I recently came across the word “exhausterwhelmulated,” and honestly, I’ve never related to anything more. It feels like the only word big enough to hold everything I’ve been feeling lately.
Some days, I’m just plain exhausted. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done. The chores don’t stop. They roll over into the next day, then the next week. Eventually, my to-do list feels longer than my actual weekend. It’s frustrating to feel like I’m always playing catch-up.
And then there’s the overwhelm. Life is shifting so quickly, and I can’t always keep up. My anxiety has been louder than usual. I worry about my parents as they get older. I think about my future. What will retirement really look like? Will I have enough to truly live and not just get by?
But even in the middle of that desire for peace… I feel overstimulated. My mind doesn’t rest, even when I try to. I crave quiet, yet my thoughts keep going. At night, when everything is finally still, my brain is wide awake—planning, worrying, imagining.
There’s so much I want to do. I have so many goals! I feel excited about creating posts, videos, and exploring new opportunities to create income. At the same time, I feel anxious because I can’t seem to do it all. I want to be intentional with my finances, but every expense feels heavy. I feel this constant urgency to move forward. I want to reach my goals. Yet, everything feels like it’s moving slower than it should.
I find myself chasing ideas, trying to figure out which path will turn into something meaningful and sustainable. After working for over 30 years, I don’t want to keep running at the same pace. I want something calmer, something that brings peace instead of pressure.
It’s a strange place to be—wanting more, excited to do more, thinking and planning more… yet still feeling stuck.
And I know this feeling isn’t just mine. So many of us are walking around carrying this same mix of exhaustion, overwhelm, and overstimulation. We don’t always say it out loud, but it’s there.
So lately, I’ve been trying to shift my focus.
Instead of only seeing what’s unfinished, I’m reminding myself of what is working.
Instead of letting fear lead, I’ve promised myself to lean into faith.
Because when I look back over my life, I can see it clearly—God has always made a way. Even in moments when I felt uncertain or stretched too thin, I was never left without what I needed.
So when I feel exhausterwhelmulated, I’m learning to pause.
To breathe.
To trust.
And to believe that, somehow, everything is still unfolding exactly the way it’s meant to be.
I’m reminded of this devotion I read recently. I saved it because it spoke to me. I’m trusting that all the feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm will be used as tools to serve.
