something
highly refined because you need
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energy, but you
also want to calm down.
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And these kinds of food lead
to a natural reduction in that
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cortisol response. So people
become addicted to those kinds
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of foods because it leads
them to feel calm and relaxed
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they don't realize it's
happening but it's actually
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happening unlimited.
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Does stress have any
impact on our digestion?
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Yes, definitely. When you are
busy running away from a tiger
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you feel
threatened all the time.
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Your body doesn't have time
to digest food, it's too busy
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trying to get you
away from that threat.
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So all those beautiful
digestive enzymes that should be
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functioning and digesting and
helping the absorption of the
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food stop working well.
The gut bacterial become
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compromised because Cortisol
affects their production,
00:12:08.29\00:12:11.86
their proliferation, and it
effects how healthy they keep
00:12:11.89\00:12:15.53
that beautiful gut wall,
so stress definitely impacts
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our digestion. It can stop and
many people report feeling much
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more sensations of bloatedness',
having the incapacity to have
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the food move through their
body just battling generally to
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digest their food simply because
stress says, hold on a second,
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gut health doesn't matter,
getting away from the tiger
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is the priority.
00:12:40.39\00:12:41.79
Delia, is the damage caused
by stress limited to digestion?
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Absolutely not. Unfortunately
all this production of the
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stress hormones adrenalin
and cortisol impact our
00:12:52.80\00:12:55.70
endocrine system which is
our hormonal system as well.
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It basically stops our
hormonal system from functioning
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optimally so women will find
themselves really battling when
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their in their reproductive
years with hormone fluctuations
00:13:06.31\00:13:09.52
and challenges in that area.
Perimenopause and menopausal
00:13:09.55\00:13:13.52
will start battling as well
and men even start battling with
00:13:13.56\00:13:17.43
their levels of testosterone
simply because cortisol is
00:13:17.46\00:13:20.93
the major disruptor of how
the endocrine system functions.
00:13:20.96\00:13:24.73
Now when the
endocrine system is messed with
00:13:24.77\00:13:28.00
it also affects sleep and
I'll just step back for a moment
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to give you an example of
the complexity of this process.
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When we experience a
lot of stress, for example
00:13:34.44\00:13:38.45
women's estrogen production
is impacted because serotonin
00:13:38.48\00:13:43.08
and estrogen work together.
00:13:43.12\00:13:44.79
So that mean that the capacity
to feel calm and relaxed,
00:13:44.82\00:13:48.36
the capacity to fall asleep
and the capacity to synthesize
00:13:48.39\00:13:52.09
melatonin which comes
from serotonin is negatively
00:13:52.13\00:13:55.43
compromised and there's
progesterone, progesterone
00:13:55.46\00:13:58.93
also fluctuates during
the month but becomes impaired
00:13:58.97\00:14:02.40
in that fluctuation
when cortisol is present
00:14:02.44\00:14:05.34
and that means that
the neurotransmitter GABA,
00:14:05.37\00:14:08.11
Gamma-aminobutyric acid is
also impacted and we need that
00:14:08.41\00:14:13.05
neurotransmitter to help
us feel calm and relaxed.
00:14:13.08\00:14:15.42
So those are just two examples
of what happens when Cortisol
00:14:15.45\00:14:19.22
gets into the mix. That impacts
sleep directly because now
00:14:19.25\00:14:25.19
don't have serotonin
being synthesized optimally
00:14:25.23\00:14:28.16
or melatonin, so we
are not sleeping well.
00:14:28.20\00:14:31.30
And we are also not
sleeping well because we've got
00:14:31.33\00:14:33.47
too many things going on in
our head, you know we've got
00:14:33.50\00:14:35.84
those thoughts that
go around and around.
00:14:35.87\00:14:37.71
So we have this perfect
storm of a hormonal imbalance
00:14:37.74\00:14:41.24
and too much cortisol and
the psychological input of this
00:14:41.28\00:14:45.68
overwhelming stress that we
feel that's making us lie awake
00:14:45.71\00:14:49.88
at night and
stare at the ceiling.
00:14:49.92\00:14:51.32
So, this ongoing chronic stress
has a really very negative
00:14:51.35\00:14:55.22
insidious effect on every
single one of our cells not just
00:14:55.26\00:14:58.86
on our brain.
00:14:58.89\00:15:00.40
Is there anything else
that happens to our brain when
00:15:00.46\00:15:03.40
we are chronically stressed?
00:15:03.43\00:15:05.23
Unfortunately Gary, yes,
something very insidious happens
00:15:05.27\00:15:08.90
in our brain when we
experience chronic stress.
