How to Slow Down When Your To Do List is Overwhelming
We constantly have to-do lists sitting on notepads, phones and in our brains. Depending on the season of life we are in, those items can look different, but the reality is so often that they are so full of obligations, expectations, necessary things and also things we love. It will never be about eliminating the to-do list, but it will be about learning how to slow down and find peace even in the midst of the overwhelm.
The feeling of being overwhelmed brings about almost this paralysis with it. We feel so overboard with everything that is going on that it makes us stay still and small in hopes that we will just get through it. That's the thing with overwhelm; it destroys momentum and it steals our peace. But when we can find moments of stillness and calm when life is crazy and busy and the to-do lists are long, we find success.
So, how do we slow down? How do we protect that place of peace? How do we find stillness in the little moments?
Find time to be alone. Whether it is even five extra minutes or an hour after the kids go to bed, find that time where you can be entirely alone. Just be with yourself. Make moments to pray, to read, to journal. Allow yourself that space to just be.
Get outside. There is something about being inside all the time that gets us feeling all types of bombarded. Whether with your family or friends or by yourself, get outside for a walk or a picnic. Breathe in that incredible air. Feel the grass beneath your feet.
Unplug. There is nothing that reminds us more of what we have to do or should be doing than social media. It reminds us what everyone is doing and has got going on and sometimes that can make us aware of our own inadequacies especially if we haven't unplugged in awhile. Step away from the computer, put the phone down and go experience life for the gift that it is.
Receive love. Guaranteed, there is love happening all around you but sometimes we don't slow down enough to receive it. Funny enough, it is also even in the receiving of love that helps us slow down. When someone compliments you, really take it in. When your kids hug you, feel it. When someone encourages you, let your heart run with it.
How do you slow down? How do you stay calm amidst the overwhelm?