Admittedly, I am quite overwhelmed. In this season, everything I do is at a peak—two businesses, one nonprofit organization, several personal projects, and midterms at the college where I am an adjunct professor. Phew! As I confided in a friend, “I feel like I am all ebb and no flow.” Everything is getting away from me.
In coming to this realization, I was originally disappointed in myself. How could I, THE writer and educator on all things stress and wellbeing, fall into this trap that I know down to a science? I tried (keyword: tried. *Facepalm*) to avoid it:
- I canceled meetings that didn’t align with priority items;
- I delegated activities that didn’t need my Midas touch; and
- I looked for breathing room in a nearly suffocating schedule.
But, alas, I was already drowning in a sea of overwhelm.
I know My Physical Stress Profile. I originally made note of it in a journal entry several years ago when I was at a very low time and in a very high-stress season. As I have taught busy people to identify, both during workshops and in my book Overflow, your stress profile details how you physically experience stress from head to toe.
For me, it’s headaches that turn into migraines, skipping meals, generally out of routine (e.g. with things such as waking up on time, making the bed, taking vitamins, drinking enough water, moisturizing/refreshing my hair), trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, extreme fatigue, craving sweets, shallow and hurried breathing, tight chest, cramps in my feet and hands, etc. It wasn’t until I saw a post on Facebook that asked, “How do you know when you’re stressed?” that I mentally revisited my profile and realized I was experiencing over 50% of my profile at that very moment.
Your stress profile details how you physically experience stress from head to toe.
Dr. Asha
I vowed to never let things get as bad as they had back in 2018 when I originally wrote that list. So I asked myself today, “How did I get here this time?”
Honestly, I wasn’t focusing my energy. I wasn’t speaking up when things weren’t going well and I needed people to step up in their roles, instead of expecting me to pick up the pieces. I wasn’t sticking to the boundaries in my schedule, intentionally carving out space to do things like wash and fold laundry, so I’m not panicking 5 minutes before I have to be somewhere that I don’t have anything clean to wear. I was rushing from task to task without giving myself space to breathe.
When we try to be all things to all people at all times, we risk being practically nothing to ourselves.
Dr. Asha
Interestingly enough, when we try to be all things to all people at all times, we risk being practically nothing to ourselves. Resultantly, we operate from a perspective of lack. We lack time, energy, focus, rest, and other essentials for experiencing [over]flow.
After yet another rough night of sleep, I woke up with this idea of “lack” on my mind. My soul knew I couldn’t take anymore, and it was aching for a reset. I read a devotion that mentioned this song, and it encompassed my soul:
One key lyric declares, “Jireh, You are enough.” It speaks to the completeness and abundant provision that is found in trusting God and following His direction in my life. This place is full of peace, patience, grace, and everything else I need. It is the antithesis of lack. As I pondered the lyrics, it reminded me of the provision I declared over your life and mine in this affirmation:
I am reflecting on these words as I pace the backyard. With boldness, I declare aloud:
“I have everything I need, to do everything God wants.”
“I have everything I need, to do everything God wants.”
“I have everything I need, to do everything God wants.”
It took a few rounds, but eventually, my eyes were opened to the depth of this truth. When I say I have everything I need, this isn’t relegated to money or other tangible things. It also includes having enough energy, good help, friends, rest, insight, instinct, intelligence, strategy, patience, grace, and…yes, even time. Why? Because Jireh truly is enough. He ushers into my life everything I need to do everything He wants.
While this affirmation is nestled in the Career & Financial Section on page 75 of the Exhale: Women’s Wellness Journal, it is meant to inspire and affirm any area of your life that needs this vital reminder. The affirmation is inspired by Psalm 23:1, KJV, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
With this assurance in mind, allow me to remind you as I remind myself:
“You have everything you need, to do everything God wants.”
Dr. Asha—speaker, educator, published author, and radio host—is aptly known as the Creator of Healthy Conversations. Her life purpose is to teach the busy and overwhelmed how to live life abundantly. She is an educational consultant and owner of the Temple Fit Company, LLC, and she is the director of Temple Fit Health, Inc. faith-based wellness nonprofit organization. Grab one of Dr. Asha’s recent books and book her for your upcoming program.