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Hello Friends!   Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments.  This is your Host Linda Gullo.   This is Podcast # 66 Today’s Topic is on Being in Overload!   You name it —- Overloaded with health issues, financial woes, family stress, relationship problems, business tasks mounting up, website needs updating, or just too much happening at one time can fall right on top of us.  We can’t sleep or end of staying up late to get things done.   We don’t arm ourselves with eating well, exercising, or relaxing as needed.

And what happens when the roof caves in?   Well normally, one runs to get out of the way.   But where do you run too if you are in the middle of a tornado, earthquake or fire?  Or one of those times in life when things consume you?   You can’t run from a love one who is struggling after a bad choice.  You need to deal with your own health, no one else can carry that cross for you.  The lunches need to be made, the shopping needs to be done, laundry doesn’t do itself, and neither do the tasks like cleaning, taking out the garbage or making appointments.   Our minds overwhelmed, our tasks make us feel overloaded with responsibility and we get tuckered out!

Not all things are physical in nature.   We can have a million things clouding our minds and taking up our concentration.   We get to a point where we don’t know how to prioritize because everything seems equally as important.  Being mindful of circumstances can help us sort things out.  Being with strong resilient people can help immensely.

I talk from experience when this topic comes up.  It has happened to me when I least expected it.   Once time was when my children were small.   One was 3 and the other an infant.   My parents who had major end of life issues were very much in need of my time and my help to care for them.   Countless episodes of hospital runs, rescheduling family appointments, trying to balance money, and caring for the children kept me running all over.  Trying to keep to a routine was not possible.   My husband was trying to help me in anyway he could, but he was also trying to earn money for us.  An intense 3 years seemed so insurmountable.   Mom died right after thanksgiving and dad followed her in February.  Both parents died within 90 days of each other.  Being tired and sad was so heavy feeling!  I couldn’t pray enough.  My car had become a place of constant prayer as I drove to and from the hospitals.  When I finally pulled out of this period, normal things seemed so wonderful and lively.   So I thought it might be good today to give out a few ideas to help if you are in the midst of feeling overloaded.

1. Forget about all you need to do and do just one thing.
2. List in writing the things that seem so big to tackle.  They are doable and it is a good feeling to mark them off –one by one!
3. Don’t compare yourself to anyone.   Your list is yours and the needs you have are not the same as for others.
4. Ask for help if you can; seek out people &/or services you need.   When my mom and dad were so ill and my children were little caused me to tell the pharmacist that I was just getting worn out.   Well it turned out that Paul Marsh and his wife Donna were Third Order Franciscans.   Their personal mission was to help in any way they could!  They did by delivering medications and taking time to talk with my lonely parents.  Bless them.
5. Don’t let fear stop you from trying new things.  If you fail, there will be a good lesson that you can extract  information from and use it.
   

   FEELING LOST & OVERLOADED

6. If you are in doubt about something, weigh the pros and cons.  Pray and then proceed with the best of intentions.   If something goes wrong, turn in the opposite direction to help remedy it.   ACTION is excellent.
7. Don’t isolate yourself during times of overload.   A little break like lunch out with a friend can relieve stress.

Another point in time when I felt overloaded with tasks and commitments was written about in Erasing Adversity.  It is a book that talks about the silver linings that appeared when the world was crumbling in on our family. People and the smallest minor moments blossomed to help.  We need to learn from these moments as they are teaching us compassion, empathy, and how to reach out to others in need.

This week I was with a with a friend who is going through a  period of Overwhelming Odds.   What we can do for others is to walk through it with them.  Listen and try not to have all the answers.  It is a difficult time when one is trying to put out fires, clean up the messes from teenagers, or helping during times of sickness.    While many things have nothing to do with us, there are things we still need to be responsible for–helping teenagers pay off debts, push them into responsibility or continue to teach them good morals.  These times are all temporary.  Things will get better.

Until next week, stay true to yourself.  Do something that is fun.  Thank you for listening and the kind feedback I have received.  Know that you can reach me at [email protected] or at 815-459-5161.  These podcasts are meant to inspire and motivate you. Please spread the word and ask others to subscribe to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments so we can all grow together.   You can find us at the website  lindagullo.com or on your Smartphone podcast app.

Drop me a line to sign up for counseling care or coaching help.  Recognize the good people around you, the small joys that carry you forward, and the laughable moments.

Every other week, I am joined with a Co Host, Kate Halma.  Don’t miss us next week when we discuss Mindfulness.

Check out Amazon. com for Erasing Adversity. Check out twitter.com/DelightinLiving

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