When Life Seems Overwhelming

Frank Billman 7.18.21 We all have those times in our lives when we get hit hard with tragedy or difficult life events. Sometimes they come in waves and leave us breathless and wondering how to even begin to process them or move forward. In those difficult times we can find ourselves getting overwhelmed by sadness, despair, grief and depression. So how do we deal with this? How do we find our hope and our connection with God? It takes a conscious choice and action that is often uncomfortable in order to find our way back to a place of hope and even spiritual connection. Three things that help are 1) Keep showing up to our daily routine. Many times it’s hard just to put one foot in front of the other and attend to our daily needs and routine but this is critical to finding a path out. In the 12 step program we call it taking opposite action. I don’t necessarily feel like doing these things but I do them because it’s the right and appropriate thing to do. 2) Keep showing up to our community. We need to feel the strength, love and encouragement we get from the people in our community. They help us remember what is truly important in life–our friends and our relationships with each other. 3) Keep showing up to God. I can only find God’s peace when I seek His company. He is truly the key to my peace and my happiness. If I seek His presence regularly during these times they become more bearable and eventually I find through His grace the acceptance needed to heal. None of this is a quick and easy process but it’s the path to dealing with life when it feels like it’s too much to bear.