Keeping Grounded as Things Ramp Up
/Last night | realized that this week is going to be the first really crammed week of fall heading into preparations for the holiday season. With Halloween on Thursday and getting ready before, my home church’s bazaar Saturday with baking and other preparations to be done as well as working a booth on the day, and worship planning for Sunday and for our Remembrance service on the 10th and my other usual weekly work, I could feel the start of overwhelm and stress.
I’m guessing that I’m not alone. For those in ministry, and particularly Christian Education, if you haven’t already hit the Advent/Christmas prep rush you will soon. Add to that any concerns or challenges in your family and other areas of personal life and you can start to feel sucked down in quicksand or stuck on a hamster wheel that never stops.
Whenever a season of extra busyness comes, how do we handle it and come out the other side intact and even smiling? Here are some ideas to consider:
Prioritize. Overwhelm can come from feeling the need to do everything at once. Counter this by pulling out your calendar and looking at what actually needs to be done and for when. If you work with others, don’t forget to plan for time to discuss, get approvals, and assign tasks with a big enough window of time for them to get things done. Block in things needing to be done outside of other obligations, from most important and time-sensitive to least.
Be kind to yourself. For type-A perfectionists like me, especially in ministry when we’re doing this for God, we can feel pressure to do everything above and beyond expectations and perfectly. When the list is long and time is short, this isn’t realistic. Give yourself permission to do the essentials and to let go some of the ‘would be nice’ elements that aren’t necessary. Remember that God can speak through whatever we offer faithfully.
Say no. Often those of us who are most busy are asked to do more because people know that we can juggle and handle responsibility. But you are no less a wonderful servant of God if you turn down the opportunity to bake 12 dozen cookies or to go to that thing with friends that doesn’t really interest you or if you don’t engage in that lengthy phone call. If overwhelm is starting to creep in, politely say no, even if it’s just for now.
Be good to you. We were not designed to burn the candle at both ends, slaving away until all hours to get everything done perfectly. No matter how busy you are, you still need time to unwind, to be social and recharge (whatever that looks like for you), to sleep, to exercise and to spend time with God. These should be non-negotiables, especially as flu season hits. Without taking proper care of ourselves, we can’t care for anyone else.
Be still. Ensure that there are some spaces in your day with absolutely nothing scheduled. Use this time to just be, either in prayer or meditation, or enjoying the world rushing on without you as you re-centre and balance. Have enough of these spaces so that if tasks take longer than anticipated or you’ve been interrupted, you have breathing room to finish them. But do make sure that you are getting time to remember that you are a human being, not a human doing.
The expectations that people we serve put on us, that the world seems to put on us, and that we put on ourselves, can be huge. As you prepare to move into one of the busiest times of year, strategize now so that you are ready and healthy, and you can come out the other side smiling. You are worth it!
May God continue to remind you of how valuable and loved you are, and that this is not because of anything you have done but just because God created you in the first place. Peace be with you!