Stress

I have it. Much more of it that I'd like. When I think about my life, I wonder how I could possibly feel as stressed as I do. I mean, I'm a stay-at-home mom with a husband who works very hard for us and helps as much as he can. I have two kids who are actually pretty good kids and even though we have financial stress, we're really not in much danger of losing anything.

So why do I feel like I'm going to lose my mind sometimes? Why is it so hard to keep it all in perspective?

You know the saying "You're making a mountain out of a molehill?" Yeah. I'm convinced it's the molehills that kill us. The mountains are times of high stress: a death or illness, losing your house or job, etc. You know it's stressful, you know it's going to be hard, there's usually a lot of support from friends and family and you kind of have a general idea of how to survive these low points. But the molehills? They are tiny, insignificant stresses that we should really be able to shrug off. The kids are hyper and aren't listening, the dishes are getting stacked up, someone should really get around to the laundry...

The problem is that there are significantly more molehills than mountains. It can seem like every time you turn around, you're stepping in another one. And since they're so "insignificant", it's hard to get a little support, or even feel entitled to a little support. But it piles up, doesn't it? Each little stress adds to the pressure until you feel buried under a mountain of molehills. Well, at least I do.

So how do we release the pressure of these little stresses? How do we ask for support for something that we really "shouldn't" need support for?

Yeah, I'm really asking. That's not a segue into some enlightened paragraph about how to live in harmony with the crazy tiny people ransacking your house every day. I really don't know. I've been accused of being too emotional and because of that, it's very difficult to ask for help or support when things are getting bad. The house is a mess and the kids are hyper? Well duh, you haven't cleaned the house yet and they're KIDS. What do you expect?

I don't know. What do I expect? Why is it so HARD?

I know there's advice out there about taking time for yourself, finding a hobby, doing something that you enjoy. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. At the end of the day, I honestly think it boils down to REST. Not just physical rest, but spiritual. I think when we start to feel buried and overwhelmed by everyday stresses, that's a sure sign that our spiritual tank is empty. We're trying to carry it all on our own, be everything to everyone. It's time to turn our burdens over to Jesus. No matter how amazing our support network is, it will let you down sometimes. But Jesus never will.