Feeling Overwhelmed
I don’t know about you, but from time to time I feel overwhelmed by life and as of lately this is how I feel. So much to do and not enough time in the day to do. I have decided to use this little vehicle of a blog to do a little self help. I know when I get overwhelmed the best thing for me is to write it out. Often times in my head it seems so much more then what in reality it is and when I see on paper all of my to-dos and expectations life seems much more manageable and not so stressful.
So here goes, a list of to-dos that seem to be overwhelming me these last few weeks:
- Participating in Financial Peace University at my church. For those who don’t know it is a group workshop created by Dave Ramsey and lead by a group leader. It’s great, but it’s forcing me to really look at my current finances, my spending habits, my future financial goals and it requires time, mental effort, self control/boundaries and it requires learning about insurance (really how it works, not a strength of mine) and investing for retirement. It’s big stuff and it’s not easy to take an honest look at where I am at and then make the necessary changes to get where I want to be.
- My 3 year old son. I recently purchased a book titles Your Three Year Old, Friend or Enemy and truthfully that is how I feel. He is a great little guy but he is testing me as his parent. I do my best to set boundaries and instill good behavior. My question is how do you influence a three year old to do what needs to be done when they insist on doing the opposite, while at the same time teach them how to set their own boundaries and say no to protect themselves from hurtful behavior? I have decided parenting is the hardest job on the planet! Bless you who have more than one!
- Work. Balancing work with being a mom, wife, homemaker, friend and alone time. Wow, balance takes constant consideration and a firm understanding of what my priorities really are.
- Writing. Where is the time to write?
- Selling yoga bags, I did not anticipate just how challenging this new adventure and creative outlet would be. There is so much competition out there and a great deal of rejection to go with it.
I feel better all ready. What seemed huge, beyond me, in my head is only five bullet points. Not so much after all, a lot of work yes, but I have a lifetime and that thought coupled with a HA breath, it’s really not so terrible.
So now what I do after listing it all out, I focus on my successes. I may not be where I want yet, but that is okay because I really have made progress! That’s the good news, I am moving in a positive direction. So here are my successes relating to the above points.
- We are working diligently to get out of the minimal debt we are in and committed to staying debt free! We are in the process of changing our insurance policies and saving money. I am more aware of our finances and spending than I have ever been in our entire marriage. We have a firm plan.
- My son is down for a nap right now, which allows me time to meditate, write and relax! I am committed to keeping his routine and have giving him one on one time today.
- Relating to work, I remind myself that I love what I do and it’s not easy balancing my life, but I have done a great job so far. I gave myself time to check in with myself and regroup. I am bringing my stress levels down and relieving that feeling of being overwhelmed.
- The time to write is now!
- I sent out emails to potential buyers and made a sell call I have been thinking about for a long time recently. I made some changes to my site and think often of what to try next.
So now that I can see I am not just sitting around idly doing nothing another wave of ease washes through me. Progress has been made! I feel more and more at ease with each breath and each written word.
Now that I feel more at ease I can create a game plan that keeps me moving in the direction I want to go.
- As far as finances go, I will complete the workshop, learn more and continue to outline our goals for the future and work towards them.
- As for being a Mom, I will read the above mentioned book and hopefully learn something new. If not I will call a great therapist I know who specialized in this area and make an appointment. Never be ashamed to ask for help!
- With work in mind I will create a more balanced schedule and remind myself these past few months have been abnormally busy with workshops, travel and just a lot more going on. It is not the usual and it will slow down soon. I will give myself adequate me time to help balance it out and make sure there is plenty of family time!
- I will keep my goal of writing twice a week and not be hard on myself if it just gets done once a week or not at all.
- Finally, I will focus 30 minutes a week on selling bags. I will aspire to an hour a week and see how that goes.
I feel better, much better in fact. That little bit of time and effort put the above issues in perspective and neutralized my feelings of being overwhelmed. Now I can relax, trust that I have plenty of time and be proud of myself for my accomplishments thus far. It really is a simple technique. Write out what is overwhelming you, write out your successes in those areas thus far and then a game plan for how to move forward. I sincerely hope this is helpful because staying in an overwhelmed or stressed state can be paralyzing as well as harmful to your physical, mental and emotional well being. If the above technique does not help don’t hesitate to ask for help from a friend, loved one, family member or professional. We all need help and it’s a strong person who can recognize it and seek it out!
