This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Prayer relieves stress and worry and headaches that accompany them

As a single mom with two elementary school age children, going through a divorce, no money, no job, no friends, having just moved to another state, I had many, many worries.  Painful headaches accompanied the worries.  Daily doses of aspirin accompanied the headaches.  The aspirin relieved the pain but did not cure the headaches – they always returned day after day.

Everyone reading this post knows that being a worrier is not healthy. There have been many articles written and studies proving that “excessive worrying can cause you to be physically ill.”  And, chronic migraines are one of the illnesses often associated with excessive worrying and stress.

If we have tried the conventional approaches – more rest, downscaling our lives, avoiding stressful relationships, etc. – and still not found relief, what can we do?  How can we stop the worry and develop healthier habits. 

Find out what's happening in Westminsterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One solution, recommended more and more by physicians and currently included on webmd.com is daily meditation where “you purposefully pay attention to what is happening at the present moment without thinking of the past or future” – what has or might happen or could happen.  This is similar to what I did.  Though, my approach included bringing God back into my life in a practical way.  I began to pray regularly to see and better understand what God had in store for me and the children.   

I also took up regularly reading and studying the Bible and a book that I had grown up with and forgotten about – Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. The first line in the Preface reads, “To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings.”  

Find out what's happening in Westminsterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Really?” I thought.  “Where are the blessings?  If it is big with blessings, there must be more than one. This day must be packed full of blessings.”  I decided to start thinking about blessings – even counting them.  At first there were just a couple, but as the days went by, I began to see more, and I felt better and worried less.  I also learned that being grateful is prayer.

The book described how much God – merciful and compassionate - loved me no matter what mistakes I had made and had not left me alone.  And, anyone who has gone through a divorce or has witnessed a friend doing so, knows that one thing a woman or man, for that matter, needs is to feel they are loved and are not alone.

The more I trusted God to direct me and to take good care of us, the less stressed I felt. The headaches lessened until they totally disappeared.  I no longer needed to rely on aspirin.

I might not be worry-free every moment, but prayer – and not headaches – is now a part of every day.  It’s a welcome change for anyone suffering from migraines and stress, and the worry that leads to them.

Kate is interested in blogging about health, health care, spirituality, science, religion, the importance of prayer in maintaining a healthy mind and body.  She is a Christian Science practitioner and the media, legislative and public contact for Christian Science in the state of Maryland. 

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?