Honestly. this post was inspired by me being in a place of feeling overwhelmed and noticing others were too. You see, the Hobbs Crew has been going through some changes and my role is shifting a bit. Well, really everyone’s role is and so that makes it even more complicated.

Our kids are getting older and this is offering me some new freedoms and challenges. One of those freedoms is writing this blog. We really are making a go of this and I had no idea how much work and detail having a blog entailed. However, I learned really quickly.

10 Things to Do When You are Feeling Overwhelmed

• Shut it down and pray
• Make a list
• Make a plan
• Don’t do all the things, just pick one or two
• Take Baby Steps
• Accept it will Change
• Avoid Burnout
• Talk to Someone
• Ask for help
• Don’t Give Up!

There’s another thing I have learned over the years though and that when God calls you to something He equips you for that job. When our family kept growing and growing, I felt the same way. Because when you look at the giant picture of what He called you to do requires, one just wants to sit down and cry.

Eating an elephant one bite at a time can be a lot of work and if you don’t keep your focus, very terrifying!

That, my friends, is what it feels like to be overwhelmed. So what do I do when I’m’ feeling this way? Let me share with you a few things I’m learning.

Shut it down and pray

Our pastor was recently teaching on this subject and said something that was so good I put it on my phone as a daily reminder. He told us when something is not working and you don’t know what to do just “Shut it down and pray.”

This sounds so simple, right? So I decided to implement this and whenever I am feeling overwhelmed and don’t know how I am going to do it, I stop what I am doing and just pray.

It has worked every time! Now did my problem or challenge whip itself into shape right before my very eyes? In most cases, no. You see, the prayer changed me, allowed me to think more clearly, and do the next right thing.

Don’t give in to anxiety! This is where I am reminding myself that I need to “turn my car” around and just not go there. Trust that God will help you because He will! I wrote this post about learning to trust God and being intentional about turning our car around while we were stuck on the riverbank with eight kids. We really were! It really helps me and sometimes I read it when I need a good reminder.

Make a List

The first thing I do is make a list. This is my chance to go completely crazy with all the things I want to accomplish. I put everything down, on a piece of paper or on a computer spreadsheet, that has ever entered my head as a possibility or a goal.

The list is always long but I have found that if I write it down it helps me process it all better. If I don’t write it down, it runs around in my head like an unchained dog, and that exhausts me.

Make a Plan

Now onto the plan. This is where reality takes over and I am able to pick my priorities. I complete the following steps:

• Rearrange my list based on the importance of the task
• Add in some quick tasks
• Divide and schedule the tasks
• Adjust my expectations

Rearrange my list based on the importance of the task

I look at my list and rearrange them from most important to least important. This way I will know what I need to get done first. Sometimes it’s easier to do this on a computer spreadsheet so you can move things around without erasing and re-writing a lot.

At this point, I consider the “flow” of the work that needs to be done. Some jobs need to be done before other jobs can be accomplished.

For example, we recently decided to change our downstairs playroom into an office for Rick and me. We have had the office located in our bedroom for years and now that we are striving to have some work-life balance so we wanted to move it.

Before we could even consider moving desks into the playroom, we needed to shovel out the toys. Do you think I’m joking? I’m not! I actually told Sam to have the kiddos pick what they wanted to keep (which wasn’t much) and then shovel the rest into garbage bags.

They completed this process over the space of a couple of days and then we were ready to move in.

Add in some quick tasks

I also plan things that I know won’t take me as long because completing items on my list gives me a sense of accomplishment which helps me be more productive.

Adding at least one of those types of tasks per day is a great motivator and there is something about it that makes you want to keep going.

Divide and schedule the tasks

Once I am done with prioritizing the list, then I will start dividing the tasks and scheduling them on particular days. This is when I actually get my calendar out, along with my daily schedule and routine, and plan when I am going to have the time to get these things accomplished.

Adjust my expectations

I always try to be realistic and adjust my expectations so I can actually get what I have planned, done. However, it’s hard to know how long something is going to take you especially when you’re learning something new and you have no idea how long it is going to take. Plus, it just takes extra brainpower and energy to learn something new, so allow some grace for that.

Don’t Do All the Things, Just Pick One or Two

I am learning I am like a balloon that is blown up and let go. You know the kind, that your child blows up and doesn’t tie? They let it go and what happens? It flies crazily through the air doing all kinds of cute tricks before it nosedives and hits the floor.

Yep, I’m just like that balloon. I have all these wonderful ideas and I run around crazily trying to do them all before hitting the floor exhausted.

Baby Steps

What if I took a different approach and just made some baby steps? I mean, what if I consistently made some changes in a way that wouldn’t exhaust me and they would be able to stick. When we are like that balloon, our changes don’t stick around because we made too many of them all at once. So basically, we are wasting our time.

Accept it will Change

Once we have made the plan, we need to give ourselves some grace, Things are going to change and there are things on the list that will have to be moved or postponed. That is the reality of life.

We will save ourselves a lot of guilt and tears if we will just roll with it and do what we can. I don’t know about you but in our large family, someone is bound to get sick or do something unexpected that requires me to have to change my plan. If I understand this in the beginning, it won’t frustrate me as much to recalculate.

Avoid Burnout

Now, a word of caution, your plan can’t keep changing to the point nothing is getting done. If that is happening, then I always evaluate myself as to why I am not getting it accomplished.

Am I physically exhausted? Do I just need to stop and take a nap? Am I emotionally burned out and need to plan a fun day where I don’t do anything on the list?

If I can have some work-life balance then I will get more accomplished because I will have the energy to get it all done. Taking care of myself both mentally and physically is imperative to being successful. You can’t lose yourself in the to-do list or the schedule!

Talk to Someone

This one helps me so much! I have lots of special people in my life who are willing to listen to my plans and then keep me balanced. Having a conversation with my husband or one of my friends about my plans is very therapeutic for me. They all are more than willing to remind me to go for the goal but not to burn myself out.

Everyone needs those guardrails in their life and I encourage you to find some if you don’t already have them.

Ask for Help

Do you know those people in the previous paragraph? Well, those people are more than willing to help me if I need it. All I have to do is ask but you see that’s the hard part. Asking makes me feel inept and vulnerable because I like to be like our three-year-old and say “Me do it!” I am learning to set aside my pride and realize the people around me are more than willing to step up and give me a hand.

Don’t Give Up!

If you don’t remember anything else from this post, remember this… Don’t give up! Even when things are not going as fast as you want them too, giving up will make them come to a complete stop. Keep going and do the next right thing! Your persistence will pay off and you will accomplish your goals eventually!

Thanks for listening! The next time you’re overwhelmed I hope you will “Shut it down and pray!” I know you will feel better!

Don’t forget to read this post:

Stuck on a Riverbank in a Van with Eight Kiddos