1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 2: Hey, friend, when you're feeling down or upset, do you 3 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 2: tend to keep it to yourself? Maybe you'll say something 4 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 2: like this, nothing's going to change anyways, or I don't 5 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,279 Speaker 2: want to burden anyone else, so you stay quiet, you 6 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 2: carry it alone. But inside something still feels off. What 7 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 2: if the reason we feel this way is it because 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 2: there's something wrong with us, but because we need to 9 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 2: express how we feel. Today we're going to be talking 10 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 2: about why sharing your emotions can help you feel better, calmer, 11 00:00:54,320 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 2: and less alone, and what Jesus thinks about all this well, friend, 12 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,960 Speaker 2: Welcome to Breathe the stress Less Podcast. I'm Bonnie Gray, 13 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,759 Speaker 2: your sole care Guide. I am a sole care mentor 14 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 2: soul care coach, founder of soul Care School, and here 15 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 2: in this time designed just for you, you're going to 16 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 2: pick up some scripture and science to help your wellness. 17 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 2: You're going to pick up a practical tip based on 18 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 2: science to help your emotions and your body restore calm, 19 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 2: peace and joy. And you'll pick up a loving word 20 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 2: of affirmation from God in scripture. If you get a chance, 21 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 2: pick up my best selling book, Breathe twenty one Days 22 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 2: to Stressless and Transform chast to calm, or if you're 23 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 2: looking for a beautiful devotional, you can pick up Whispers 24 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 2: of Rest. It's a forty day devotional of soul care. Well, 25 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 2: let me ask you. Do you ever keep your feelings 26 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 2: to yourself, not because they don't matter, but because you 27 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 2: don't know how much to share, or maybe you don't 28 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 2: want it to affect others, so you push it down 29 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:15,359 Speaker 2: or try to just get yourself past it and stay busy. 30 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 2: Today we're going to talk about something simple you can 31 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 2: do that's deeply healing, that can help restore your peace 32 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 2: and joy, and why sharing your emotions actually helps you 33 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 2: feel better. We will explore why unexpressed emotions can leave 34 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 2: you feeling stuck like off, how God invites you and 35 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 2: me to share what's really in our hearts, and a 36 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 2: simple way to release that burden, that pressure that you've 37 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 2: been carrying. So, if you've been carrying something quietly, this 38 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 2: episode is for you. 39 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 3: Well. 40 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 2: One of the most amazing things I learned about Jesus 41 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 2: is that while he was on earth, he expressed himself 42 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 2: by quoting a book in the Bible more than any 43 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 2: other book, and that is the Psalms. I want to 44 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 2: invite you. Thousands of women have taken this beautiful online 45 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 2: soul care course called Praying the Psalms for Wellness. It's 46 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 2: something that I learned as I was going through a 47 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 2: tough challenge in my life where I needed to release 48 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 2: my stress and to feel closer to God emotionally in 49 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 2: my heart. So it combined scripture in Psalms specifically to 50 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 2: pray and to release stress. And I want to invite 51 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 2: you to meet with me. It's my final opportunity invitation 52 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 2: for you to join me in this online course and 53 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: just check out the show notes. The link is there, 54 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 2: and I invite you to take a look at Praying 55 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 2: the Psalms for a wellness. It's a beautiful way to 56 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 2: just draw closer to Jesus, the Shepherd. 57 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: Of your heart. 58 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 2: Art and we'll be right back this week. Our breath 59 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 2: prayer comes from the beautiful scripture in the Psalms Psalms 60 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 2: twenty five sixteen to seventeen. Turn to me and be 61 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 2: gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The 62 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:38,919 Speaker 2: troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out of 63 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 2: my distresses. Let's just breathe in this beautiful prayer. In 64 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 2: scripture together slowly in heale, turn to me and be 65 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 2: gracious to me. Exhale, for I am lonely and afflicted. 66 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 2: Again in heale, the troubles of my heart are many. 67 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 1: Exhale. 