Overwhelmed? 3 Tips to Calm Down!
“For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.'" (Isaiah 41: 13)
I had to laugh when I saw this image because it reminded me of how I felt a week ago contemplating having 14 people over for Thanksgiving dinner! I’m excited to have my daughter and son and their families coming from California and Seattle. And I’m just as excited at having four friends and another teenager spending the day with us. But, a week ago, the thought of planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning, dishes, napkins, table decorations and on and on hit me— and I felt OVERWHELMED!Are you feeling OVERWHELMED? Maybe not from Thanksgiving—in fact you might be reading this in a country where it isn’t a major family holiday. Or, you’re going out for a traditional dinner. Or maybe you’re going to simply kick back, defrost a frozen dinner, and watch a movie.Regardless of Thanksgiving festivities, is something else causing you to feel OVERWHELMED?Whatever is causing your stress, here are
3 tips that can help you calm down:
Pivot your thinking from visualizing chaos and stress, to being calm and relaxed.
This applies to any situation. Are you scaring yourself by what you’re imagining? Philippians 4:8 wisely advises: Think about what is true.If it hasn’t happened, it isn’t true. So don’t worry about what hasn’t, and might never, happen. If and when it does, God will help you know what to do and enable you to cope.
Pivot from aiming for perfection(a big, bronzed turkey and all the trimmings like in a movie) to accepting reality. You only have so much time and energy. Relax with doing less than you might be tempted to do. Put boundaries on yourself without feeling guilty!
Not even Jesus tried to heal or feed everyone. He said, “My food (or satisfaction and fulfillment) is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). There is only so much anyone of us can do—but let’s do it with joy, serving others because we love them and because this is a way to share God’s love with others.
Pivot from expecting yourself to do everything to inviting others to bring a dish, or cook with you, or clean up afterwards. Let yourself accept help. In fact, ask for it.
Martha got very upset with her sister Mary and complained to Jesus about all the work she had to do. (Luke 10: 40) I can understand Martha feeling overwhelmed! But maybe if she had asked Mary to help prepare the meal, she wouldn’t have felt so stressed!What about you? Do you need to ask for help for whatever is overwhelming you? Will you do it?These three keys helped me gain perspective, relax, and anticipate with pleasure what lies ahead! I hope they help you have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING with a heart full of joy and gratitude for all God has blessed you with.You bless me! Thank you, my friends.Poppy
Photo credit: GraphicStock Photos