5 Secrets for Overcoming when you’re Overwhelmed by Life

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by life, as if you just can’t catch your breath?

I’ve been there.

And so has my friend, Nicki Schroeder.

Today, Nicki is my guest for the #SummerSizzleBlogHop. This lady has had such a tumultuous few months, and she still keeps a smile on her face. And she continues to love deeply and meet the needs of those around her. Just recently she was talking me down from the ledge when I was going through some crazy stuff of my own.

Her story is hard but her heart is soft towards her Father who loves her dearly.

By the way, the SummerSizzleBlogHop is a series featuring nine Christian bloggers throughout June and July. We’re showcasing our top Christian faith posts to encourage you this summer. Next week will be the last in the series so be sure to stop by to see who’s up next.

Right now though, my heart is burning to share Nicki’s story with you. It’s a good one, friends and I pray you will be blessed by it.

 

5 Tips for When You’re Overwhelmed by Life 

by Nicki Schroeder

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck on the short train to crazy town? Overwhelmed to the point that you are mentally ready to retreat to a corner and rock back and forth with your favorite blankie?

Hello, that’s me lately.

Last year we went on a mission trip to Africa and immediately came back and had three kids (ages 3-7) move into our home to start the adoption process. On top of that I got a case of laryngitis that had me silent for weeks (not a good thing when you have little people in your home) and my husband was going through a drastic work change. Fast forward a few months and the adoption failed, the kids left, and it’s been chaos and grief ever since.

To top it all off, I am part of this amazing group of writers and they all seem so on the ball with their blogs and book writing and well, this girl is in total mental shutdown mode lately, feeling like I just don’t measure up.

What do you do when you are overwhelmed, stressed out and just emotionally exhausted because it feels like there are so many things to do and not near enough hours in the day?

I sort of feel like the answer we’re supposed to give as Christians is: “I pray, I read my Bible and I ask the Lord to help direct my path.” But seriously, let’s be real. How often do we actually do that?

Sure, sometimes we do.

But more often than not, our time in God’s Word is often one of the first things to go when we’re overwhelmed by life. In fact, I feel like over the past several months my Bible reading has flown out the window.

I don’t even want to admit how much chocolate I have consumed over the past few months. Probably enough to feed a third world nation. Ha, you think I’m kidding!

And the binge-watching of Netflix? I’m embarrassed because it’s been at an all-time high lately. Which is silly, because I seriously don’t have time to binge watch TV shows right now.

 

So what should we do when we’re stuck on the short train to crazy town?

Buy a bullet journal and get distracted for months with all the pretty things we can do with a planner to keep us on schedule? Scream at the top of our lungs in the car when we are stuck in traffic? Become anti-social because we are just too busy?

Eat a ton of chocolate and then feel bad that our jeans are getting a little tight? Stop going to the gym, because who has time to take care of ourselves in this season of crazy? Binge watch TV shows on Netflix? Go buy bigger pants so we can keep eating said chocolate….um, yeah, just did that. Don’t you judge me.

 

I’ve tried all that. Trust me, it doesn’t seem to solve anything. In fact, it often seems to create more problems, doesn’t it? Especially the shopping for pants thing. Ok, I brought them back to the store and took out an exercise video instead, but still!

5 Things To Practice In A Season Of Overwhelm

1. Be Honest & Evaluate

Admit you don’t have everything under control and are tackling too much. In fact, this is often one of the best things we can do to truly start taking control when you feel overwhelmed by life. Evaluate how you use your time.

Get a bullet journal or a day planner and keep track of what you are doing in a day and prioritize what truly matters. Does it matter as much that you clean the kitchen before the day is over, or that you get to spend an extra half hour with your kiddos before bedtime talking about their day?

2. Ask For Help

Why is it that when we tackle too much we often feel a sense of martyrdom with our obligations? It’s ok to admit you can’t do it all on your own. In fact, God places people in our lives to come alongside us in our time of need.

So take the initiative and ask for help. From your kids, your hubby, your friends, even your neighbors if you need to. People love to be needed. And they don’t HAVE to say yes, so ditch the guilt and just ask already.

3. Say No & Let It Go!

Elsa had it right…let it go, let it go! It’s ok to say no and let it go! Ok, she didn’t technically say that. But I did. And I think I’m on to something. This is a tough area for me. I sometimes struggle with saying no. But a pastor friend of mine told me once that it’s really a good thing to say no.

In fact, when we say no, it’s allowing an opportunity for someone else to say yes! So start practicing saying a firm NO. You can do it! Try it in the mirror and at the grocery store with a stranger or something if you need to. You’ll get better at it over time!

4. Practice Self Care & Stop Comparing

Why is it that when our plates are overflowing we often turn to a self-defeating attitude? We don’t go to the gym or eat as healthy as we should. Or we choose to ignore things we love, like painting our nails, reading a good book and going out for coffee with friends. We NEED these things to relax a little bit. So take time and paint your nails, schedule that coffee, get to the gym or get out for a nice walk and enjoy life.

Stop feeling like you have to keep up with the Joneses. Let the Joneses do their thing and you just deal with whatever you and your family can handle in this season of life.

5. More Jesus. Less All The Other Stuff

Ok, this is truly the biggest priority. It’s number 1 in my book. Even though it so often flies out the window in our crazy times, we truly need to be in God’s Word. We need to pray. We need to spend time with Jesus. I think of how John the Baptist said it in John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The reality is, the overwhelming nature of life isn’t going to go away. We can control some of the busyness, but when we feel overwhelmed by life, we NEED to cling to Jesus and commit His Word into our hearts.

 

If we don’t have Jesus, how will we weather the storms of life?

I don’t have it all figured out yet. But I know that as I continue to heal from the loss of our forever family and tackle the new and exciting things that God is calling me to in my new season of life, I am going to need to learn to say no and prioritize time in God’s Word to keep my sanity.

God has taught me over the years of struggling with infertility, cancer and other storms that when we put God first, the rest sort of works itself out eventually. I’m going to trust in that today. I hope you can too!

How about you?

Are you feeling overwhelmed by life right now? How are you dealing with it? Please share your thoughts in the comments to encourage another sister.

Photo Credit: AdobeStock

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Meet Nicki Schroeder

Nicki Schroeder is a Christian radio personality in the Midwest. She is the creator of “The Grace Challenge,” Bible encouragement to help you glorify Jesus in the middle of your busy, beautiful life. Nicki is a writer and speaker who strives for authenticity in her relationship with Jesus and others. She is a soul encourager who loves coffee, cupcakes and Jesus, just not in that order.  Visit her for weekly encouragement at www.nickischroeder.com.

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How about some extra summer sparkle?

I’m teaming up with some of my favorite blogging friends to bring you the best of the best, all summer long.

During June and July, we’re sharing our top posts in the #SummerSizzleBlogHop. Each week you’ll find a new post on each of our blogs (Counting My Blessings with Deb Wolf, Valerie Murray, Ruthie Gray, Dawn Klinge, Nicki Schroeder, Diana from Diana’s Diaries, Melanie Redd, Married by His Grace with Carmen Brown, and of course right here on SunSparkleShine.

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