Overcoming Being Overwhelmed

Do you ever feel like you are barely keeping your head above water? Like you are treading water and can barely take a breath? You aren’t alone! I have been feeling that way a lot lately. I don’t even feel like my head is above water…maybe just my nose so I can take small little breaths. Heck, sometimes I feel like I am drowning because I am so overwhelmed by my long to-do list.

I did this to myself though. I chose to go back to college to complete my business degree. I chose to take on four online classes while I take care of the kids, the house and try to be a good wife. I am not quite sure what I was thinking! I know that it will be worth it in the long run but this mama is overwhelmed!

These past three or four weeks have been the most trying ones I have had in a long time. It started out with me being sick the first week. Luckily my husband was able to step in and take care of the kids as well as care for me. Then my kids got sick which meant a week home from school. So now I was trying to catch up on my house and school work while taking care of sick kids! This was NO EASY TASK! My classes have a lot of work for each one and typically I spend the whole day, every day they are at school doing homework. So trying to do that while having two sick kids was beyond draining. Then last week both kids were on winter break from school. So here I was with another week of trying to get everything done.

Let me be honest, I FAILED! I totally dropped the ball on dinners and laundry and cleaning the house. Heck, I became really good at falling asleep on the couch at 7 pm from being so exhausted. I am incredibly grateful for my husband who did what he could when he got home from work. He really has become the chef of the house lately because I just don’t have anything in me by the time dinner rolls around.

While having my husband’s help has been awesome, he’s tired when he gets home too. There is still TONS of laundry to get done and the floors haven’t been mopped in God knows how long (gross right)! I haven’t seen the gym in weeks and I have three carloads of old clothes and toys to take for donation. Oh, and then of course we have an upcoming PCS (permanent change of station #moving) looming over my head. There literally aren’t enough hours in the day! Being this overwhelmed can really start to affect me, especially with my anxiety disorder. Most of all, it makes me feel like I am literally failing at being a mom and a wife.

So how do I overcome this feeling of being overwhelmed? It’s a question that I have been pondering for the last month. Finally, I sat down and said that I am one person. I told my husband when I started school I would need more of his help and he agreed so I shouldn’t feel bad if he has to make dinners because he felt me finishing my degree is important too. As for my kids, I had to realize that them seeing mommy work hard on her schoolwork isn’t failing them. I am teaching them the concept of hard work and showing them that setting out to achieve your goals is important. I am showing them that school is important. That’s not failing them; it’s setting them up for success. I am not failing at taking care of the important stuff. Everyone is fed (thanks to my husband), we all have clean clothes to wear…they just aren’t hung up yet and we all spend time together as a family in the evenings when daddy gets home. I can’t let the little things overwhelm me.

I had to learn these last few weeks to ask myself, is all the important stuff taken care of?

Did my kids get some time with me?

Did my husband get some time with me?

Did everyone get fed and bathed?

Does everyone have clothes to wear tomorrow?

Did I get to put my kids to bed and say prayers with them?

Is everyone happy, healthy and safe?

If I can answer yes to those questions then I am doing a darn good job! I had to go back and read my previous post because I doubted myself. I was starting to feel like I wasn’t enough! These deep-rooted issues don’t just disappear. It’s a daily struggle and your self-talk matters. At times of feeling overwhelmed, those struggles and negative self-talk sneak through. So pay attention ladies!

Now, I may not be feeling as overwhelmed but exhausted has been huge issue for me. I feel so drained by the time 3 pm rolls around that I could go to bed for the rest of the night. I don’t like that feeling and I know many of you deal with this issue too. I have found a product, well more like three since it’s a three-step program, which has helped with my ability to focus as well as my energy levels. I have used this product before but stopped because I felt it was too expensive. Now that I have so much going on, I would literally pay a boatload to get through the day without passing out on the couch. This product has definitely helped with that. If you are wondering what product I am using, it’s called Thrive. It’s a three-step program that you take in the mornings when you wake up. There are two pills, a shake (that doesn’t have to be blended in a blender) and a patch you wear. Now please note, I am NOT a promoter. I am simply a customer, as is my husband, and we use the products. If you are interested then you can head over to my referral link and check out all the information. I am only sharing this because if you are overwhelmed like I have been and are in need of energy and focus, this product actually does help. I don’t share products I don’t believe are worthy so please note that again, I am simply a customer and not a promoter.

So let me leave you with this….