WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF OVERWHELM?

Here is one of my favorite passages in “Fully Whelmed: Shifting from Overwhelm to Overflow” by Lisa Dettinger.

What is the root cause of overwhelm? We like to blame our circumstances. We feel overwhelmed by too much coming at us. The deluge keeps pouring over us and filling us up with more than what we can hold, more than what we can control. For example:

• I am too busy.

• This person is too overbearing.

• I am in too much physical pain.

• This is too difficult for me.

• There is too much injustice here.

• I am too confused.

• I have too many bills/my expenses are too high.

• There is too much clutter in my house.

• I weigh too much.

• I have too many problems.

• I have too many responsibilities.

• My (boss) expects too much of me.

• I am too tired.

• My kids are too unruly/disrespectful/messy.

• My (friend’s) emotions are too strong for me to handle.

• This temptation is too great.

• There is too much sadness in my world/ the world.

• This process is going too slowly/too quickly.

• I have too many decisions to make.

• My sorrow is too deep.

• I feel too lonely.

• I am too weak.

There is a dramatic irony with overwhelm. Overwhelm makes us feel as though there is too much of something. In reality, we are experiencing a scarcity mindset. Check out the scarcity that is reflected in the following statements. (Note: all the statements reflect a possible negative thought pattern. That doesn’t mean they are true!)

• Too busy = not enough relaxation time

• Someone is too overbearing = not assertive enough

• Too much pain = not enough comfort

• Too difficult = not easy enough

• Too much injustice = not enough fairness

• Too much confusion = not enough understanding

• Too many bills = not enough money

• Too much clutter = not enough organization

• Weigh too much = not healthy enough

• Too many problems = not enough solutions

• Too many responsibilities = not enough capacity

• Someone expects too much of me = not able to do enough for them

• Too tired = not enough sleep/rest

• Kids too disrespectful = not enough respect

• Emotions too strong for me = not enough stability

• Temptation too great = not enough self-discipline

• Too much sadness in world = not enough happiness in the world

• Process too slow/too fast = not enough patience/not enough acceptance

• Too many decisions = not enough wisdom

• Sorrow too deep = not enough joy

• Too lonely = not enough companionship

• Too weak = not strong enough

— We all have different levels of overwhelm. Some of us know our canoe can hold a great deal of water before it becomes overwhelmed. Others of us begin anticipating overwhelm with just a few splashes of water. Or before we’ve even gotten into the canoe.

Regardless of our capacity, we see the water rising and feel as though there’s nothing we can do about it. Our canoe is being overwhelmed. This is where we get to choose to be defeated or surrendered in our overwhelm.

If we start to feel the canoe sinking from the onslaught of rushing water (we feel the stress, strain, sorrow, or anxiety becoming more than we think we can handle), we can hopelessly sink with it (allow it to bring us down completely) or we can intentionally get into the water, find the intimately whispering peace that God offers, and whelm (experience a surge rising up from us).

Staying in defeated overwhelm is just as hopeless and helpless as believing we’re sinners at our core. We are not hopeless and helpless sinners. We’re saints with the power of the Living God at our core. We have the Life Jacket within us!

Rather than white-knuckling our experiences looking for an escape or a rescue while the water rushes in, we can actually get into the water with our Life Jacket, set our feet upon the Solid Ground beneath us, and whelm from what (Who) is inside us rather than be defeated by what’s outside us.

On Amazon!