When You Feel Like You Are Being Spread Too Thin

You know the days. 

Those days when you are completely overwhelmed.

And maybe you are just stretched beyond your capacity.

Maybe that day is today for you.

Or maybe that has been your week, your month, or your entire life.

And now your tired.

And you know that you have suffered for it.

Your family suffers too.


It hurts most when you know that something drastic needs to be done. but you haven't moved forward and taken the steps toward any change.

Maybe you've cried at night before you've fallen to sleep and prayed like crazy over the situation.


In my life I have certainly had various seasons where I was definitely being spread too thin. Sometimes I had a house full of littles and babies, or juggling various homeschooling classes, or wearing too many hats.

But I have learned over the years to closely examine the source of stress and to do something about it. I know that it is much better to take an active approach and not just react.

And over time I have learned to ask some important and helpful questions that changed my life. Whenever I am feeling spread too thin I ask myself:


1. Is it self imposed?   As a young wife and mother there were times when  I placed unnecessary expectations on myself. No one asked me to do these things and my husband certainly didn't care one way or another. Sometimes I think that we have such high expectations of ourselves and our mothering, housekeeping, meal making and so forth that we easily can put too much on ourselves. It can easily happen today when we are perusing Pinterest and see all the pretty homemade decorations and made from scratch dinners and on and on it goes. Once I realized I was doing that I became more careful about letting go of expectations and purposed to keep my life more simple.

2. Is it necessary? Isn't it funny how sometimes we take on the unnecessary and don't realize it until it is too late?  I have learned the hard way that being being busy isn't always fruitful or helpful and that a lot of times saying "yes" to something can mean paying a higher price and saying "no" to your family in the long run. For me, it is not worth it. I want to protect my time and energy to make sure I have enough for them and for myself and not be worn out and frazzled over something that wasn't even necessary in the first place.


3. Can I change how it is done? Some things ARE necessary but just need a different approach. I remember years back while homeschooling I had my older children doing high school math and several younger children doing math in separate grade levels. The math was driving me crazy because it was the hardest part of my day--especially when I had to stop and teach one child a difficult Algebra problem (one problem could take up to 20 minutes!). Back then I was using Saxon Math, and while it worked great for the others when they were younger, I didn't find it work for me at they started entering high school. Around that time I heard about Teaching Textbooks and it saved my life! I switched my older kids over and it was like the heavens opened. Eventually I put all the kids on it and it transformed my school year. I will never go back and was so glad that I was open and flexible to changing things up!

Maybe you are stuck in how you do things and they aren't the most efficient. Pray to God and seek His wisdom on what you can change while you make better choices to keep Him, your husband, your children and your home a priority. He will definitely help you to restore peace and rest back into your days.









Need more help on this topic? We recommend this book below:

Every 24 hours, women are faced with hundreds of decisions. What strategies can they use to consistently determine the good, better, and best choices as they face daily issues and challenges? How can they make their minutes count—and feel great about the results when the day ends?

From years of asking these very questions herself, Elizabeth has put together proven guidelines for making the best possible choices when it comes to…

• starting the day right so priorities stay on track
• eliminating timewasters and negative thoughts and attitudes
• paying attention to food and fitness for more energy and better health
• setting goals for getting things done
• planning more effectively and finishing well

You can find this encouraging book HERE.

**WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU**

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE IN YOUR LIFE TO KEEP YOURSELF FROM BEING SPREAD TOO THIN?

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