That Overwhelmed Feeling

"For fast-acting relief, try slowing down."

I have had a very hard time trying to slow down like God has made me do. I have not been doing the best job of trying to listen to Him. The worst part for me is not having a consistent job at the time being. I have been working since I was young. We had animals to feed and take care of for showing. I then had three jobs while in High School. I worked for a photography studio, the church nursery, and Piggly Wiggly. I worked while going to college. So not working right now to get fully healed is very difficult for me. 

To feel overwhelmed can be a common experience in today's fast-paced world, which can be a downfall. Money, stress, jobs, family, really anything can cause us to feel overwhelmed. The downfall of it is that it takes us away from a life where we can enjoy the little things. 

My husband and I are in the process of moving into my parent’s old house which is just across the driveway from their new shouse. They want us to be moved in as soon as possible, but we don’t have the money or the time at the moment. They are helping us out, but it is still stressful. There are a lot of plans to be made and things to be done. When I moved from the farm to Maryville, it was stressful for me. I called my Dad every single day before class because I was alone, nervous, and overwhelmed.

My husband and I have accumulated many things over the last five years we have been together. We have a small house and I am looking forward to having more rooms and storage. It has been three years and we still haven’t gone through all of our wedding gifts yet. See, three weeks after we got married, I had a big health issue and was hospitalized for two months and then spent four months living with my parents to recover. So we haven’t had a chance to open all our gifts and celebrate our marriage. 

Making decisions has always been overwhelming to me. The last three years have been overwhelming for me. Medical, and financial, work decisions have not come as clearly or quickly as they need to be. Or it has been just the opposite. I have made the decision too quickly. I make a lot of lists of things to accomplish. Sometimes they are long and sometimes they are short. But just looking at them can be overwhelming sometimes.

I have made big dreams for myself since I was little. Looking back at some of those dreams, I am glad to say I accomplished them, but others I laugh at. Like one dream, I wanted to be a Disney Princess. It would have been wonderful to fulfill that dream, but I am also so glad that I didn’t. It was hard enough for me to move away to college. So trying to be away from home was hard so now moving back home will be hard. 

Being overwhelmed makes me think I am sinning because my focus is on other things and not God or how these things can bring glory to God or His plans for me. I am trying to slow down and enjoy the ride we call life. God has made that VERY clear to me that I need to slow down. I was always in the left lane speeding down the life highway because I wanted things quickly and to accomplish the goals as fast as I could. 

Give yourself time. Stop and smell the roses. Pray. Live life. Smile. Take the pictures. Enjoy being you and doing what you love. Let the overwhelming feeling go away. Enjoy the small things because one day, we won’t be able to slow down, we will be down under 

the ground.

"Dream small dreams. If you make them too big, you get overwhelmed and you don't do anything. Making small goals and accomplishing them gives you the confidence to go on to higher goals."