Yesterday, I was feeling quite overwhelmed with- well, pretty much everything. My husband asked me what was wrong, and said I was rather cranky. Cranky is not my normal.

We, as moms and wives, sometimes feel like the world is crashing down around us. Why do we let it get to this point? I think that often we are so busy taking care of everyone else, we never stop and take care of ourselves. I'm not talking bubble baths and shopping sprees here. I'm talking about filling our tanks so we have something to share with everyone else.

After my husband showed concern for my obviously off-base mood, I realized I better take the time to get myself squared away. I did several things, and as a result, I feel so much better today. Here are some of the things that helped me get back to my non-cranky self.
*Get back in the Bible. Letting this habit slide never ends well.
*Spend some serious time in prayer.
*Ask for help. Feelings of overwhelm come crashing in when I don't delegate and try to tackle everything myself. This can be fixed by sharing the load, and by talking out with my family what tasks are important, and what tasks can be shelved or deleted altogether.
*Do a brain dump. This is a quirky way of saying- write down everything floating around in your head. This can include to-do items, or worries, fears, and ideas for the future. Get it all down on paper.
*Try to close up some open projects. Once you get everything out of your head, and down on paper, you may see several items that you can quickly finish up. Yesterday, I spent a couple hours working through some shorter tasks. It felt good to cross all those items off.
*Get some hugs from whatever unsuspecting family member is close by. It'll make you feel better.
*Praise Yah that you have family to care for, a home that needs cleaned, and another day to live for Him.