1. Identification: Know who you are
2. Motivation: Know whose approval you are living for
3. Vocation: Know your calling
4. Concentration: Focus on what matters most

The fifth principle is particularly important. It’s the Principle of Meditation. To reduce your stress, you need to listen to God.

Jesus did this over and over in the New Testament. For example, the Bible says, “News about Jesus spread even more. Many people came to hear him and to be healed . . . but Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (Luke 5:15-16 NCV).

Jesus, who literally had the weight of the world on his shoulders, spent time alone with God. As the pressures on Jesus increased, he got away to talk with God. Jesus had a habit of quiet times where he went away to reflect, to renew, and to recharge.

Noise is stress. That’s why you must create intentional times of quietness and solitude in your life.

If you always have noise in your life—the television is always on, the radio is always on, and the earbuds are always in your ear—you won’t have the spiritual and emotional resources to handle stress in your life.

So let me give you a suggestion. Start your morning with good news. Don’t fill your mind with negativity right off the bat.

Spend time with God. Open your Bible. Find out what God wants to say to you.

If you want to lower the stress in your life, develop a daily time with God where you listen to God—and let that set your mood for the day.