Every mom has felt it…from the day our children are born we have dealt with being exhausted. I remember the day “Boo” was born, he cried the entire night and I was determined to have him stay with me and not go to the nursery. This is the perfect example of an exhausted mom from day one.
Exhaustion doesn’t always mean a lack of sleep though, it can be that our days are so full that there is simply no margin, no time to rest, relax or enjoy the day which we’ve been gifted.
No matter the cause of our exhaustion, it comes with overwhelming emotions which can change like the wind. It is during our times of exhaustion that we must take extra care with what we speak, think and how we act.
Sometimes our exhaustion comes from too many expectations we place on ourselves. Things like our house has to be completely clean every day, our family needs hot meals every day three times a day, to truly be serving the Lord we must not say no to any ministry opportunities we’re offered or that we hear about…on and on these exhausting expectations go. While none of these things are bad in and of themselves, we must remember all of the other things we have that we must do, things that are part of our calling as wives and mothers. All too often there are just too many things on our places and no matter how many times we try and stack them a different way they just don’t fit.
There have been many times in my life that I’ve lived with and pushed through being exhausted. I struggle greatly with saying no and do my own stacking the plates dance. I’m learning that there is only one of me though and I have limitations. The limitations that I have were placed in my by design. God didn’t plan for me to do it all, He had a unique plan for my life. A plan that I’m striving to focus on by acknowledging that I can’t do it all, that there are things I’m not good at (nor do I have time to figure them out) and I’m learning to say no to wonderful opportunities that I just can’t tackle right now.
Living as an exhausted wife and mom is not good for our families. We all must sit down and make a list of things we KNOW MUST be a PRIORITY. Having our husbands take a peek at our list and even asking them what a few things are that they would like us to focus on is a great idea. It is especially beneficial for those of us who have trouble saying no and have a habit of tying to do too much.
Being exhausted doesn’t have to be our way of life. It’s often because of choices we make. Other times it is merely the season of life we are in. No matter where you find yourself in life, if you struggle with exhaustion, take the time to look HARD at all you *think* you *need* to do and find a few things that you can let go of….I promise that the laundry, dishes and trash will be waiting after your nap. A lot of things can wait, we just have to let them.
Enjoy life. Say goodbye to exhaustion.
Hi Misty! Long time since I have been by! So glad I linked up after you on BIHG… Because I needed to hear this today. Thanks, lady… Just thanks.
Hi Sharita! <3 God works in mysterious ways like that doesn't he?! Blessings!
You’re so right that we don’t have to live exhausted all the time. The hard part is finding the right balance, isn’t it? Thanks for sharing this today!
Yes indeed, finding the balance is very difficult, but once it is found what peace we have! Blessings!
This is a great reminder, Misty. Thank you.
One that I need often! Blessings Marie! <3
It is easy to wear many hats as a woman in today’s world. We want more opportunities in so many ways.. to be home yet to do something of significance, to get out but not too far away, to share our hearts but keep the best of them at home. In all of it, if we fail to first meet with our Heavenly Father who fills us up and prepares us for whatever mission field is in our path that day, we will become exhausted and unable to serve in any capacity. The best thing we can do is to walk wisely, surely in the path that He has laid before us so that we can fulfill that destiny were were created to walk out. Thanks for a reminder to be focused, Misty. This is the first time I have commented on your blog, but I have often enjoyed your writing.
Blessings!
Dawn
Yes, we must keep Him before us! He must direct and guide us, without Him our exhaustion will consume us! Thank you for commenting and letting me know you’re here! 🙂 Blessings Dawn!
Thanks for the encouragement! My husband and I both feel that we have been in a busy season for quite some time. It’s good, but it’s tiring. But I think sometimes we trick ourselves into thinking that we’re busier than we really are. I stopped to think about it the other day and realize that I’m actually home more than it seems. I just can get into the habit of “feeling” busy just because that’s what I’m used to! Trying to change the way that I think 🙂
–Jaime
Yes, sometimes it seems that we are busier than we really are! LOL! I know there are days where I do less, but feel more stressed b/c I am tired from the really busy days! Blessings Jaime!
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This caught my eye on “Saving for Six.” The feeling of being exhausted and trying to do it all really resonates for me. I have a chronic illness that forces me to slow down, but I still knock myself out trying to do more than I know I should. For me the issue is not the expectations of others, but the pressure I put on myself. But spending days in pain recovering from one day of pushing myself too much does everyone a disservice. Saying “no” to ourselves and giving up trying to do everything is so hard, but we are able to be there with more calm and energy in the long run. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post. Pinning!
Yes indeed, we must know our own limitations! We often do hurt ourselves when we *think* we can do it all! Something about being a woman and hearing us ROAR?! Praying for strength for your days Rebecca! Blessings! <3
I have heard a saying, “I need to realize that while I can do anything, I can’t to EVERYTHING.”
Thanks for writing this post. I clicked on it because I just got over a cold (or I am still getting over it) and I’m trying to talk myself into exercising today. I think I’ll just do some low key yoga or something for 10-15 minutes and call it good.
I hope you did just do yoga! 🙂 It is so easy to push ourselves, but oftentimes it just makes us sick and/or tired for a longer period of time. Blessings Julie!
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