How to Find Peace When You Feel Overwhelmed
This blog post is for all my people-pleasing, over-extended, hard working, exhausted ladies – and men – out there. If you find yourself having daily anxiety attacks or falling to pieces when your boss gives you another project, this blog is for you. Below are the seven ways to find peace when you feel overwhelmed.
Know that you are not alone. I’m sending up a prayer for you right now. May your stress melt into peace right this very moment, and may these words bless you in your struggle with stress.
1. Bible Study and Prayer
Spending time alone with God when I am overwhelmed is typically the last thing I want to do, but it’s honestly what helps me most.
Even if you’d rather not, I encourage you to spend time reading the Bible, praying, listening to worship music or even a sermon. Surround yourself with Jesus. Before trying any other remedy, saturate yourself in His presence and cast all worry on Him.
Not sure what to pray? Check the bottom of this page for a free scripture download. Keep the list at your desk, by your bed or on your bathroom mirror as a reminder that God is greater than anxiety.
2. Get Around People
Surprised? So am I. Socializing is not the easiest solution when feeling overwhelmed. Pulling myself together enough to spend time with other human beings does not always work. However, in my experience Satan likes it when I am alone.
He wants me to feel isolated in my panic and stress. I am most vulnerable when I am all by myself. Thoughts spiral out of control and there is no one around to pull me back to planet earth.
So get around people. Go to Bible Study. Call your mom. Get Starbucks with a friend.
The important thing is that you TELL someone how you are feeling. The people who love you cannot read your mind. Tell them. Don’t allow yourself to be alone.
3. Go Outside
A 2018 article by Harvard Medical School stated “ecotherapy has shown a strong connection between time spent in nature and reduced stress, anxiety, and depression.”
They went on to conclude “that interacting with natural spaces offers other therapeutic benefits. For instance, calming nature sounds and even outdoor silence can lower blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which calms the body’s fight-or-flight response.”
Earlier this year I felt like I had Mono that would never end. Turns out I had extremely low Vitamin D! Years of working in an office had done damage.
Especially if you work in a small office, at a computer or in a cubicle…. go outside! Use your lunch to go on a walk. Eat dinner on the patio. Try an early morning trail run…. but if you live in Kansas watch out for wind (see below).
4. Make a List
Ah, I love a good list. Is there anything better? The thing about anxiety is that it clutters my mind. The more overwhelmed I become, the less I remember. The less I remember the more mistakes I make and the more overwhelmed I become.
It’s a vicious cycle.
So, I make a list. I take ten minutes and write down on a physical sheet of paper anything that is rattling around in my brain. Call it a data dump. Once it’s on the sheet, there is no need to worry about it. There’s no need to worry about it… which brings me to tip #5.
5. Get One Thing on that List Done
I know, I know. You have a million things on your plate and no time to get them all finished today. The list you made is very long and when you look at all 57 items on that list your hands begin to sweat.
So don’t do all of them. Just pick one.
What one thing can you do right now and check off your list? (And I mean physically mark it off the list, because there is nothing more satisfying.) Focus on that one thing. Get it done. Then pick another one.
When you are crawling into bed at the end of the day feeling like you got absolutely nothing done, just look at that list.
6. Organize Your Life
Speaking of a good old fashioned to-do list…
A dirty house, car, or office space can be a big distraction. I am giving you permission to put work aside for a minute and get your life in order. Do you need to take a day off and clean your entire house? That is okay. Do you need to rearrange the budget in order to hire a cleaning lady? Also okay.
If the thought of your own home fills you with anxiety, it is okay to take time to fix it. Shocking, I know. You can take time off. Do what it takes to get things in order and relieve that constant ache of anxiety in your heart every time you walk through the front door. Which brings me to my final point…
7. Relax
As Shauna Niequist once said, “the best thing I can offer to this world is not my force or energy, but a well-tended spirit, a wise and brave soul.”
In my experience, feeling overwhelmed walks hand in hand with over-extension. I am a chronic people-pleaser and eternal optimist. As such, the one word that is the most difficult for me to say is no.
Sometimes No is necessary.
Sometimes you just have to say… not one more thing. Not today. Nope. I am done. Today is for me. I’m going to rest, take a bath, read a book, go on a walk, spend time with Jesus, have coffee with my best friend, watch a cheesy chick flick in my pajamas.
Surprise!! Saying NO is okay! Allow yourself a no from time to time. Relax, recharge, then get back out there and crush it.
Thank you for reading How to Find Peace When You Feel Overwhelmed. Don’t forget your free download below. These scriptures help me when I am full of anxiety and don’t know what to do. I hope they help you, too. For more helpful content, check out these other popular posts:
How to Create a War Room Or Prayer Closet in Your Home
Hygge & Holy Spirit 15 Day Devotion
Nature and the Bible: Learning About God Through His Creation
When You are Deeply Tired on the Inside
As always, if you have any questions feel free to send me an email or message me on Instagram or follow @bestillandwrite on Pinterest for new content daily.
Love Always,
