The Business of Being Overwhelmed

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Not even 24 hours after being back from a family vacation and I already felt the feeling of overwhelmed. It was like a weight pressing on my shoulders, each unfinished task adding an extra pound. I know I’m not alone when I say that the mess, the to-do lists, and the constant pressure to be the best mom/wife/friend/sister/daughter can take its toll. We have this internal struggle to rush and keep up with everything around us, yet stay present and focused with our families.

 I recently realized that this overwhelmed feeling was my new normal. I would wake up in the morning and immediately start to check things off my list. I was taking care of my kids and every tiny, free second in between was spent getting work done. Whether you are a working mom, a stay at home mom, a work from home mom…..any kind of mom, I bet you’ve felt this way too.

So how did we get here? How did life for us moms become this never ending feeling of 36 hours of work to fit into a 24 hour day? And how do we MAKE IT STOP?! I know I’m going to be busy, but I want to make the switch from feeling the weight of all I see – to patiently working my way through it (one can dream, right?) and not letting that weight cause unnecessary stress in my life and my family’s. 

I believe we got here because we don’t give ourselves enough credit. We are trying our best, each day we do what we can to make the lives of our families happy and safe, and then we do what we can to be successful at our jobs. We say “yes” to everything and then feel overwhelmed by all of the commitments. And after all of this, after giving all of our energy to everyone else….we look around and see that the house isn’t sparkling or our children are misbehaving and for some reason instead of being proud of what did that day, we most likely see failure.

We make it stop by remembering what is important. I know it’s been said before. Personally, I’ve never really listened until now. But my kids won’t be small much longer and my sanity can’t take much more weight. It’s important that my kids have a mother that shows love and grace, not a mother that can cross a record number of to-do’s off of a list. It’s important that they have a mom who sees them, plays with them, and really listens to them. So let’s all stop to look in the mirror, give yourself a smile and remember that these are the days we dreamed about and these are the days they will remember, let’s not spend them overwhelmed.

2 COMMENTS

  1. So true Jessica and thanks for the wake up call/reminder! I need to try and remember that things won’t fall apart if they are not perfect and that our kids will remember memories not that the house and their clothes were always spotless!

  2. Yes!! This is what my “Down With Should” post of yesteryear was trying to say! You’re not alone, Jess — and you’re a GREAT mom, friend, and editor!

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