We all get overwhelmed when life fills up quicker than we anticipated. Suddenly, our days feel crowded, schedules are changing, and new opportunities are popping up everywhere. How can we stay level-headed? And can the people around us help?
Stop Feeling Overwhelmed, But How?
Even if good things are happening it can be a lot to wrap our brains around. Summer is on the horizon with new routines to establish, it’s just the tip of the carrot that I’m chewing on right now.
I’m eating more than my share, and I’m guessing you are too.
How do you manage when the overwhelm takes over? Do you move into go-mode or do you freeze up like I do? Nothing can be more freeing than to conquer our concerns and come out with a strategy for how to stop feeling overwhelmed. It’s easier than you might think.
Three Techniques to Help
I like to start every day with these three anxiety-busting, tension-taming, worry-freezing techniques to stop feeling overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.
- Breathe – The best place to start is to take a few intentional deep breathes. I’ve found it best to start the day with five good long inhales and exhales. Five is my magic number but do what feels right for you. If you are a spiritual kind of person, like I am, try saying this little mantra in your head. Breathe in His grace, breathe out His praise. It’s amazing the difference it makes inside your heart to say these words to yourself in the moment. At any point in the day, you can treat yourself to five more if you sense the tension rising.
- Be Grateful – No matter what your life looks like there is always something to be grateful for. Your family, friends, home, job, church, and surroundings are all blessings from God. Thank Him for showering you with so many gifts of kindness.
- Do Something to Fill Yourself Up – This may be reading Scripture or a favorite devotional. It might be prayer or meditation or taking a walk. Whatever fuels your soul is a great way to start the day.
It’s important to remember that the way you are feeling isn’t forever. Feelings of overwhelm can cloud our thinking when we lose sight of what’s really happening. Lifehack.org published an article about the eight things to remember when you’re feeling overwhelmed. I found it very helpful to consider that usually a few days of figuring out a new schedule and prioritizing will sort everything out.
Most likely, the people around you can help, so don’t forget to reach out to family and friends. Spending time with the people you love can sometimes bring pinpoint clarity to the most overwhelming scenarios. They are routing for you and so am I.
Remember, it’s okay to say no. You can’t do everything, you shouldn’t even try to so know your limits and pass along what doesn’t make sense.
The best medicine for feeling overwhelmed is some sweet life-giving time to feed your soul. Make it a priority and God will bless your efforts.
Photo by Brandon Mowinkel on Unsplash
So what does a big red barn have to do with feeling overwhelmed?
Absolutely, nothing!
The Big Red Barn chapter in my book, A Prairie Devotional, just happens to be a favorite memory from the set of Little House on the Prairie—a place where the cast and crew came together to eat and talk and support one another.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, the magic sauce may very well lie in gathering around a table or in a big red barn.
Trust me, great things happen in big red barns.
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