00:15:08.94\00:15:11.41
That ongoing cortisol synthesis
actually starts changing
00:15:11.44\00:15:15.94
in the structure of part of our
brain called the limbic system.
00:15:15.98\00:15:19.01
That part of our brain
becomes incapable of keeping our
00:15:19.05\00:15:23.39
emotions balanced and this
is where anxiety and depression
00:15:23.42\00:15:28.42
sticks in so, the structure
of the brain starts shifting and
00:15:28.46\00:15:33.09
people find it really really
difficult to feel upbeat and
00:15:33.13\00:15:36.56
happy. They start worrying
a lot more and feel anxious
00:15:36.60\00:15:39.00
about everything and they just
00:15:39.03\00:15:40.87
generally feel low in
mood and that's because
00:15:40.90\00:15:44.21
of what cortisol is doing to the
actual structure of the brain.
00:15:44.24\00:15:47.74
So ongoing stress is a
really really scary thing
00:15:47.78\00:15:51.61
because of all the things
it does to our endocrine system
00:15:51.65\00:15:54.12
to our sleep and to this very
very important part of our brain
00:15:54.15\00:15:59.35
that balances our emotions.
00:15:59.39\00:16:00.79
So I am not at all surprised
that anxiety and depression
00:16:00.82\00:16:04.29
rate s are skyrocketing.
00:16:04.33\00:16:05.66
We live in a very complex world,
where a lot of people feel
00:16:05.69\00:16:08.76
out of control and a lot
are overwhelmed is present
00:16:08.80\00:16:12.63
so the brain adjusts to
that ongoing chronic stress
00:16:12.67\00:16:16.20
was changing the way if
deals with our emotions.
00:16:16.24\00:16:20.14
Is this then why people
end up feeling exhausted after
00:16:20.18\00:16:24.31
long periods of stress?
00:16:24.35\00:16:26.28
Yes, they do, because not just
don't they have enough nutrients
00:16:26.31\00:16:30.55
to be able produce
energy from a normal perspective
00:16:30.59\00:16:35.32
they're using loads and loads
of nutrients to produce these
00:16:35.36\00:16:38.63
stress hormones, but it's also
exhausting dragging yourself
00:16:38.66\00:16:43.06
around when you feel
depressed and anxious.
00:16:43.10\00:16:44.97
You know you are spending
a lot of energy in trying to
00:16:45.00\00:16:47.67
appear normal, to try to do
all of the things you need to do
00:16:47.70\00:16:50.54
to try to function fully
in the world and people end up
00:16:50.57\00:16:55.24
just feeling shattered.
00:16:55.28\00:16:56.61
So this is why people have
the feeling of being burned out.
00:16:56.64\00:16:59.28
They just wait for
Friday and the weekend.
00:16:59.31\00:17:02.15
They just can't drag
themselves out of bed anymore.
00:17:02.18\00:17:04.75
But it's not just the nutrients
that they're lacking they're
00:17:04.79\00:17:06.82
also lacking the capacity
to shop as their best selves
00:17:06.86\00:17:10.73
because they're battling
from and emotional perspective.
00:17:10.76\00:17:13.50
Delia, you mentioned highly-
refined and processed foods
00:17:13.53\00:17:17.67
that we tend to gravitate
to when we are under a lot of
00:17:17.70\00:17:20.34
stress. What about these
foods, the natural foods?
00:17:20.37\00:17:24.44
How do they affect our stress
levels, how do they impact
00:17:24.47\00:17:28.98
us when we are under stress?
00:17:29.01\00:17:30.75
Well, Gary, that's a great
question because these foods
00:17:30.78\00:17:33.88
are full of unrefined
carbohydrates that got
00:17:33.92\00:17:37.22
good protein in them
and you got great fats here.
00:17:37.25\00:17:39.19
We've got flax seed, hemp seed,
chia seeds, beautiful stuff
00:17:39.22\00:17:43.16
that the brain needs for
its's structure and function.
00:17:43.19\00:17:45.63
We need great carbohydrates
to provide energy for the brain.
00:17:45.66\00:17:49.03
Now remember when the brain
is running on chronic stress
00:17:49.06\00:17:52.30
all the time, it's needing
extra energy and extra nutrients
00:17:52.33\00:17:55.70
so we are providing the
energy here and we are also
00:17:55.90\00:17:58.61
providing the nutrients.
00:17:58.64\00:17:59.97
One of the biggest mistakes
that people make when they are
00:18:00.01\00:18:04.65
under stress is they believe
that the high cholesterol levels
00:18:04.68\00:18:09.45
are related to something that
has nothing to do with stress.