10 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Often, i get overwhealmed, it seems like every day. i always have so much on my plate. first waking up for the day, school, then strait to work. Most times it follows with so much homework, so i am usuallu up really late. its my daily routine, so i have gotten it down now. When things come my way though, like doctors appt. or things i need to get ready for, or just the little stuff in general that you may need, im always finding myself making a list. I have to, or i would just forget about everything i was supposed to do. Once i make my list, i give myself a couple days to get everything taken care of, it seems to help every time, its the time to myself, and its the time i give myself for these tasks.
Now, i do not have a ton of bills to pay, and i do not have a little one, but i can sort of relate, with all the crazyness in this world, you need sometime just to yourself. I love doing what i do, and i try to handle everything i do in life with the best ability i know how to.
Life can be so stressful at times. It is a wonderful journey, but man, it can take a lot out of a person. Found out today that work is so slow, i don’t have any hours for the next two weeks. Time to step back and reevaluate the situation. That coupled with upcoming rent and car payment, I think Chirstmas will be a bit scarce in the gift department this year. Big Lots and CCA here I come! 🙂 It’s the thought that counts, right?
Well your bags are absolutely beautiful and i plan on purchasing one as soon as possible. Also, thank you for your patient guidance during class every week.
It’s always interesting to get a peek at what my teachers lives are like beyond the classroom! I did not expect to take as much as I did from this first blog. I am going to sit down and write what is overwhelming me and how to conquer the things that I try to release when meditating during yoga class. During these sessions I have more than well begun to learn to master my thoughts that affect me through out the day as well as indulge in a relaxing and intense “exercise” that my body does not get otherwise. So what I’m saying is yoga has done just as much, not if more, for me on the inside as it has for the outside. I am without a doubt going to continue yoga.
I am a writer too so I completely understand about the healing powers of writing out thoughts and emotions. During my roughest times of high school, when I was trying to deal with the stress of family life coupled with immature peers, the best thing for me to do was to plug in my iPod and write fictional stories and deep poems. It was nice to get away from reality for a little bit, to take a breather. I feel like it also helped me express my emotions better, and I also feel I can handle stress better now than ever, as I can identify what I’m feeling and why.
Thanks for sharing a little piece of you; that takes courage!
It seems to be so much sometimes, Living on my own without any parents, struggling through school and work, watching everyone around me with nice things, while I struggle for food, but sometimes it’s so nice to take all those challanges, lay them out infront of you, and do alittle progress with each, like when I have large loads of homework, if I write out a list, each time I get something done I mark it on that list, and suddenly I feel so much better about the upcoming challanges I have ahead of me, its almost an invincable, what else can you throw at me? I can handle it feeling!
I think it’s normal for people to become overwhelmed at times, but how you coped with your emotions by writing everything down is a really great way to really see what there is to worry about versus what is just in your head. I like how you could work through your issues a little simply by breaking them down. I especially thought the portion that focused on what you have done, instead of what you have to still do was really neat, and something I could try in my own life. Also, I really, really like Dave Ramsey! I watched a few videos and whatnot when trying to figure out my own financials when I moved out on my own, and what he taught me was amazing and has totally helped me financially to keep afloat! Finances cause so much stress also, so I think keeping up with your Financial Peace University at your church will probably help, because I know it helped me! His funny phrase “live like no one else, so that later on you can live like no one else” stuck with me, and really puts things into perspective for me… So I hope that helps you!
In my life I just got fired from my dream job. I have no source of income and although that is just one thing that’s the most stressful thing that could happen to me. It’s right Around finals and trying to find a job and study is really hArd. If I didn’t have all my knowledge of breathing And relaxing from yoga class I would never be able to mAke it.
Glad to support quality work!
I really enjoyed reading this article, sometimes hearing someone else vent can bring a unique perspective to what failures/successes really look like, and often times failures or obstacles are just blessings in disguise. Making a list this way teaches you to be grateful for what you have. Anything can be taken from you at a moments notice, to ever have had something in the first place is a blessing in itself.
Lately, I feel nothing but overwhelmed. I have so many different spheres in my life to juggle that I find myself exhausted at the thought of working on anything. However, I have been making progress and I know that I’m doing the best that I can. I’m worried about my performance at work, but I know that when I’m at work I’m putting everything I can into my job. Finals might be a stressful time, but I’ve turned everything in that I could on time and I’ve studied as much as I could. While I might not be at home as often as I would like, when I am home I’ve managed to make good use of my time and make sure that my open line of communication with my parents hasn’t broken. And while the start of a new relationship (even three months in) is daunting and I’m not quite sure of what I’m doing, I trust my boyfriend and find comfort in that trust. At the end of the day, I can only control what is in my power to control.