When we talk about healing from chronic illness, one of the most overlooked factors is stress. It isn’t just an emotion we feel — stress leaves a real imprint on the body. Books like The Body Keeps the Score (by Bessel van der Kolk) and When the Body Says No (by Gabor Maté) show how trauma and stress live on in the body long after the moment has passed — a reality many with Fibromyalgia or ME/CFS know firsthand, as stress can trigger flares, deepen fatigue, and cloud the mind with brain fog.
The Paradox of Healing and Grief
The truth of this became especially real for me during a deeply complex season. Jackie, my lifelong best friend, began her cancer journey at the same time I was stepping into my own season of healing. By God’s grace, I had reached the best health I’d known in over three decades — while at the same time grieving Jackie’s decline.
Holding both realities at once — joy in my restored health, sorrow in her suffering — revealed something important to me: stress is not only about what happens to us, but how we hold it inside our bodies. And sometimes the freedom God gives us in healing isn’t just physical strength, but the ability to walk through grief without being crushed by it.
Why Stress Matters for Chronic Illness
For women living with Fibromyalgia or ME/CFS, stress isn’t just exhausting — it can flare symptoms, deepen fatigue, and cloud the mind with fog. Trauma and long-term stress dysregulate the nervous system, keeping the body in a constant state of “high alert.”
But the good news is this: when we learn to gently reduce stress, we also begin to give our bodies permission to heal. Simple practices — slowing our breathing, practicing gratitude, turning our thoughts to God’s truth — create space for the nervous system to settle, and for the body to find its rhythm of repair.
Scripture as a Reset
Paul gives us a beautiful picture of this in Philippians 4:8:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
When stress and fear want to take over, this verse becomes a reset. Choosing to dwell on what is true, noble, and pure isn’t about denying our struggles — it’s about retraining our minds and bodies to rest in God’s peace.
Freedom in Gentle Choices
Looking back, I realize that while I grieved Jackie’s journey, I was also learning that freedom isn’t only found in physical healing, but in choosing peace and trust along the way. Even while grieving her journey, I learned that freedom is not just the absence of pain, but the presence of God in the middle of it.
Stress will always be part of life — but it doesn’t have to define our bodies or dictate our healing. Each gentle choice to pause, breathe, and redirect our thoughts is a way of stepping into freedom.
A Safe Place to Begin
If you’re weary from carrying the weight of stress in your body, I want you to know you don’t have to walk this path alone. Sometimes the first step toward freedom is simply finding a space where you can exhale.
That’s why I offer a free, 15-minute discovery call for Journey to Freedom. This gentle conversation isn’t about pressure or performance — it’s simply a safe place to share your story, ask questions, and explore whether this healing path could support you.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need one gentle yes.