I have so much to do! There are dishes in the sink. The kids have to have school supplies. The dog just threw up in the front room. The mirror mysteriously fell off in the bathroom. I have laundry sitting in the washing machine and dryer. I haven't even thought about dinner yet. There are piles of clean clothes on my bed to fold. Oh no! I just remembered my daughter's tennis shoes don't fit. OH NO; RENT!! I have to drive a check up to the landlord ....

Does this resonate with anyone?

Just breathe. Sometimes life feels overwhelming, like we are going to drown in the piles of tasks we have to accomplish. I understand. I've been there. For goodness sake, I live there most of the time.

I have to stop myself, and just breathe. I have learned in my time here on earth, the more stressed and crazy I feel, the LESS I will actually accomplish. I know the manifestations can become physical: your heart gets to beating out of control, you feel like you can't catch your breath, you might become teary under the weight of all you have to accomplish, you may start to shake with anxiety.

Remember that God made you!!

Although you feel minuscule and insignificant to accomplish such great tasks, take note of Proverbs 30:25.

"Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;"

If a tiny creature like an ant can accomplish great feats, you can do anything!

Don't know where to even start? Here are some ideas for you:

1) Take it to God in prayer. Tell Him your worries and fears. Ask Him to help guide your path. Ask for comfort and clarity. Thank Him for all that He is doing, and all He continues to do for you and towards your situation.

2) Brain dump it. Get a piece of paper, and write everything out that is going through your mind. Maybe it's all the things you have to do, maybe it's all the excuses you have to not accomplish this task. Whatever it might be, just write it down. A lot of times, just getting it out of your head space helps immensely!

3) One thing at a time. Most of the time, that big task you have to accomplish can be broken down into very small pieces that can be accomplished one at a time. Stop thinking of the big picture. Write a "things to do" list that consists of these small steps. Don't even worry about order of getting things done right now, just jot down all the steps you need to accomplish.

4) Now comes the order. After you have all the steps that you need to accomplish down, rearrange them into a workable order? You can't bake a cake before you go to the store to buy the ingredients. Same idea goes here. Make a step-by-step order to do things.

5) Getting help never hurt anyone. Delegate! You can't, and shouldn't, take everything on. If there is a step that someone else can easily do, pass it on to them. It doesn't matter that they wouldn't do it in exactly the same manner as you. The point is, it's done! On to the next thing.

6) Oh, that's how you do that!! If you don't know how to do something, figure it out. You are reading this on a computer or smart device, so I KNOW you have search engines available to you. Use them. Ask others for guidance. Read articles on how to do what you need to do. Read books, if that might help you. Be careful here. Don't use this as a crutch for not getting something done. Don't get stuck in the "I have to figure it out" loop. Find out how to do it, and move on.

7) Check it off one by one. Don't forget to check items off your list as you do them. This will help you see that you are making real headway. Celebrate the small victories as you accomplish them!

8) Smile. At some point, you will look back and be finished. Enjoy it. You did it!

9) Thank God. He got you through it. You did it, but He was there every step with you. Tell Him how grateful and appreciative you are.

See! You got this. You are amazing. You are strong and courageous. Don't let the craziness win.

By: Amanda Marie, Director of Social Media Marketing

Drowning in the Chaos