Stressed-out about the War?

On the eve of the war with Iraq one woman reported that she had a bad headache all day. Another felt hot flashes of anxiety. One man complained that his imagination was full of dark fantasies about the consequences of this war. If you too have such symptoms you may wonder how to cope with the health consequences of this kind of "stress".

The best way to deal with the stress of this war is to believe what President Bush has said about why this war is necessary. If you believe him, you can manage your stress by focusing on the "righteousness" of our cause and by cheering our troops on to victory while praying for their safe return.

But if you are a conscientious objector to war, or if you don't believe that this war is the answer, then there is no simple solution. You probably worry about the lives of "our boys" and you worry about the lives of the Iraqis. You pray for a quick victory, and are anxious about the long term world wide consequences of such a "win". You may ask "Why am I out of step with the nation? Why can't I sing the same tune?"

If I have described your state of mind, I would like to suggest four practical things you can do to release some of your stress:

* Get physical. Buy a punching bag. Beat on it. Walk it off. Grunt and groan your way through a workout at the gym.

* Express passionate patriotism: the kind that Patrick Henry had when he said, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" Express your love for your country, celebrate its democracy, and raise your voice of dissent. Keeping your convictions to yourself adds to stress, expressing them will bring relief.

* Practice holistic spirituality. Lift up the voice of lament. Let God know how sad, confused, and guilty you feel. Hold the whole world in your prayers. Love our boys and love our enemies. Pray for those who spitefully use us, as Jesus taught us to do.

* Become hope. Our soldiers are putting their lives on the line to tear down evil. But this war will not last forever. One of the best ways to deal with the stress of observing this war from the sidelines is this: Commit yourself to putting your life on the line to be an agent of healing, once the war is over.





Dr. Greene is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and a resident of Richmond, IN. He is also the author of Feeling Better: The Wisdom of the Doc, You Can Feel Better: How to cope with chronic pain and physical disabilities, and co-author of Walking Free: the Nellie Zimmerman Story.


For further information about his books, please visit www.densmorereid.com

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