Do you ever wonder why society seems to be stressed out all of the time? Look back at the generations before you and the hardships they endured. Chances are, they didn’t appear to be living in a constant state of stress. So what has changed?
For one thing, our generation tends to take on too much. We are a generation of single parents, or families with both partners working full time. Oftentimes, we work a side hustle to make ends meet financially, leaving very little time to rest. Add to that the grocery shopping, laundry, and other household chores. We are always checking our phones, checking in on social media, texting, and more texting. It’s no wonder we are living a stressed life! So how can we experience relief? The answer is that we must learn to let it go! Find ways to release some things, and stop doing “all the things.”
Are You A Mary Or A Martha?
Are you the type of person who thinks that things will not get done correctly unless you do it yourself? Do you have a hard time delegating work to others? This is a common source of stress among women in particular. Take, for example, the “Martha syndrome.” This term refers to Martha in the bible, specifically the story of how she entertained Jesus and others in her home (Luke 10: 38-48).
Martha was so busy cooking, serving, and cleaning up that she didn’t have time to sit and visit with Jesus! In fact, she got angry and complained about Mary for not helping because Mary was content to sit and visit with Jesus. When Jesus observed Martha’s frustrations, he told her that she was worried and bothered by too many unimportant things. Jesus basically told her to let it go and release some of those unimportant things that were stressing her out!
Let It Go
If you find yourself in this role of doing too much and feeling stressed most of the time, it’s time to let it go. Focus on reducing the stress in your life by reducing some of the less important things you do. Start by reviewing everything you do on any given day. Keep a time log, whether on paper or electronic. Set the alarm on your phone to go off every 30 minutes during your waking hours. Quickly write down all that you did in that 30 minutes.
Now it’s time to review. Be brutally honest with yourself, as nobody else needs to see this list. Were you scrolling on social media for those 30 minutes? After a week of logging your time, you will have a clear idea of where you spend your time and mental energy. This will help you see areas you can let go of and free up more of your time.
Find Relief When You Release
Now it’s time for the best part. Look through your time log and find things you can let go of. It will take self-discipline, but you can create healthier habits and implement self-care into your day if you set your mind to it. Find things that you can stop doing (like scrolling social media for 30 minutes) and replace the time with something that makes you feel good.
Go for a walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the peacefulness of the great outdoors and sunshine. Spend that time in prayer and meditation, journaling, or worshipping to bring peace to your spirit. Take a power nap if you feel tired and need to rest.
Next, it’s time to review and release your worries, fears, and doubts. All of those questions and “should-do” thoughts running through your mind need releasing as well. Get your journal out and write down everything that’s been on your mind. Write down all of the things on your to-do list or what you think you “should” be doing. Jot down all of the things that you worry about.
This may be difficult as it brings up emotions you may be unknowingly stuffing down inside. If you need to take a break for a few hours and return to it, that’s fine. But write it all down! Include all of the things that are out of your control and you need to release mentally. Then cross out all of the things that you can release. These are the things that you feel like you “should do” but don’t really NEED to do.
The next step is to rewrite the items that are left in your journal after you have crossed out the unnecessary items. Make two separate lists. One list will be things you CAN do or have someone else do for you. This will be your master to-do list for the next few months. The other list is your list of worries and concerns. Do you see that your new lists are much smaller and shorter? How much lighter do you feel now that you’ve got it all out of your head?
Last but certainly not least, go and burn that master brain dump list! As you burn the list, feel free to pray or speak declarations over yourself. Declare that you will not pick up those worries and anxieties again. You will feel a sense of freedom and power come over you as you release it all.
Don’t worry if you find yourself picking up the worries or doing “all the things” and getting frazzled again. Anytime you recognize it, repeat the review and release process as many times as you need to. It will soon become a habit, and you will start to notice right away when you are taking on too much.