7)
Find healthy recreational pursuits: The emotional stress during toxic times can be
overwhelming. This takes a toll on
every other area of life. Normal
frustrations from daily living can now seem too much to endure. During my healing process, even minor
things like traffic jams and inattentive waiters would cause me to panic and
become anxious. Being around people drained my emotional batteries quickly. It is so important
to find healthy releases for this pent up stress. For me this looked like long runs, swimming, and taking up a
new sport—squash. I would literally sweat out stress.
One point of caution--monitor your diet
closely during this time. The
temptation will exist to eat sweets and unhealthy fats potentially causing greater physical challenges. Stress causes
adrenal fatigue and often adrenal burnout. Find a good adrenal supplement like Standard Process
Desiccated Adrenal to start taking. Eat healthy
carbs, preferably sprouted ones, like brown rice, quinoa, and, amaranth, lots
of veggies—especially the greens such as spinach and kale, and lean proteins
like turkey, chicken breast, beans, etc...
Stay away from white-sugar.
It is the enemy of the adrenal glands. Eat healthy fats like coconut
oils, real butter, and organic animal fats.
Avoid artificial sweeteners and fake fats like margarine at all
costs. Finally, cut out caffeine
during this season. Coffee is
particularly harsh on the adrenal glands. Drink lots of fresh, distilled, or PH water. Adding a lemon and even a little pure sea salt helps restore missing electrolytes and does wonders for the adrenals.
Trust me. You
don’t need a physical collapse on top of an emotional one or spiritual
one. I have had both and they nearly did me in.
8)
Sleep: A trusted friend
of mine likes to say, “often the most spiritual thing you can do is
sleep.” As funny as it sounds,
this is some of the best advice I’ve ever received. Sleep is essential for healing the adrenal glands, detoxing from the toxins released in
the body from the stress process, and restoring overall emotional
equilibrium. Consider taking naps
during the afternoon if possible to amplify the recovery process. Find natural sleep supplements to assist this process at
night. Things like melatonin, valerian root, and magnesium work wonders. I
recommend Standard Process Min-Tran for the magnesium and RiverBend Nutrition’s
Anxiet-ease as another great supplement to assist with sleep. Also consider ear
plugs, a sleeping mask, and a fan to drown out ambient noise. I'm not an expert in this field, but I do know from personal experience that stress makes sleep difficult. So do everything you possibly can to assist your body in finding that sweet spot.
Learn how to relax an hour or so before going to bed. When I saw Dr. Don Colbert in Florida a couple of years ago he told me about the importance of breathing in the relaxing process. Breathe through the diaphragm. Hold your breaths for several long seconds before exhaling. Force yourself to breathe like this for several minutes, it has a soothing effect.
9)
Learn. Learn.
Learn. During this time you are going to learn many valuable and even
essential things about trust, honesty, forgiveness, stress management,
perseverance, friendship, integrity, etc… Don’t allow
this season to become wasted time.
Rather, see it as an opportunity to learn about yourself, God, and
others. I look back on my season
with gratitude now. Not really
because I ever want to go through something like that again, but rather because
of the incredible insight God released in my life. As unbelievable as it sounds, toxic ministry situations will
cause you to grow in every possible way—for the better.
Particularly, see this seasons as an
opportunity for inverse learning.
By that I mean you are seeing the dangerous side of ministry and
Christian leadership; things that should never be repeated or implemented. I learned hundreds of things NOT to do
should I ever find myself in a similar situation in the future. The principles and lessons I learned
during this time have given me a platform to minister to others. There are plenty of things to learn when you see every situation as an opportunity to develop character.
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