Tackling Overwhelm One Step at a Time

Have you ever felt overwhelmed when life responsibilities seem to stack up? Even simple things like cooking dinner, doing the laundry, and walking the dog on anxiety-ridden days can seem daunting. So how do we hold peace when anxiety mounts from added responsibilities and to-do lists and stress threatens to derail our joy?

My lists of assignments and responsibilities stretched longer than my strength to complete them. I burst out crying, feeling overwhelmed. I felt I would never complete all my tasks and meet my deadlines. As I began to pray, I was anticipating God would have me take something off my plate to make it easier. Instead, He reminded me to lean into his strength because the reason I was feeling so stressed out was that I had been trying to complete them in my own strength.

If anyone would have understood the stress that can mount from daily assignments, it would have been Noah. God’s assignment for Noah was not your run-of-the-mill assignment, but one large enough to reach toward the heavens and big enough to house elephants and giraffes, literally.

Have you ever wondered how Noah tackled his ark-sized assignment, even amid naysayers and opposition, and his own daily family responsibilities? My thoughts are that he tackled it like we should tackle ours – by keeping our main focus on Jesus and concentrating on doing one thing at a time instead of stressing over having to get everything completed all at once.

When responsibilities mount and to-do lists loom large, focusing on the size of our God instead of the size of our problems and circumstances is the best strategy. It is usually our first line of defense to try to tackle our problems in our own strength instead of waiting on God’s strength and timing, which most often leads to overwhelm. But when we keep our focus on God, we shift the weight of our heavy loads onto His shoulders.

We were never supposed to handle the cares of this life alone.

The ark wasn’t built in a day, but through simple daily acts of obedience and a heart focused on completing the assignment, one task at a time. Perhaps, breaking down our own busy schedules into more manageable pieces is our key to peace snd success. Concentrating on completing just one thing at a time helps us take control of our busy schedules rather than letting them hold us hostage to stress, anxiety, and worry.

The best way I have found to stay on task is to implement the following into my daily routine:

Keep your eyes on Jesus. We will need to make spending time in scripture a daily priority and practice. Quiet time is more than filling up journal pages and quick prayers to check off a list of things to do to start your day. Spending time connecting with Jesus through His word is a powerful way we can prepare for whatever comes our way. Let the words of Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) be our guide to a less stressful day.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Keep a prayer journal. Prayer should never feel routine, so changing up your prayer life can help you prioritize and focus. One way to keep my thoughts from trailing off when I talk with God is to write my prayers down as I pray. This is a good way to put Psalm 77:13 (ESV) into practice.

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

Keep a to-do list. I have found that writing things down helps me handle daily obligations less stressed. Focusing on one thing at a time also makes me more productive. There is just something about checking my tasks off as they are completed that makes me feel like I am accomplishing my daily tasks and goals. And the more I feel accomplished, the more it fuels me to accomplish more. As I begin each task, I speak the words of Philippians 4:13 ( KJV) over my goals.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Keep a heart of Gratitude. God doesn’t want us to stuff our emotions or pretend we don’t have honest feelings. Life can often feel painful when we face setbacks, and unexpected problems can make us easy prey for the enemy, who tempts us to become discouraged, worried, and fearful. Putting forth an effort to be thankful for what you already have keeps the door open for God to do more. And when we are struggling to be thankful when life feels overwhelming, it is good to remember that we have been invited to talk to God about that, too. The burden of feeling unthankful is a weight we were never intended to carry. I remind myself of Psalms 118:25 (NKJV) as I go about my day.

“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

When we put forth an effort to be obedient, it will keep us in the driver’s seat on a road to peace instead of the enemy driving us headlong into a path of stress and anxiety.

How do you handle your to-do lists when stress and anxiety grip you and make the things you need to do feel overwhelming and unobtainable? We can see that overwhelming responsibilities are less stressful when we focus on one thing at a time rather than trying to tackle everything at once.

Today, choose one thing to take to God and accomplish in Jesus’ name.