68 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 2: Bring me out of my distress and just relax. Allow 69 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 2: yourself to be honest, and so can this loving understanding 70 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:20,720 Speaker 2: from Jesus to you. 71 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 3: Well. 72 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 2: This week, during my morning time with God, I was 73 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 2: reading Psalm twenty five. I love to read the Psalm 74 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:35,839 Speaker 2: slowly out loud, like reading poetry as prayer. It helps 75 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 2: me to just stay present and not get distracted by 76 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 2: my thoughts. In the morning. It's so easy to just 77 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:42,919 Speaker 2: wake up and have all these things in my mind 78 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,920 Speaker 2: of things I worry about or need to do. So 79 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 2: after I brush my teeth, I go back and lie 80 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 2: down on my bed and I just read aloud a 81 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 2: Psalm to God. And it was so beautiful when I 82 00:05:55,040 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 2: read Psalm twenty five. But unexpectedly, when I came to 83 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 2: these words turn to me and be gracious to me, 84 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 2: for I am lonely and afflicted, my throat just caught 85 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,919 Speaker 2: and I started crying. I didn't expect it, but those 86 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:24,239 Speaker 2: words lonely and afflicted when I just spoke them, something 87 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 2: opened up inside me. And I was looking out the 88 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:35,799 Speaker 2: window and everything outside looked beautiful, but inside I didn't 89 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 2: feel that beauty. They haven't been able to walk outside 90 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 2: and enjoy being out in nature because of a pain 91 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 2: I have in my foot, and I just felt this 92 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 2: wave of loneliness and it didn't make sense because I 93 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 2: have a loving husband and to oneful sons, I am 94 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 2: not alone, So why did I feel this way? Well, 95 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 2: that morning, I didn't analyze it. I didn't try to 96 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 2: fix it. I just let the tears flow, and I 97 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 2: just simply kept whispering turn to me and be gracious 98 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 2: to me, for I am lonely and afflicted, and I 99 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 2: just let the tears come. And somehow it just became 100 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 2: this intimate moment with Jesus as I allowed myself to 101 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 2: just cry, and as the tears passed, I just felt 102 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 2: Jesus was with me quietly gently. I felt like I 103 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 2: imagined him sitting beside me, placing his hand over mine, 104 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 2: as he just was very comfortable with being with me 105 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 2: as I cried, not fixing anything, just being with me 106 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 2: in the moment. And friend, isn't that comforting? That feeling 107 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 2: where you could just be yourself with someone who understands. 108 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 2: Let me ask you, ask you, very tenderly, friend, how 109 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 2: would you like God to turn to you? How would 110 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 2: you like Jesus to be gracious to you? What would 111 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 2: that look like? And are you feeling lonely or afflicted? 112 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 2: You are not alone. Jesus understands. The psychologist Carl Jung 113 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 2: once said, this is his quote. Loneliness does not come 114 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 2: from having no people around you, but from being unable 115 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 2: to communicate the things that seem important to oneself. This 116 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 2: is such an accurate description of our experience of loneliness. 117 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,560 Speaker 2: Loneliness doesn't mean that you don't have people around you 118 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 2: who cares for you or loves you, and it just 119 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 2: simply means that something inside you feels unseen, a part 120 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 2: of your heart unshared, unspoken. And this is exactly where 121 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 2: Jesus gently, tenderly meets with you this very moment. Jesus 122 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:26,679 Speaker 2: is your true confidant. He is the one that you 123 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:32,440 Speaker 2: can tell everything to, even the things you wouldn't tell anyone, 124 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 2: even the feelings that don't make sense. Scripture describes Jesus 125 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 2: as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, Jesus understands 126 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 2: sorrows intimately, and where others might draw back, where we 127 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 2: have to just keep quiet, Jesus steps closer. He whispers 128 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 2: to you, tell me more about it. Jesus is not 129 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:07,680 Speaker 2: uncomfortable with your loneliness or your pain. Jesus meets you 130 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 2: there with his loving compassion and full understanding. And when 131 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 2: you begin to share what's in your heart with Jesus, 132 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 2: you are no longer carrying alone, because behind our fears, 133 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 2: behind our discouragement, Jesus sees you with his love. I 134 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 2: love Psalms twenty seventy ten. It says, though my father 135 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 2: and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me in. Friend, 136 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 2: you are never alone. I love that picture. Even when 137 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 2: our earthly mother and father, the people that should always 138 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 2: open their arms to us, if they were to reject us, 139 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 2: Jesus says, I will take you in. You can kind 140 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 2: of picture just a loving father just opening his arms 141 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 2: to draw you to him, close to him. You're never alone. 