00:18:09.48\00:18:14.26
Let's just get
something really really clear.
00:18:14.29\00:18:16.93
To be able to synthesize
Cortosol the body needs
00:18:16.96\00:18:20.83
cholesterol, cholesterol is
the raw material of cortisol
00:18:20.86\00:18:25.63
so what happens when
we are very stressed?
00:18:25.67\00:18:27.44
The body has create more
cholesterol so that it can
00:18:27.47\00:18:30.97
create cortisol. Now
what counteracts that?
00:18:31.01\00:18:34.64
Fiber, fiber counteracts that
because if we don't have enough
00:18:34.68\00:18:39.58
fiber, we end up reabsorbing
the cholesterol that we
00:18:39.61\00:18:43.69
producing and we end up
with high cholesterol levels.
00:18:43.72\00:18:46.86
So these foods don't just
provide all the nutrients for
00:18:46.89\00:18:50.33
the brain to function
well you know how to make
00:18:50.36\00:18:52.46
neurotransmitters
and the structure.
00:18:52.49\00:18:54.63
They're
providing fantastic energy
00:18:54.66\00:18:56.77
to keep the blood
glucose stable which we want
00:18:56.90\00:18:59.23
especially when
we are under stress.
00:18:59.27\00:19:01.10
They're providing loads of
vitamin C which we use up in
00:19:01.14\00:19:04.54
vast quantities both in our
brain and in our adrenal glands
00:19:04.57\00:19:08.08
when are stressed and they are
providing fiber which makes sure
00:19:08.11\00:19:11.81
that the excess cholesterol
that we eat synthesizing gets
00:19:11.85\00:19:15.48
washed out of our bowel.
00:19:15.52\00:19:16.85
So these kinds of super-foods
really nourish the brain
00:19:16.89\00:19:21.59
at a very very deep
level regardless of stress.
00:19:21.62\00:19:24.96
But when stress is present they
do even a better job because
00:19:24.99\00:19:29.03
they're supplying everything
the brain needs to create
00:19:29.06\00:19:31.77
the stress hormones and
to allow us to feel calm and
00:19:31.80\00:19:35.24
relaxed by things like
serotonin and melatonin.
00:19:35.27\00:19:38.24
So, it's a rather simple
way to deal with our stress or
00:19:38.27\00:19:43.58
one of the ways that we can
deal with our stress is simply
00:19:43.61\00:19:46.21
by making sure we eat a lot
of natural plant-based foods.
00:19:46.25\00:19:49.98
Yes, because then we can make
both stress hormones which we
00:19:50.02\00:19:53.36
absolutely need but we can
also make the neurotransmitters
00:19:53.39\00:19:57.69
that we need to calm us
down and allow us to sleep and
00:19:57.73\00:20:00.16
allow us to think clearly.
00:20:00.20\00:20:01.66
And guess what? We make
better decisions when we eat
00:20:01.70\00:20:04.00
these kinds of foods and that's
one of the things we also need
00:20:04.03\00:20:07.40
to focus on, what else can
we do to help us cope in this
00:20:07.44\00:20:11.14
really stressful world?
00:20:11.17\00:20:12.51
What's the answer?
00:20:12.54\00:20:14.18
What else can we do?
00:20:14.21\00:20:15.64
One of the things that I
teach people to do is to really
00:20:15.68\00:20:18.78
really be very very sure
about what their values are.
00:20:18.81\00:20:21.85
When we know what our values
are we know what to prioritize.
00:20:21.88\00:20:26.35
Then we know what to ignore,
what's happening to people
00:20:26.39\00:20:29.99
in today's world, it is a very
complicated and sophisticated
00:20:30.03\00:20:33.33
society that we've all
created and there's so much to
00:20:33.36\00:20:36.53
pay attention to. When we try
and pay attention to everything,
00:20:36.56\00:20:40.57
what happens is that we
lose sight of our goals,
00:20:40.60\00:20:43.67
we lose sight of what drives us,
what gives us meaning and so we
00:20:43.71\00:20:48.01
start prioritizing everything.
00:20:48.04\00:20:49.78
One of the biggest
problems and the feeling
00:20:49.81\00:20:52.38
that people have associated
with stress is not having enough
00:20:52.41\00:20:55.15
time. When you know
what your values are,
00:20:55.18\00:20:57.42
you know what your priorities
are and you focus on those.
00:20:57.45\00:21:00.09
You're not watching the
news full of bad stories,
00:21:00.12\00:21:03.69
you're not focusing on what
negative people have to say.
