A spiritual response to feeling overwhelmed
At one point in my college semester, academic demands—combined with leadership responsibilities, work, athletics, and family—became overwhelming.
I enjoy pushing myself and keeping busy, while still prioritizing my academics. But when my academic performance suddenly wasn’t meeting my expectations, I began to panic. I had papers to write, finals to prepare for, and numerous assignments to complete, all within a few weeks. And with the semester nearing its end, I knew asking for extensions was not an option.
I had papers to write, finals to prepare for, and numerous assignments to complete, all within a few weeks.
At first, I felt I had no choice but to push through. But then I realized I could do what I have always done when life feels overwhelming: pray. I’ve learned from attending Christian Science Sunday School that prayer is something effective I can turn to during a challenge.
While praying, I realized that nothing is truly in my control and that instead, there is a divine power governing all things. God is that power, and God is all good, so that means good is governing everything.
I knew that my initial impulses about how to solve things on my own had failed me. They’d told me to keep stressing, stay awake late into the night, and keep pushing hard instead of sleeping. But knowing I could trust God silenced that negative, unproductive thinking. Yielding to God brought me joy and peace. Most importantly, it reassured me that everything would be fine, because when I’ve trusted God in the past, things have always worked out.
With that realization, I was able to let go of a lot of the pressure I’d been feeling. I found comfort in singing hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal and listening to streamed Christian Science church services, as well as the Christian Science Daily Lift and Sentinel Watch podcasts.
For example, one night when I couldn’t sleep, I listened to an episode of the Daily Lift and then started praying. In moments like these, when I’m quietly praying, I often receive a message from God that I reflect on—pray with—and it stays with me. This time, the message was the word patience.
At first, I thought that was strange. How could I be patient when time seemed to be moving faster than my ability to complete my tasks? Still, I accepted the message and said, “Thank you, God, for this reminder.” I trusted that this feeling of pressure would pass and that these tasks would get completed as I relied on God. I knew that I could be patient and find joy in the process.
Every morning and night, I thanked God for every completed task and for those who were supporting me.
Even so, I wasn’t immediately sure how to practice patience, so I turned to giving gratitude as a way of being patient with what was getting done instead of focusing on a long, overwhelming to-do list. Every morning and night, I thanked God for every completed task and for those who were supporting me. I noticed small accomplishments and was grateful for them, and I knew that what had gotten done that day was enough. I didn’t have to be impatient about the rest.
Turning to gratitude restored my joyful demeanor. Even when circumstances felt out of control, I remained at peace, and I even started to enjoy what I was doing. I began completing tasks more efficiently and finished the semester successfully, having fulfilled all my responsibilities.
Patience, expressed through gratitude for the small things, became my reminder that there is joy in the process and that I can trust God when life feels out of control.
Thank you, God!
