25 Days 2 Christmas - Stress

"...Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand..." (Philippians 4:6b-7a)

A week from today is Christmas. How much stress are you feeling?

The Holmes Rahe scale assigns points to various life stressors. These points are called LCUs or life change units. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Rahe concluded that an individual who experiences a total of 300 LCUs is at high risk for illness.

Among other things, the list includes such events as: 

Marital separation - 65
Marriage - 50
Marital reconciliation - 45
Pregnancy - 40
Adding a new family member - 39
Change in financial state - 38
Trouble with in-laws - 29
Change in living conditions - 25
Change in working conditions - 20
Change in residence - 20
Change in church activities - 19
Change in social activities - 18
Change in sleep habits - 16
Minor violation of the law - 11


According to David Slagle's calculations Joseph and Mary could conceivably have experienced all of the events listed above for a total life change unit (LCU) count of 435. Ironically the LCU excluded from the above list is Christmas. That is worth 12 points!

How do we manage the stress of the season? The story of Jesus birth shows us stress isn't eliminated. But stress is navigated better when you and I...

1. Keep it simple. The birth of Jesus was in a manger. We don't have to exhaust ourselves with overspending and overdecorating. Simplify.
2. Give thanks. Celebrating all of God's good gifts and His greatest gift gives us perspective on what really matters. 
3. Be kind. Be kind. Be kind. This is one of the best gifts we can give others as we move through this holy and holiday time. It will help you forget about yourself and lighten other people's load of stress.

Prayer: "God, help us to keep our focus on the reason for the season - your love shown to us in coming of Christ."

Gift to others: "Run an errand for someone today to reduce their stress."