The Ugly Truth About Being Overwhelmed

Whew! I don’t know what it is about us that we love to put more on our plates than we can handle.

You pile on responsibility after responsibility, hoping that in some small way someone would recognize how much you are doing for them (or even for yourself) and will reward you for it.

You’d hate to think that all the effort that you are putting in might all be for nothing. Or that it might all go to waste.

It is a thought scary enough to cripple anyone from taking action.

At least, I know it literally just happened to me. Imagine that. Someone who prides themselves in maintaining good mental health. Now she’s breaking down because she put waaay too much on her plate.

Between balancing being a wife, working full-time, school full-time, church volunteerism, building a business, and friendships. Something has to give… and it did.

It started with my friendships. I slowly started isolating myself from my closest friends, and not finding the energy the reply to the simplest of texts.

Next, my ability to focus on my relationship with my husband, then constantly being distracted and losing focus at work.

Then worst of all, insomnia started to kick in.

I’m naturally a night owl. But I was staying up all night long unintentionally.

All because I couldn’t get my mind to stop spinning circles just for a few minutes to allow me to go to sleep.

What’s Happening to Me?

It wasn’t until today my husband (who knows me so well) prodded and asked me a couple of times: “Are you sure you’re okay?“. I finally broke down and told him about the miniature existential crisis I was having.

He listened to everything so intently, and when I finally stopping talking to breathe, he simply said “Babe, you’re doing too much.“

I looked at him and blinked. He made it sound so simple, but he was right: I was doing too much!

The overachiever in me, that has existed since high school, prided herself in having too much on my plate. You know, being “able to balance it all”.

But in reality, I wasn’t balancing it all.

I was doing everything at just the bare minimum. Just to be able to say that I was doing them, but I wasn’t really do anything well… I was just doing them.

So Now What?

That’s obviously what you don’t want to be doing – you want to be able to give all your energy to the important things.

You want to be able to proudly say that yes you are doing them well.

So I decided to put some projects on pause for now, and I’m working on my list to see what else I can shave off. I want to do the things I’m left with 110% focus and energy.

Take this time to learn from my emotional break-down, so that you don’t have to go through it too.

Make a list of all the things you are responsible for, and figure out which things are a priority, and which tasks you can stop or pause.

If you don’t know where to start, you can book a call with me and we can start the list together. Overwhelmed is not the way to be, so don’t be it.

Head over the Resources page to download your study guide. You will be able to use it to prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed.

I’m praying for you!

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”

Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)