I don't know about you, but there are days where I feel like I am juggling different projects and responsibilities and tasks and commitments from the moment my eyes open until I go to sleep. "Running fast just to stay in place" can seem like a distorted personal motto at certain times! (A friend has said this is just a particular characteristic of the month of January, when people are starting the new year, catching up after the holidays, preparing for annual meetings, etc. However, I have noticed that it can also be a particular characteristic of the month of February. And March. Oh, and April. And May...)
One real question for me is whether the overwhelming nature of day-to-day life is (a) a feature of human existence, with the different demands that are placed upon us in our lives, or (b) a signal that we have allowed our lives to get out of control, and we need to be re-grounded.
If it is (a) -- a feature of human existence -- then the overwhelm is something that must be accepted, embraced if possible, and smiled upon. Feeling overwhelmed doesn't mean that we're bad. It doesn't mean that we are failures. It just means that we're human.
If the overwhelm is (b) -- a signal that life is out of control -- then a different approach may be called for. We may need to take some time to re-focus, to re-prioritize, to re-assess how we are living our days. We may need to say 'no' to some of the things we have committed to. We may need to pull back from some projects.
My hunch is that our overwhelmed-ness is sometimes (a) and sometimes (b).
Many of us have surely overextended ourselves. Too many of us have difficulty saying "no" to things, and a hard time drawing boundaries around our energy and our time. We accept new responsibilities, even if our old responsibilities were already placing a drain on our energy. We do not do the hard work of setting priorities and goals, but rather just slide along from one day to the next, treading water and staying afloat.
But even if we were to be energetic priority-setters and boundary-keepers, there are going to be times when life is simply overwhelming. Life cannot be fully controlled, no matter what the experts say. Life is not like some crisply-edited movie. There are messy parts, there are boring stretches, and there are times when we just cannot get to everything. Books and websites that promise to help us get our lives under control (in 12 easy steps!!!) may be tantalizing, but they may promise more than they can deliver. I've got a decent stack of books that promised to be The-Book-That-Will-Change-Your-Life-Forever. I've read them, and I still get overwhelmed plenty.
So as we begin a new year, if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, I invite you to join me in a couple of approaches. (1) Take a deep breath. (2) Smile. Know that this moment is actually a beautiful moment, whatever may be happening. (3) Ask yourself and ask God what your current overwhelm is about. Is it something you can change? Or is it something that you need to live with for a little while? Are there things about it that you can shift? (4) Take small steps. You do not need to fix your entire life today. See if there is one thing that you can do that will help.
"When you pass through turbulent waters, I will be you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned," says the Lord (Isaiah 43:2).
