When Life Gets Overwhelming

Do you ever feel like you are finally getting a handle on life? The laundry is caught up, meals are planned for the next week, and you are slowly getting the house organized.  Life is sailing along fairly smooth.  Then life happens.

Sickness takes place, perhaps a small cold or it could be a full blown virus that knocks the whole family off their feet.  Or there is a family crisis, death or just so many activities going on, you can’t function.

At times like these, it is important to step back and evaluate what you can do to make life simple and get through the sickness, stressful situation or crisis. We all go through seasons.

To make it through these times, we need to make certain of our purpose. What is your goal for your family? Do you have a mission statement for your home and family? Do you have a family and household notebook to turn to as a resource? What do you want your life and family to look like?

Don’t give up when life gets rough. This is difficult, especially if you are a perfectionist. Keep trucking on. Believe me, it does nobody any good, epecially not your house, when you give up. I have been there. I have given up during the hard times of crisis and sickness. The aftermath is much worse when you give up.

Still maintain a routine ~If you have chore charts for your family and a routine that you stick to, it is also a good idea to have an emergency chore chart and routine. This is one that you pull out to go by during times of sickness and crisis to help keep you on track. If you homeschool, have a plan that you use during these times. Or have review books you can use to help you keep getting school completed, but on a smaller scale.

Let go of some ideals~ During difficult times, let go of the plan to wash all the blinds or clean out the basement. Do the necessities to get you through and keep you sane. It is okay not to make your bread or your own laundry detergent during these times. This year, we are having a much smaller garden and I am not canning any this year . I may make some of our favorite sweet pickles, though. My dad loves them. I have been sick all year, my dad has been very sick and we have expanded our farm. I had to let go of some things.

Make your life easier~ Give in and use paper plates, cups, and paper towels. Buy your bread and detergent. Eat out or pick up some meals. Don’t beat yourself up if you have fast food some. Unless a family member’s health will suffer, give yourself a break from real food only, IF this is something that is making life difficult at the moment.

We all go through times that make our heads spin. Sometimes it is just a few days or a week, other times it can stretch on for a long period of time.

Take a deep breath, look at the big picture, realize this is a season and do your best. Let your family know that all will be okay and that you love them. Spend some time snuggling. The rest can wait.

I am excited to announce that I will be contributing to Raising Homemakers in the Raising Sons Corner. I have been very blessed by the blog and am thankful to now join the amazing writers. I hope you will take time to visit Raising Homemakers and link up each Wednesday.

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