In this episode:

Does it sometimes feel as if you're one mini-crisis from capsizing? These are days where people feel overwhelmed by the level of stress that has become part of everyday life. What do we do with the overwhelm? In this podcast episode, I talk about how we can be aware and give ourselves and others more grace in difficult times.

(Article contains affiliate links. This means that when you click a link and make a purchase, I might receive a small commission from that purchase.) Inspired Life It’s too much. I’ve thought this often in the past couple of weeks. Months. This year. May I just do a short rant here? If I see another meme about if 2020 were a song, or if 2020 were a menu item. Or if one more person asks if we can press the reset button on 2020. Did anyone have 2020 vision about this when they made that their New Year’s slogan? Ok. Rant done. Now, let’s talk about what the last week or two has brought into my brain:

There are fires in California, and I have loved ones there. COVID-19 broke more records for positive numbers, and that’s a negative thing. There has been another shooting of a black, unarmed man. There are two hurricanes hitting the southern coast at the same time. There is bickering on social media and someone’s comments cut to the core of my identity, threatening my sense of belonging in the fellowship of Christians. Several friends are either sick with COVID or have lost loved ones to it this week. Need I say more? A Christian leader has been forced to resign because of misconduct. A family member had a serious accident. And pumpkin spice coffee is back at Starbucks. Eew.

Ok. I had to on the last one. But seriously, that’s a normal week lately. It’s just plain overwhelming. I’m feeling out of my mind! Maybe you’ve felt it too. I’m finding myself feeling kind of numb. Like I don’t know how to have appropriate emotions anymore. And I wonder what’s happening. I think it’s overwhelm. I’m at the top edge of full when it comes to bad news. The waves have come up to the edge of the rim of the boat, and now the littlest stress makes me act like I would if the ship were going down. Except it isn’t. So let’s talk about that.

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Life, Repurposed Are you like me and have had the fight or flight feelings way to easily lately? I hear you. Let’s talk about what needs to happen to restore sanity.

Acknowledge it. If I’m not aware that my boat feels at risk, then it’s going to blindside me when a tiny wave hits. I’m aware that my emotions are high. Then what? Release it. I know I’m going to overreact when life feels that way. I don’t want to, but I do. I did it just today and reacted inappropriately to a stressor. We will each need to know what helps us to deescalate when we feel that way. We have to have a pressure release valve.

A walk? A deep breath?