00:21:03.73\00:21:06.70
You are focused on making
your world and a better world
00:21:06.73\00:21:09.86
and just with that
simple mindset shift, we reduce
00:21:09.90\00:21:13.64
our stress enormously.
00:21:13.67\00:21:15.50
So, do you have any other
tips for dealing with stress?
00:21:15.54\00:21:19.34
Surely you've got some top tips.
00:21:19.37\00:21:21.28
I do, one of them is
rarely rarely focusing on sleep.
00:21:21.31\00:21:24.48
You know, when we
sleep our brain cleans itself
00:21:24.51\00:21:27.35
and if we're not getting
enough sleep, when we wake up
00:21:27.38\00:21:29.75
in the morning we're not
refreshed, we're dragging
00:21:29.78\00:21:31.62
ourselves around because
our brain is really tired.
00:21:31.65\00:21:34.06
So focusing on sleep is very
important and that automatically
00:21:34.09\00:21:37.89
means no news watching at night.
00:21:37.93\00:21:40.43
Switching off having sleep
triggers like smelling some
00:21:40.46\00:21:44.33
Lavender Oil, making sure you
are reading a calm relaxing book
00:21:44.37\00:21:47.84
at night. Not a
book of mayhem and chaos.
00:21:47.87\00:21:50.41
Make sure you have a
bath, maybe with some magnesium
00:21:50.44\00:21:53.11
flakes in it just to
relax your body because you see,
00:21:53.14\00:21:56.14
we need to handle stress
both from the psychological and
00:21:56.18\00:22:00.02
physiological perspective so
it needs to be a mindset shift
00:22:00.05\00:22:03.18
and we need to supply
our brain with what it needs
00:22:03.22\00:22:05.82
to be able to
function really well.
00:22:05.85\00:22:07.92
But another thing that I tell
people that are really feeling
00:22:07.96\00:22:11.13
completely overwhelmed,
is to do a brain dump.
00:22:11.16\00:22:15.26
Get a big piece of paper and
write down every single thing
00:22:15.30\00:22:19.83
that is bothering
them from beginning to end
00:22:19.87\00:22:23.64
a huge brain dump of the
problems and then what they do
00:22:23.67\00:22:27.38
is sift through those problems,
you need maybe an hour or two.
00:22:27.41\00:22:30.38
And then put two columns down on
a piece of paper and everything
00:22:30.41\00:22:34.38
that can control, they write
in the I can control column
00:22:34.42\00:22:38.65
and everything that they
can't control, they ignore
00:22:38.69\00:22:41.96
and they tear up that
mind dump piece of paper
00:22:41.99\00:22:44.69
and they only focus
on what they can control.
00:22:44.73\00:22:47.43
And you see, something
interesting happens here, Gary
00:22:47.46\00:22:50.13
because if you've done
the values assessment first,
00:22:50.17\00:22:53.07
you know what your values are
and suddenly it becomes a lot
00:22:53.10\00:22:56.00
clearer about what you can
control and what you need to
00:22:56.04\00:22:59.24
prioritize. So we need to
feed our brain and body these
00:22:59.27\00:23:03.14
kinds of foods, these super-
foods, we also need to get
00:23:03.18\00:23:05.81
our minds set right.
00:23:05.85\00:23:07.18
Delia, it's been a pleasure
to have you on our program
00:23:07.22\00:23:11.49
today and you've certainly
lots of food for thought.
00:23:11.52\00:23:15.56
Much to think about, love those
tips that you shared with us
00:23:15.59\00:23:19.09
so thank you very much and I'd
like to take this opportunity
00:23:19.13\00:23:22.46
to wish you all the very
best in your future endeavors.
00:23:22.50\00:23:25.60
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much, Gary,
00:23:25.63\00:23:27.64
it was a delight.
00:23:27.67\00:23:29.00
Stress can come from anywhere
at any time, work, family,
00:23:29.04\00:23:35.71
finances, school, relationships,
conflict, or loss of a loved
00:23:35.74\00:23:41.42
one. In fact, just about
anything can be a source of
00:23:41.45\00:23:45.85
anxiety in your daily life
and during times of uncertainty
00:23:45.89\00:23:49.32
and stress, life can
even seem more overwhelming
00:23:49.36\00:23:53.53
than ever. We all try to
find ways to ease our fears and
00:23:53.56\00:23:58.07
deal with stress
during tough times.
00:23:58.10\00:24:00.64
Some may turn to medicine,
others therapy, meditation,
00:24:00.67\00:24:05.14
or others pray to God and
read the Bible to ease their
00:24:05.17\00:24:08.98
anxiety. Let's see how two
Bible characters dealt with
00:24:09.01\00:24:14.08
stressful situations.
