WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

THE PREVENTION OF STRESS
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My wife, in a Bible study on nutrition, discovered how God provided
bread and water for Elijah when he was under severe stress. Evidently after a
second meal, he was greatly strengthened and he was able to travel for forty
days and nights.
In an earlier episode, God also provided food for Elijah through ravens
bringing bread and meat in the morning and evening, and Elijah drank water
from a brook. Later, a widow provided bread for him (1 Kings 19:5-8; 17:1-16).
Jesus ate broiled fish, bread and figs, and asked for a drink of water when
He was thirsty. The disciples picked heads of grain (John 21:9-13; John 4:7;
Matthew 21:18,19; Mark 2:23).
2 Exercise
Regular exercise is excellent as a stress reducer. Walking, swimming,
jogging and cycling are all healthy forms of exercise. Brisk walking for thirty
minutes or jogging for twenty minutes three or four times a week is adequate.
Strength training exercises with weights are beneficial too for strengthening
muscles. One does not need to buy expensive equipment. Place bricks in
plastic bags instead of buying expensive weights.
It is wise for those who have been sedentary for some time to consult a
doctor before launching on an exercise programme.
3 Sleep and Rest
As one who does not sleep easily, I need rest breaks in order to function
normally. Taking a day off a week, and occasional rest breaks to revitalise our
bodies and minds will help us to “stay on top”.
A woman worker experiencing emotional fatigue went to bed at 9 pm
and slept for nine hours each night. She felt she could have slept longer during
her recovery period. Although she continued working for forty hours a week,
she stopped overtime work and all ministry activity. She took two years to
resume a normal life.
One mission agency recommends that in the early years of cultural
adjustments, workers should take afternoon naps and sleep more.
Years ago, I was grateful that a visiting colleague encouraged my
supervisor to include a two-week vacation each year in my job description.
After twelve years of missionary work, my wife and I took our first two-week
holiday. It was a new experience for us. Since then, as we have grown older, we
know that it takes at least the first week to unwind before we can begin to
benefit from a holiday that is meant to renew our strength.