What do you do when life gets crazy? If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you try to juggle everything with a smile until one day you feel exhausted, overwhelmed and burned out.
Actually, it got so bad that at the beginning of the year I prayed and prayed and prayed for some peace.
And God came back with two words: “be still”.
So I’ve been constantly looking for ways to find stillness in my everyday life and its truly helped. So here are 6 super practical ways to find stillness when you’re overwhelmed.
Wake up earlier to pray and meditate to set the tone for your day.
Honestly, I’ve never been one to meditate, but I’ve found that finding just 10 minutes to simply be is insanely helpful.
Some mornings I use this time to meditate on a set of scriptures and pray to God or just sit in his presence.
Other mornings, I’ll literally close my bathroom door and simply sit and breath deeply and talk myself up for the day.
Whatever you do, remember the point is to take a moment to just stop and be, and realize that taking this moment won’t put you behind, it may even put you ahead.
Find small moments to notice specific things in your surroundings and pause to really notice.
Often times life can just become a blur when you’re always on the go.
So try to take a walk, take the long way home, or go to a gallery so you can intentionally take time to appreciate the small things.
Find a time slot in the day where you put away your phone and focus on a task unrelated to work or home like reading, walking etc.
Girl, I know- your life is literally on your phone.
Trust me, mine is too.
But one day, after a really tough week I decided I was tired of the never-ending scroll sessions and that I was going to go social media-less for a week and turn my notifications off after 5pm.
Just that friends, was like a breath of fresh air.
At first, I felt the FOMO creeping up, but I decided life would not stop if I hit pause. And sure enough, after that week, I felt free-er, less stressed, AND instagram was still there.
I know, you’re probably rolling your eyes or cringing at the thought, but I really think that giving up social media for that period of time actually made me feel better.
And I think it will do the same for you- remember you got this!
Give your spouse your undivided attention for a set amount of time.
I would be way to embarrased to tell you how many times I’ve simply tuned my husband Stan out or just didn’t take a moment to even say, “Hey babe how was your day?”
But, with being married and busy, this can quickly become the norm and can be SUPER damaging for your relationship.
So, if this sounds familiar to you, try taking back those moments by engaging in full on conversation- no phone, laptop, or tv. Just talk to each other.
Better yet, re-live some awesome memories you share together so you step out of time for a second and really connect.
This alone friends, will not only help your relationship grow, but will give you a chance to reset and prepare for your day.
When a decision comes up, pray first and simply make up your mind.
Let me first say that you should only do this with minor, less time-sensitive decisions.
When I decided I was going to try to alleviate unnecessary stress in my life, I realized a lot of my stress came from decisions I was sitting on way too long. And by sitting, I mean overthinking.
And overthinking friends is the start of the insecurities, worries, and stress that can come along with making everyday decisions.
So, my advice to you to alleviate these things, is to consider praying first, and then spend no more than two days on it.
Make up your mind and move on.
Practice waiting for things.
Instant gratification is great when we get what we want when we want it, but it can also seem to fast forward everything else in life as well.
So much so, that you can often feel like you’re always rushing, or always in a hurry, or that things are moving way too fast. So, here are some of the ways I’ve been learning to slow life down in ways I can control:
- Try watching show episodes once or twice a week instead of binging.
- Choose standard shipping vs two or one day.
- Avoid fast food, cook or dine in.
So, what do you think? See any that you can definitely do? I really hope this post blessed you and let you know that it’s really hard to hear God’s voice when our heads are spinning with everything we have to do.
Remember, finding stillness is important for giving yourself a chance to have some peace, but it’s also about giving God the room to speak and spend time with you.
So go out there girl and be the lady boss you know you can be, but also remember to give yourself some grace and find those moments to just be still!
Your Friend,
Anna
P.S. If you know of a friend who can use this, send it to them!! This is an easy but impactful way to show a friend you care!
