The form of the cross in the shape of a plus, reminds us that the resources Jesus gives add competence to life, the competence to master the hard tasks, to enrich the lives of those around us, and to wring from life the joys that make life special. With these resources we can have the ability to handle the pressures of life in a productive, not a destructive way. I know now that what I was experiencing at the clothing store and most of the next day, was the reaction that's called stress . It was the way I recoiled from the pressure of the guilt trip that manager put me on that left me with on-going tension. In brief, I didn't handle it very well.
Stress is our physical reaction to the pressures of living.
A car almost hits us, the boss chews us out, we have a frustrating argument with a friend. These are the pressures of life. But they are not stress. Stress is our reaction to pressures like these. When the boss chews us out, our heart begins to pound.