I can't begin to tell you how stressed I have been this past week. It has been almost overwhelming. I think I had a mini panic atack the other night with all of the stuff that I have on my plate. I'm serious, we are talking symptoms like weird, uneven breathing, slurring sentences, it was bad. But why? Am I just being a baby? Can I not handle super busy schedules? I look back now on my little episode of panic from the other night and definitely think to myself "what was my problem?"
I heard a quote that went something like this..."The Lord gives us more to do than we possibly have time to do, so He can see where our priorities are." I love this quote. It reminds me to give my time where it matters most. We are just constantly being asked to do more and more and more. We have demands on our time from school, work, family, friends, and church, . It can be hard to juggle everything. Sometimes the stress starts to kick in and it can affect our well being. We need to stop, take a deep breath and remember the big picture. Why are we doing the things that take up our precious time? Are there activities in our lives that don't really matter but are allocated precious minutes or hours? My goal this semester is to see the big picture and remember that it is ok to have more to do than seems possible. This is a part of our mortal journey on earth, to make choices and prioritize. A little stress is good, it keeps us productive, however, I believe that overwhelming stress is an unneccessary evil in our lives. We can prevent it by having faith in the Lord, and remembering the big picture.
I have the same experience with stress and time management. I love the quote because I always feel like the Lord is checking my priorities. One example this past semester has been working in the temple. I work Thursday mornings and I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning. There were many times I didn't want to get up because I was stressed with the home work I could have gotten done or thought I needed the sleep to make up for late nights of homework the night before. I wasn't always perfect in my temple attendance but I decided that should be a priority and when I was diligent in that commitment Heavenly Father helped me to accomplish everything I needed to. I think you are spot on about keeping the big picture and knowing that you can't let stress ruin your prospective.
ReplyDeleteLearning how to control my stress has also been a challenge. My first semester in the junior core was so much, As you I did not have enough hours in the day to do my homework, I did not eat well, I did not sleep well and I ended up in the migrants that were impossible to handle. After that experience I also though about my priorities. As a convert to the gospel is hard to remember all the help we can get from the Lord. Thank you for reminding me how much he can help us and how often we should analyze the things we are doing and if they really are priorities. I do not want to leave out precious hours to dedicate it to the things I love the most.
ReplyDeleteTime management is really just a question of priorities. I always aspire to be better at prioritizing my time, but if people really always saw how I use my time, I think most people would call me a giant failure. It is easy to understand what should be top priority, but it isn't necessarily that easy. I work much better and am less stressed when I plan things by hammering out a routine.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post. I think that also there are times when we are more sensitive to stress than others. Sometimes I feel like I can totally handle the world and anything else coming my way, then other days one added task can feel overwhelming. Sometimes we need to just slow down and stick to the basics.
ReplyDeleteYes, the battle with stress is just going to get worse from now on. With work, school, family, and even callings, everything always seems impossible. But it is when you finish your duty with a passing card that you feel the best, about yourself and about everything that's around you. It is essential to learn to live with stress and expect the unexpected to come, so that when it does appear, we'll know the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! This reminds me of a similar experience that I had last fall. I was so busy and stressed with work, accounting junior core, and planning my wedding. I love the quote you shared and wish that I had heard it during my stressful semester. It is crucial to remember the things that are truly important.
ReplyDelete