Being overwhelmed sucks.
It makes you feel like you’re losing (or have already lost) all control and like you really don’t know what to do. We can be overwhelmed by so many different things: school, work, family, friends, tasks we need to finish, being in a new place, and just about anything else.
There are quite a few days when I feel overwhelmed and allow my emotions to cloud my judgement and make me feel like I’m incapable or like I’m just in a rut I can’t get out of. Recently when I feel overwhelmed, I have been practicing controlling what I focus on. So much of what we feel is determined by what we keep setting our minds on.
People could be going through the same situations and one could be highly stressed, while the other is chillin. Each person has a different stress tolerance, so it’s not the circumstance that inherently causes us to be stressed out or overwhelmed, it’s how we perceive the circumstance.
Instead of allowing myself to feel overwhelmed with doubt or worry or fear or feelings of hopelessness, I choose to be overwhelmed by peace and joy. I’m not neglecting or avoiding the circumstance, I’m just not allowing how I feel about it determine how my day goes. There are obviously some situations that are more complicated and harder to turn around, but we are in control of how we feel more than we think.
Instead of being overwhelmed with getting good grades, getting (or not getting) enough sleep, not knowing exactly what I’m doing, or my current surroundings, I choose to be overwhelmed by peace instead.
One of my favorite parts about being a Christ follower is that I have access to a peace that literally makes no sense. This kind of peace is not determined by situations, but is available whether things are good or bad. I want for the peace that surpasses all understanding to consume me and all of my thoughts.
I hope that in this next week, you are able to be overwhelmed by peace.
Thanks for reading,
Kae
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