Balancing Life: Without All the Pressures

Life can be so overwhelming at times, and it becomes a heavy load for us to carry. Balancing all at one time can be excessive: school, relationships, friendships, our households, children, our spiritual life and our mental health. I just named 7 things, and that honestly is a lot for one person to handle and some people are dealing with more, but this is life... and we do juggle all of these things on a daily basis.  

I’m juggling school, friendships, relationships with family, grief, my spiritual life, my physical health, and mental health. It’s a lot, and some days I am genuinely exhausted. I feel like it’s a lot to keep balanced every single day for the entire 24 hours. Something I’ve learned in these past few months is that we as humans, are putting TOO MUCH pressure on ourselves. Putting all this unnecessary pressure on ourselves can weigh on us mentally; it will begin to make us sad and depressed, burned out, disassociating ourselves from our present and isolating ourselves. When we are negatively impacted mentally, it impacts and weighs down on every other area of our life. Do you know that everything starts mentally first? Our mindsets influence our outcomes, and our thoughts can shape our actions.  

So, just sit and think for a second... if my mind is cluttered with so much stress and so many other things, how will this affect everything else I am balancing? Such a good question, I am so glad you asked. For example, if things are constantly weighing down on your mind and you’re still trying to balance your entire life; sometimes your mind can be impacted so strongly by negative things or by life, and you may go to work and not put your all into your job like you did before. Another example, you may have children, and you may halfway give your kids attention and not spend as much time as you should because you’re so deep in your own mind.  

Here’s some tips and advice, for trying to balance everything and also making sure your mental health will be great and stable. First, you could try to prioritize and organize the tasks in your daily life... what is more important to take care of FIRST? Handle things one by one, do not try to take on everything all at one time. Start from the most important, to the least important... and don’t you dare place your mental health at the bottom. Secondly, you could practice some time management. Spend some time on the things you need to give attention and time to, but you do not have to sit and stress over a task all day long... make time for journaling, for prayer and Bible time with God, make time for silence. Silence is sometimes needed as well; it’s nothing wrong with some peace and quiet at times. Another piece of advice I have is, ask your loved ones for support. There is zero shame in asking the people who love you for help, if you need the help please always ask; don’t just drown quietly. And, even if you do not want to talk to them, find a therapist to sit and talk to them. Allow them to help you navigate through life and your stressors, I promise they’ll be a huge help.  

As I close out, I want to say God did not intend for us to live a stressful and weary life. God wants us to enjoy our lives, no matter what may be on our plates. God is there to listen, and He can help you navigate through the deep worries you have in your mind and life. He tells us in His word multiple times about giving our anxieties and cares to him, and to pray about EVERYTHING. I’ll leave some scriptures with you all, I love you guys and if you ever need to talk, I am always here.  

Scriptures:  

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”