When Your Busy Feels Too Busy

This month we are discussing support for families of those with disabilities or special needs. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to this month’s podcast episodes, make sure to check them out!

We talk about what friends, family members, church members, and even acquaintances can do and not do to help.

One theme that keeps coming to mind for me this month is weariness. After 11 years of being a mom to a child with disabilities, the weariness doesn’t relent. Between insurance, IEPs, medications, doctor visits, clinical trials, staying on top of the latest research, worrying about their emotional needs, day-to-day parenting issues, financial strains, and any other myriad of never-ceasing concerns, it seems our energy reserves are running low consistently.

I feel busy all. the. time. Lately, my busy feels busy. Does that even make sense? I swear it feels like it’s February 84th.

Henry David Thoreau said, “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”

I thought of that quote after I told my husband that I felt like I was on an unrelenting gerbil wheel, I felt busy all the time, but I felt that at the end of the day I had nothing to show for my work. That stinks to feel that way!

So, what am I busy about? What counts today? What can I sit aside today to take a breather for myself?

How can I best support myself in a moment of peace today?

Yes, we are discussing how to support families with loved ones with disabilities and special needs. Please hear me when I say we need help, and if you are a friend or family member reading this, please listen to this month’s episodes and reach out in some form to help. Find a way to help in your own unique way.

For those mamas and caregivers – we know there are 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 52 weeks per year when we have to take care of business. Realistically, 99% of the time, we take care of business and take names like a boss on our own or side-by-side with each other.

So, how can you (yes, I’m asking YOU)…how can YOU support yourself in a moment of peace today?

What is one way you can set something aside today (sure, it’ll be there tomorrow, but for today it won’t catch fire or explode) and say these words,

“I am a boss. I rock this gig. I deserve these next [5, 10, 30 minutes – whatever works for you, guilt-free] to do [insert whatever the heck it is you want to do]!”

I’ve been so overloaded with tax issues and crashed software that I promised myself I would take my own advice, so I will do this today, too. If you do this, I would LOVE to know what you did and how long you took for yourself. Just hit reply and let me know. If you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine. LOL!

My prayer for you is this,
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Father God,

May your child reading this now understand how loved and cherished she is. May she realize that you want her to rest and that you feel she deserves it. May she realize she doesn’t even need to find rest but that she simply needs to take her rest in you. May she take a moment (or several) to sit and be still and know that you are God, aware that she is loved and adored just as she is. You are our rest, our reset, our love, and our salvation. May we not forget that. Amen.