Let me offer seven suggestions to help you get beyond feeling overwhelmed.
1.On New Year’s Day after we watched the
Rose Bowl parade on RDF, the agriculture channel, and Dr. Who, I took a walk in
my park. Yes, I am blessed to manage a forest we call Reviresco, the Latin word
that means “to be green again.” But the weather was soggy and foggy, yet this
walk helps to clear our minds. It literally helps to rearrange our thoughts and
ideas in our minds and best of all relieves stress, and releases happy hormones
in our bodies.
2. Talk to someone. During the Rose Bowl Parade, I phoned not texted Stan to ask his willingness to help someone struggling with irritable bowel disease. Just telling someone what we are experiencing can change everything. Even leaving a voicemail saying. Hey, just wanted to chat, feeling so overwhelmed today can be liberating. Stan was wonderful when he said, “Yes, I’d be glad to help this hurting soul.” The disease is about how the head and gut and body are connected. Interesting, he immediately knew how to find relief, you have to disconnect the head and the gut. He knew from experience when our thoughts are out of control, we feel miserable and depressed and our bodies start to leak.
3. Do. Delete, Delegate. Divide your to-do list into these three categories. Divide and conquer. This will help you focus on what’s important. Last Thursday, I mapped a strategy for a priest friend and encouraged him to start delegating to others so that his energy is focused on important matters that bring him joy.
4. Tidy your space. Organize your work or living space has a way of reorganizing our thoughts and feelings. I have no problem with this task, but the secret if you are stuck is number five.
5 Ask for help. It’s a sign of strength and genius and not a sign of weakness.
6 Cancel everything that is not essential on your schedule for a day or two, or a week if that is what is required. You might call it a mental health day, and the way to recharge your battery is to stop and smell the roses or for me to pick up my camera and start shooting.
7. Finally, do something. Start doing something and don’t allow yourself to feel overwhelmed that it paralyzes you. Inaction will only take you deeper into the overwhelmed state. Pick one thing on your to-do list and do it. I will review my baking recipes and start to learn how to cook a new casserole or better yet, bread recipe.
We all get overwhelmed from time to time. This isn’t the last time we are going to feel like this, but in this new year, it might be a time to develop a strategy to deal with it.
Like the Magi, we need to be willing to follow the star, not knowing precisely where it would lead them, we need to be open and attentive to aspects in life that can lead us to a divine encounter.
What is your star today? What holds your gaze and leads you closer to Christ? The traditions of the Epiphany invite us to think about how we can find our way to Christ throughout the year. We should look for events, people and actions that can help us to encounter Christ. The magi were on a journey together, and we should remember that we are not on a solo trip. In addition to relying on our community, we should also seek ways to help others to draw nearer to Christ.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we start calling one another when we are stuck in a rut and offer the encouragement of one another. Perhaps, this is where we encounter the Christ when we hear the voice on the other line say: “Thinking about you today, what’s up?”
