“Every week as you read this blog, individually or as a group of Energize leaders, there will be 5 parts; an introduction, an activity, some learning, an opportunity to reflect through a video and a Bible verse and a website of the week. At the end of this series my prayer is that you will have a better understanding of what resilience is for yourselves and how you can help build resilient young disciples, ready to make a real difference in the world.”
Matt Brown, Founder and National Director, Reality Youth Project
Emotional Control: the ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experience with the range of emotions in a manner that is socially tolerable and sufficiently flexible to permit spontaneous reactions as well as the ability to delay spontaneous reactions as needed.
Seeking support: to ask for advice, help, approval, permission
Emotions are powerful things and something that we all have to deal with every single day. We are going to have a look at one particular emotion that research tells us is increasing in today’s world and particularly for children and young people, stress.
Think for yourself how stress might affect you and where you get your support from.
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Two of the big things with stress, in fact dealing with any emotion, are to find positive ways to deal with it and having people around you who can help you and support you in the same way that you will be able to help and support them, that is what friendship is all about. Here is a list of what the experts tell us helps reduce stress: take some deep breaths, exercise, have a nap, listen to music, talk to someone about it, do something fun that will make you laugh, go for a walk, get out into nature, write it down, have a cuddle (probably with someone who wants to be cuddled and not just a randomer), stroke a pet, clean and tidy your room, eat something healthy, walk away from all technology for an hour (including your phone). Not bad advice at all.
Jesus did 3 things to avoid stress. Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” Jesus got alone, got quiet and had time with God. For our young people, in a world full of noise, it is sometimes difficult for our children and young people to do this but it is still hugely important. Helping our young people to find ways of doing this both corporately and individually is worth giving some thought.
Our children and young people’s groups should also be places where are they can support one another. So again spending some time thinking about how to build a supportive community, is well worth giving some thought both in terms of teaching, “extra-curricular” activities such as socials, camps, etc and perhaps most importantly modelling it amongst the group of leaders.
If you haven't done so already, watch the clip from Inside Out where Riley loses her temper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4okAfKCwRk
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28-30 New International Version (NIV)
Next time, in the final blog in this series, Matt looks at 'resilient discipleship' - click here for part 6.