Five Strengthening Tips for Stressful Seasons

 

            I’m not sure how I made it through our engagement season without breaking down from the overwhelm of it all. Two hours of driving each day plus the eight-hour work day. Planning the wedding. Attending the showers. Writing the thank-you notes. Making physical room for Ryan’s possessions. Squeezing in time to date and cultivate our relationship as we moved toward the wedding day…it was a full, full season.

            There were times when I couldn’t catch a deep breath and I’m sure my health took a bigger hit than I realized in the moment. The stress was real and manifested itself strongly.

            The details differ, but we all have seasons like that in the ebb and flow of life. Currently, we are in the final stretch of packing to move, and this will be the first time we have ever moved while I am fully employed on both sides of that move. I am learning a new job. We have a puppy who needs our attention. And yet family celebrations continue, our friends want time with us, and we have responsibilities at church and in our community. We want to navigate this season well, even though there are days when we feel like we are drowning in the muchness of it all.

            I am writing this post for myself more than anyone else, but if you’re in a season of stress yourself maybe it can help you too! Here are five things I’m doing my best to hold onto, even when it feels like my days are spinning out of control.

1, Make time for God. No matter how many things my to-do list holds for each day this month, I refuse to surrender my Bible study and prayer time. It may feel like that’s an easy thing to defer to tomorrow, but I need that time more than ever. It’s true that I may not dive in as deeply, and I may struggle to absorb as well. But I’m showing up. I will read and study and journal and pray. I will go to church. I need that time of learning and fellowship. It’s a non-negotiable.

2. Take a few minutes for fun. I know I won’t have any spare time this month. That is not an exaggeration, though I realize it sounds like one. If the moment doesn’t hold something, I need to be holding a box and a tape roller. That’s how hard I need to work at packing and moving. But for the sake of my mental health, I need to MAKE a few minutes for fun every day. It might be a scrapbook spread or writing a page in a project. My mind NEEDS that escape. This is how I relieve stress, and it’s important that I make time for it. I might not have a half hour to devote to it, but I can give it ten minutes! And ten minutes of a break might give me ten hours of brain power to keep going!

3. Praise through the panic. When I feel that knot in my throat and know I’m crossing a stress threshold, I will choose to find some way to praise the Lord. Maybe I’ll listen to worship music. Maybe I’ll pray. But changing my thoughts will become imperative! This is not my natural reaction, but I want it to be!

4. Say no. This one won’t always be possible, but I need to use it when I can. I’m such a people-pleaser and want to accommodate everyone. Unfortunately, in this stretch of time, that won’t be possible. There will be things I/we have to be part of that we don’t have time for, but not showing up won’t be an option. There will be other things we want to do…but we just can’t this time. We are grateful for the friends and family who understand that and know we’ll catch the next round! The more we can say no until this round of stress has passed, the healthier we will be!

5. Remember: it’s a season. These sorts of times come around every so often. We lived through it when we were double-commuting. And then we changed our lifestyle so that wasn’t a thing anymore. We lived through the stress of taking care of Ryan’s mom when she was so sick. We knew we needed to be present for the remainder of her days, and we were. We made it through when we were at WillowBridge and didn’t always have backup. And we’ll make it through again now.

            Remember that although some seasons are full, how often you hit those seasons can partially be up to you. Beyond-your-control events aside, you have the opportunity to decide how busy you want your life to be. If you can’t ever catch your breath, it might be time to slow down a bit. There aren’t any awards, I’ve been told, for being the busiest or accomplishing the most. (That was disappointing news. I wanted to win!)