Quintessential F Contributor and Author for GOD, Memory Bengesa shares with us some awesome wisdom on how to overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed. Memory writes…
From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety.Psalm 61:2
So! If you are as human as I am, I am pretty sure you will be able to relate to this article. Lately I have been noticing an increase in demand of the spirit of “whelm”. You see I want to call it as it is because I feel if I add the “over” before the “whelm” then I feel as though I am calling upon a defeat (that’s just the way I think – as I smile). So as I was saying; lately this spirit has been trying to tip me over permanently. Not too long ago I felt as though every deadline that could be possibly due was due. On this particular weekend I was invited to two baby showers, one on Saturday the day I was working and one on Sunday. Oh! Yeah there was also a birthday party on this same weekend, two college graduation celebrations, um…let me see what else-oh! Work -yes work as well, not to mention I had laundry to do, grocery shopping to do, write a chapter and oh! I had a mandatory continuing education testing that was due that weekend so in a nutshell I was working with a half a Saturday and a whole Sunday only because that first half of the Saturday was already taken up by work. As the weekend drew closer and I knew what I needed to do I started to feel the spirit of “whelm” creep upon me. On late Friday afternoon when I started to ponder on how I was going to fulfill all that was ahead of me (oh! Wait a minute! I forgot to mention my common cold and cough that had harassed me all week long and robbed me of a full night’s sleep! So not only was the week long but I was exhausted!) Whew! Ok so late Friday afternoon I was in deep thought. The more I thought of my weekend the more my heart palpated faster and faster. Lately in my life when I recognize the spirit of “whelm” what I generally tend to do is stop immediately in that thought, back off and literally drop, stop doing whatever I was doing and pray. Then I back off whatever it was that was creating “whelm” but this particular weekend was tough. It wasn’t as though it was something I could stop and drop and walk away from. There were events that I was invited to and obligations for work that needed to be fulfilled. My issue with myself in the past is that I am the type of person that when I start something I have to finish it, no matter what time it is. That can be a “blessing and a curse” because simply stopping whatever I was doing to wean off the spirit of “whelm” would have felt as though I was wasting time.
Dear Beloved! I learned the hard way and now I am here to help you as well. I really had to talk it into my mind to make it happen. I had to let myself know that I am not super-woman. I am human and I am not exempt from the spirit of “whelm” just because I am with “Team Jesus.” Whelm is an inevitable feeling that all human beings will experience no matter how old you are or how much wisdom you have. It is how you deal with this spirit when it comes upon you. So what did I do on my super-jam-packed weekend of whelm? Oh-honey I am glad you asked! I took my test for my continued education and that was it! Nothing else! You have to be realistic and brutally honest with yourself in order to overcome feeling the spirit of “whelm.” You have to list in your mind or on paper what comes first and what can wait. Pray to God for guided wisdom because sometimes some decisions are not that easy to make. Sure, I did not go to the two baby showers, birthday party and graduation celebrations but I will see these individuals and I will give them their gifts.
I leave you with these few points when in the spirit of “whelm.” Stop what you are doing immediately and pray. Step away from the situation that is suffocating you with whelm and go for a walk, jog, read the Bible, call a friend, just make sure you walk away from that situation for some air. Like a lioness on a meticulous hunt be sure to carefully pick what you can and can’t do in the moment. Be realistic. Making people happy and making yourself suffer is not being realistic. You might have to send an email to push the deadline or a text to notify someone you won’t be attending. You might have to make a call to postpone but that is ok! That doesn't make you are a bad person or a failure. It just shows that you are as human as the next person is! Just remember you have to be realistic and honest with yourself in order for you not to bury yourself alive in whelm.
Christ’s Love,
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