When you are feeling overwhelmed with parenting, working, or life in general, the world can be a very dark place. It is easy to spiral, to sink lower and lower. However, the world needs you to keep going, so you have to start swimming up. You have to start letting the sun in and connecting with people again. It is hard, but here are seven things you can try.
- Breathe deeply. Start with one giant breath in and exhale slowly. Repeat.
- Get outside.
- Call a friend.
- Listen to a song you love.
- Do something creative.
- Eat something you really enjoy
- Cuddle with an animal.
- Help someone else.
When you are feeling overwhelmed it can lead to wondering why you are here. And those thoughts can get dark quickly. I want you to know that I see you. I hear you. I’m right here with you.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, you need to hold on.
Do you know you are necessary to the people around you? Do you know you are essential to this world? It’s not just about the things you do to take care of your family. You are vital to the well-being of so many people. Your softness rounds out the sharp edges of life. You smooth things out for so many people. If you weren’t here, the world would be missing a piece of its completed puzzle. It wouldn’t be whole.
Believe that the world needs you.
Yes, your kids need you, and your spouse and co-workers need you. And the world at large needs you, too! You are critical, and not just for the mundane things you do, though those are more important than you think. The harried waitress you smiled at as you added to her tip needs you. Your daughter’s friend desperately needed the reassuring shoulder squeeze you gave her. Your mom needs you, even if she doesn’t know it yet.
This is what depression really feels like.
Life can be really, really hard.
You have inserted yourself into communities, groups and families and they all would be affected if you weren’t here. When you are feeling overwhelmed, remember that you don’t have to do anything but keep breathing. Everything else is optional. Ask the people in your corner to help. You must reach out. It is necessary to connect with those who love you. I need you to know that love is out there, and it is trying to infiltrate the armor you have created.
This is what I need you to know when you are feeling overwhelmed:
God, however you define Him, is looking down on you with concern building in His eyes. You might not be able to see Him or feel Him but He is surrounding you now. You can find God in the knowing smile of a stranger. He is in the burst of sunshine that warms your face and in the sweet bedtime kiss your almost-too-old-for-kisses daughter gives you at the end of a long day. He is all around you.
When you are feeling overwhelmed and like life is too much to bear, please know you can endure. You can do this. You can survive.