142 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 2: Jesus opens his arms to you. You always are at 143 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 2: home with him, and he is at home with you, 144 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 2: just as you are. And when we come back, we're 145 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 2: going to look at the science. We're going to see 146 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 2: how God created us to have the need to express 147 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 2: exactly how we feel fully well. There's growing research showing 148 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:44,600 Speaker 2: that putting emotions into words, especially speaking them out loud, 149 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 2: can significantly reduce emotional distress. There's a study that says 150 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 2: when we label how we feel. This is research by 151 00:11:55,040 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 2: neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman at UCLA showing us that when we 152 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 2: name our emotions, the activity in our brain's emotional center 153 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 2: where we stress out, it decreases. Our body literally feels 154 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 2: better and in other words, speaking what you feel helps 155 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:18,559 Speaker 2: calm your nervous system and boosts how your body feels. 156 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 2: Research also shows that expressive practices like reading meaningful text 157 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 2: out loud or prayer can improve emotional regulation and reduces anxiety. 158 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:38,679 Speaker 2: In fact, even sources like Harvard Health note that practices 159 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:45,959 Speaker 2: like prayer and reflection indeed supports emotional wellbeing in lower stress. 160 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 2: So when you speak the words of a psalm out loud, 161 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 2: you're not just reading scripture. You are allowing your body, 162 00:12:55,480 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 2: your mind, your nervous system to process how you feel 163 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,680 Speaker 2: in a safe and regulating way. It'll return your whole 164 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 2: body and spirit and soul to calm and I'm going 165 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 2: to have links to all those research studies so you 166 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 2: can check it out yourself in the show notes. So 167 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:18,480 Speaker 2: this week's soul care challenge, the practical challenge action I 168 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 2: want you to take is to read a psalm out loud, slowly, gently, 169 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 2: like your prayer. Now Here are some psalms I want 170 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 2: to recommend. There's four I want to recommend. These are 171 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 2: called lament psalms. These are prayers where the writer David 172 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 2: expresses his sorrow, longing, and need Psalm twenty five, Psalm 173 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 2: twenty seven, Psalm thirteen, and Psalm forty two. These are 174 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 2: called the lament psalms. And so even Jesus spoke the 175 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 2: words of psalms during his life on earth because psalms 176 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:02,559 Speaker 2: give the language to the deepest places in our soul. 177 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 2: So this week, don't just read the psalm, silently, speak it. 178 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 2: You're going to be amazed how to really affects you. 179 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 2: Let your voice carry what your heart feels, because sometimes 180 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,960 Speaker 2: the moment you begin to share what you feel is 181 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 2: the very moment you begin to feel better. I wonder 182 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 2: what psalm you are going to choose to speak. Well, 183 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 2: let's pray Jesus, thank you for meeting us in our loneliness. 184 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 2: Thank you that we don't have to hide how we 185 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 2: feel when we are with you. Help us to bring 186 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:47,800 Speaker 2: our hearts to you honestly and just allow your arms 187 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,320 Speaker 2: to wrap around us so that we can know you 188 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 2: are with us. We are not alone and you love us. 189 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: Amen. 190 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 2: Well, friend, did today's episode encourage your heart? 191 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 1: Is your friend? 192 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 2: You can share this show with I encourage you to 193 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 2: share with her. It's a wonderful way for us to 194 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 2: encourage each other in our wellness with Jesus, and can 195 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 2: ask a favor. Will you take a moment if you're 196 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 2: enjoying this podcast to share how it's encouraging you. I 197 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 2: love reading the reviews. It encourages my heart as well. 198 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 2: Thank you for supporting this ministry. It helps us get 199 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:32,640 Speaker 2: more hands and hearts to enjoy soul care with Jesus. 200 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 2: And remember to check out the show notes to enroll 201 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 2: in the online course praying the psalms for wellness with Jesus. 202 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 2: Remember your loved, your cherished, just dressed, and I'll see 203 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 2: you next time. 204 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: Breathe. 205 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 3: The stress Less Podcast is a production of Life Audio 206 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 3: and Sale Media. If you liked what you heard today, 207 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 3: please take a second to rate and review this podcast 208 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 3: in your favorite podcast app, so that more listeners like 209 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 3: you can find the show. For more faith filled, inspirational podcasts, 210 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 3: visit us at lifeaudio dot com.