00:24:14.12\00:24:15.45
Jonah, a prophet of God was to
deliver a message to the people
00:24:15.48\00:24:20.59
of Nineveh the
capital of Assyria.
00:24:20.62\00:24:23.06
Jonah was afraid to go
to Nineveh, he was unwilling
00:24:23.09\00:24:27.76
to deliver the message.
Was stressed out about how
00:24:27.80\00:24:31.07
he would be received and so
decided to run away on a ship
00:24:31.10\00:24:34.94
bound for Tarshish a
place in the opposite direction.
00:24:34.97\00:24:38.54
During a terrible storm on
the sea, the sailors were afraid
00:24:38.57\00:24:43.78
Jonah told them that he
was running away from God
00:24:43.81\00:24:47.52
so he should be thrown
overboard into the sea.
00:24:47.55\00:24:50.59
It was in Jonah's darkest hour
in a most stressful circumstance
00:24:50.62\00:24:56.62
in the belly of a
whale that he said this.
00:24:56.66\00:24:59.19
In his time of great
stress and anxiety when those
00:25:05.03\00:25:09.54
stress levels were right up
Jonah found comfort and peace
00:25:09.57\00:25:13.88
by praying to God.
00:25:13.91\00:25:15.51
David also knew about stress.
He had conflicts with King Saul,
00:25:15.54\00:25:21.65
battles with neighboring
nations, and the pressures of
00:25:21.68\00:25:25.25
leading his own people.
00:25:25.32\00:25:26.65
The Psalms written by
the shepherd boy who became
00:25:26.69\00:25:30.26
King David are full of
references of turning to God
00:25:30.29\00:25:35.00
seeking Him and finding
Him in times of conflict
00:25:35.03\00:25:38.50
and intense stress.
00:25:38.53\00:25:40.10
And how about this one?
00:25:52.31\00:25:54.32
So, David also found
that spending time with God
00:25:59.55\00:26:03.89
and speaking to Him in prayer,
brought peace and comfort.
00:26:03.93\00:26:08.00
Stress places a huge demand
on our bodies and on our faith
00:26:08.03\00:26:12.63
in God at times. But God
can use the stress in our lives
00:26:12.67\00:26:17.47
to strengthen our trust
in Him. God is always there
00:26:17.51\00:26:21.54
always watching over us,
all we have to do is ask Him
00:26:21.58\00:26:25.71
for help.
00:26:25.75\00:26:28.25
If you would like to find out
more about how stress affects
00:26:28.28\00:26:32.95
the brain and ways that
we can find faith in God,
00:26:32.99\00:26:36.83
then I'd like to recommend the
free gift we have for all our
00:26:36.86\00:26:41.03
Incredible
Journey viewers today.
00:26:41.06\00:26:43.03
It's the booklet introduction
to Stress Solutions.
00:26:43.06\00:26:47.90
This booklet is our gift
to you and is absolutely free,
00:26:47.94\00:26:51.37
I guarantee, there are no
costs or obligations whatsoever.
00:26:51.41\00:26:55.21
So make the most of this
wonderful opportunity to receive
00:26:55.24\00:26:59.48
your free gift today. Phone or
text 0436.333.555 in Australia,
00:26:59.51\00:27:08.49
or 020.422.2024 in New
Zealand, or 770.800.0266 in the
00:27:08.52\00:27:18.37
United States or visit our
website tij.tv or simply scan
00:27:18.40\00:27:24.44
the QR Code on your screen
and we'll send you today's
00:27:24.47\00:27:27.98
free offer totally free of
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00:27:28.01\00:27:31.81
You can also write to us
at the addresses on you screen
00:27:31.85\00:27:35.48
or email us at info@tij.tv.
Don't delay call or text us now.
00:27:35.52\00:27:42.96
Be sure to join us again next
week when we will share another
00:27:42.99\00:27:47.60
of life's journeys together.
00:27:47.63\00:27:49.36
Until then, let's pray to
the great God who created us
00:27:49.40\00:27:54.47
and who provides us
peace in our busy lives.
00:27:54.50\00:27:58.14
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you that we can
00:27:58.17\00:28:01.74
reach out to you in the
stressful times in our lives
00:28:01.78\00:28:04.85
when our hearts are troubled,
when our minds are in turmoil
00:28:04.88\00:28:08.45
and we are
overwhelmed. Grant us your peace
00:28:08.48\00:28:12.32
and give us the
strength to follow your ways.
00:28:12.35\00:28:14.96
In Jesus Name we pray. Amen!
00:28:14.99\00:28:19.03