Overwhelmed. There are only 15 shopping days left until Christmas. Overwhelmed. There are more parties to attend and places to be than there are days left on the calendar. Overwhelmed. There are still the normal amount of birthdays and weddings and funerals and laundry and grocery shopping, and…. You get the picture.
So what are we to do?
Take a deep breath. Take stock. Make tough decisions. Take things off your plateand pray.
Take A Deep Breath
Fix yourself a cup of coffee, Yerbe Matte tea, or whatever comfy beverage that you like to curl up with, turn off your cell phone, lap top, and television, sit in your favorite place, and reflect on just what factors are causing you to feel overwhelmed.
Don’t rush through this step. Relaaaaaxxx. Yes, that’s right. Relaaaaxx. Be still. Ponder. Ruminate. Take very slow deep breaths. For the moment, ignore your bulging, screaming,temper tantrum throwing to-do list, and quiet yourself. Really, truly allow the stillness of God to settle upon you and minister to you. Remember, God was not in the earthquake or the fire, but in the still, small voice. (I Kings 19:12)
Take Stock
Get our your pen and notebook, iPad, laptop, or whatever you use, and write down what is making you feel overwhelmed. Are there temporary obligations that will pass? Are you overcommitted? Overinvolved? Or do you just need help with time management? Could you exercise and take better care of yourself physically so that you could handle your responsibilities better or is the problem deeper than that? Is this feeling just because it’s the holidays? Or because you’ve suffered a setback of some kind?
Ask yourself these tough questionsand be willing to write down honest answers. Afterwards,seriouslyevaluatewhat might be pressing yourOverwhelmed Button.
Make Tough Decisions
Now that you havequietly reflected and taken a personal inventory of your obligations, it’s time to make tough decisions. If you are overwhelmed because of short-term holiday stress, then ramping up your exercise, drinking more water, getting more rest, and laying off the sugar will greatly enhance your ability to cope. (I know, your are probably saying, “yeah, right Debbie. Sure, I am going to lay off my mother’s homemade bon-bons so I can handle Christmas better.”) But you get the picture. But if after quietness and self-reflection, you realize that your feeling of being overwhelmed is because you are truly overcommitted and over-obligated then it’s time to make some tough decisions.
Taking Things Off Your Plate
When you have an overfull plate, it’s hard to imagine taking things off. So much of our self-worth and identity can come from what we do – instead of who we are. For example, I am a Grief Recovery Specialist. I “do” Grief Recovery. That is a key part of my identity. But I am also a Volunteer Manager, a Minister’s Wife, a Mother, a Bible Study Teacher, an Entrepreneur, and many other things.
So for me, what Ido to cope with my own senseof feeling overwhelmed is to make note of the core duties that I want to fulfill in each of my roles andeither let something go, oramend my responsibility in such a way that I can handle it.If, for example, I decide that I have too much going on to teach Bible studies, then I am no longer a Bible study teacher.Losing that part of my identity would make me sad because it gives me a lot of joy and fulfillment,not to mention that it would disappoint those who look to me for instruction. What I do instead is limit myself to one or two Bible studies a weekandmake the meeting place/timesomething that will work better with my schedule. This way, I am still doing something that is very important to me, but I am doing it with wisdom and balance.
Pray
Charles Stanley sums it up best:
We can be tired, weary, and emotionally distraught; but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.
There is nothing that can take the place of prayer. Stanley is right, when my personal prayer life is full and overflowing, I am filled with a renewed sense of energy, power, and strength. Now, when I start getting that overwhelmed feeling, I first examine my prayer life to be sure that I haven’t allowed busyness to overtake quality time with God.
What about you? Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Or do you know someone who does? What insights can you share with us?