To the Mom Who Feels Overwhelmed

There is often so much pressure to enjoy every moment of motherhood, leaving moms everywhere feeling stressed out, exhausted, and guilty if they are struggling to find joy in their current situation.

If you are feeling that way, give yourself a reprieve. Maybe you are overwhelmed with the “terrible twos” and secretly yearn for the yesteryears of cuddling your “sweet,” starry-eyed newborn. Or perhaps you are in your element with your toddlers, but feel like the challenges of this stage are just overwhelming and yearn for the days when they get older. Or, maybe you have a middle schooler and are in prayer every day that the insanity is short-lived! 

Rest assured that you are not alone! Welcome to motherhood! The good news is that all of the answers you need to go through the journey are in the Bible. Please know that everything is not going to be perfect - or even go as planned. There will be good days and bad. There will be highs and lows. We will fret and second guess ourselves. We may have tears. We may have fears. We are only human after all!

Let’s take a look at what God tells us to do when we feel overwhelmed:

1. Cling Onto God

“Let not your heart be troubled, ye believed in God, believe also in me.” ~ John 14:11

What do you do when you are feeling overwhelmed? Do you struggle with it all, call it quits and accept defeat, or do you cling onto The Word, call out to God and allow your faith in Him to help get you by? Hopefully, it is the latter. This is something we should all be doing as Christians, however, I know how hard it can be when we are struggling to overcome whatever it is that we are going through. When it all gets too much, (and it does, time and time again!), we honestly just want to throw in the towel, and call it a day. We also feel so defeated, and weak, and yearn for help! That is why we need to cry out to The Lord, for He is our rock, our strong tower, and our refuge from the storms we have encountered.

Remember God’s grace and mercy! He never wants us to feel overwhelmed or defeated. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior is just a call away!

2. Trust In Him

“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in whom I trust.” ~ Psalm 91:2

That’s why we need to completely surrender ourselves and put all of our trust in God alone. These storms will come and go, and as long as we remain faithful and trusting in God, and not allow our overwhelming emotions to control us or dictate our presence during these times, then we will be able to overcome it all, and grow stronger and more mature in the faith.

3. Be At Peace

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16

I know that some days you just want to curl up into a ball and cry, or pull your hair out from the stress, or shout from the rooftop to get all of your anger and frustrations out. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel! In such instances, just give yourself some grace and tap into your inner peace. Do something, say something, read something, play something ... that soothes your soul. And then, pray. Give your thoughts and cares to the Lord to bring you ultimate comfort and peace. 

4. Give It All To God In Prayer

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6-7

Whether you have anxiety, feel depressed, or just so drained and exhausted from a hard day’s work, it's important to relax, regroup, and release. A great way to do this is through prayer. Let your thoughts and feelings be made known to God. He cares for you; He loves you and will help you get through it all. Try to find some time in the day, even if it is only for 5-10 minutes, and use this time to find a quiet place in the house to stop what you’re doing and truly focus on God and His Word. A fantastic idea would be to find a quiet place or space - a closet, an empty room, somewhere that you can use to set up as a prayer room, that is solely focused on you praying to God and reading/studying His Word.

We are at war, and it isn’t in the flesh, it is of the spirit (Ephesians 6). The devil wants to defeat us, to destroy us. He puts negative thoughts and emotions into our minds and uses fear to get to us. We must not feel defeated or let him win.

Prayer and reaching the Bible are the most powerful tools you have that you can use to overcome all negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and when you are going through difficult times. Fear is not of God, it is of the devil. Feeling anxious or depressed can happen, but we must not allow it to dictate our lives.

We will not allow ourselves to be dragged down by anxious thoughts or depressing feelings over the battles we face in our lives, then we can truly see the wonderful, glorious and powerful God we serve, to do His work in us all!

5. Give Thanks And Praise

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” ~ Psalm 150:6

Praise God always, no matter what! We should always give Him thanks and praise for having another day on this beautiful earth He created, for the children He blessed us with, and for everything else that we have that He has provided us with and protected us against. Once you give thanks and praise, it is going to make you feel so much better! You will feel so uplifted by His spirit! Just remember to do this! You can pray to Him, read the Bible, listen to worship music, and dance! Do whatever you want! As long as we give God all of the glory! Praise be to God in the highest!

Stay encouraged, God bless!

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