Do you have periods in your life when you definitely feel the overwhelm more than others? I know I do and I think I might be in one just now! Between the usual home-school work, caring role, keeping the house going, the garden work, the allotment (not to mention blogging about it all or keeping a podcast going) – now we have car trouble too!

You may have very specific strategies you use to cope when this happens or you may be looking for some inspiration to help get through these times. So today I thought I’d share with you my top 10 ways I deal with the overwhelm.

1 – Music. I have specific music I listen to at specific times depending on what I need at that time. When I’m in the kitchen I put on a cd which really helps to calm and focus me. The family now know when they hear that music, Mum is in her ‘Zen Den’ and I’ve noticed they linger a bit longer than they used to so they can soak up that feeling too (although they’d never admit it!)

2 – The garden. I love spending time with my plants (no surprise there!). Whether it’s just walking around and looking at them, checking growth of new plants or sowing seeds, potting on – it all helps. Just being with something else, some other living being which I feel connected to in some way, does my soul good.

3 – Writing. I started writing poetry when I was a teenager and didn’t know how to cope with how I was feeling. We moved house when I was half-way through my first year at high school and it didn’t go well for me (that’s the short version!). I found writing poetry helped me get my thoughts sorted and it helped me to cope with emotions which I wasn’t encouraged to talk about. I still write poetry today although it tends to have a more positive slant to it these days. I’ve shared quite a few on the blog but I still have lots which I haven’t published yet.

4 – Walking. Nothing helps get some of that weight off your shoulders like going for a walk – the longer the better! If it can be somewhere around lots of trees I find that helps even more. It’s as if their energy helps to heal in some way.

5 – Cook a great meal. It’s true. Your day might be going wrong in all directions but spend some time preparing something just a little more special and it can do wonders for how you feel. Many times I’ve thought, “well, the day started bad and got worse from there but oh man, did I enjoy that dinner”. Taking that time to do something nice for yourself and something you actually have control over, can really help to turn the day around.

6 – Get perspective. Having some first world problems? Yeah, perspective really helps here. Something I’ve used in the past is to visualise me, then the picture pulls back so I can see our house, picture pulls back so I can see our street. Pull back again so I can see our town and so on until all I see is Earth. It really helps put some perspective on a problem. Like right now, our car is not going – oil issue. So I did my food shopping online, found a mobile mechanic and took some extra care of my feet as I’m guessing some extra walking is on the cards! Not a major catastrophe, even if it felt like one when I put the key in and nothing happened.

7 – Talk to the dog. He is a great listener! Ok I usually do it while I’m brushing him which I find calming and he obviously loves it so we both leave the situation feeling better!

8 – Reading. It doesn’t have to be a classical novel, sometimes just flicking through a cookbook is enough. Just something to take my mind elsewhere for a short time can work wonders. Flicking through is also useful if you feel so stressed you can’t concentrate on actually reading anything straight through.

9 – Watch a movie. We usually watch one we already know when we are feeling the stress. It’s like meeting with an old friend, it’s comfortable and predictable. The last thing you need when you feel like this is another nasty surprise. We have several favourites but some main ones are ‘Dog Soldiers’, ‘The 12th Man’, ‘Valkyrie’, and a few war-time movies my husband loves and I can enjoy.

10 – I’ve learned finally that when it all feels too much, when I feel so overwhelmed with work and/or problems, I have to step back and trust God will help to carry the burden. Realising this has helped me enormously over the past year. Knowing that the situation is in the best hands and everything will work out the way it’s meant to takes a lot of the pressure off. So if you are overwhelmed, may I suggest you pray, ask for help and realise you are not alone.