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Do you need a break? Are you at your wits end and feel like you are going to lose it on a daily basis? I sure got to that point. Maybe it’s time to press the reset button for yourself.

Not that long ago, I remember getting so angry with my house, my job, my kids and just my life in general. I was unhealthy, mentally tired and just plain out of steam with my life. My kids were not helping and acting entitled. Julian and I were on different pages with our goals, our plans and even our child rearing. I was losing my temper on a daily basis. I got in my car and started driving to nowhere in particular. I just needed to leave my house and remove myself from what was triggering me. I honestly drove a couple of miles to a church parking lot; not even my own church and I just cried in my car. I cried until I had no more tears left in me. Then I looked up and asked God for help. It wasn’t a long prayer, just enough to ask for help because I was losing it.

Trying to take back control

I went home, made my children sit down in the living room and I let it all out. I cried in front of them, I told them how they were making me feel. I showed them my weakness and asked them for their help. I shared my disappointment in their behavior and I laid out my expectations of them. It made them uncomfortable and myself as well but it was all stuff that needed to be said. Now did this intervention resolve our issues…? No, not in the least, but it showed them that I am human, not supermom like the part I often played.

As time went on, they would help some around the house but those weeks waxed and waned. I would go through spells of depression and increased sleeping. (This is MY sign that my depression is rearing it’s ugly head). I would dread my alarm going off to get up for work. I loved my coworkers and my patients but I hated my job. This came and went. Julian and I would fight over stupid things. This too would come and go. I knew after years of trying to figure out what to do next that there needed to be a HUGE change. I needed a complete RESET!

Recognizing my own despair

I had no clue what this meant, but I knew I needed an intervention or my mental health was going to continue to suffer. I think we all tend to overlook our own mental health when our plates are full of other people’s issues. Our own lives become less of a priority and more of a burden. This should not be the case. You have a purpose and until you decrease all the noise around you, your purpose won’t be heard.

I was blessed to be able to travel to visit my grandmother for a week recently. She lives in a small town in western PA with little to do around her. I took a notebook with me and I wrote whatever came to mind during my 9 hr drive. This was like a mental dump and it felt so good. All the things that would clutter up my mind space every day but wouldn’t get done and would then stress me out later, were now on paper. I turned off my radio and played a couple of motivational podcasts I had been wanting to listen to.

My grandma is almost 90 so she doesn’t do much. Just having a routine of getting up and helping her with meals and sitting quietly doing puzzles was refreshing and she loved the company. This lack of daily clutter of activities, fussing children, needy husband and messy home was an awesome reset for me. Not only did I get a mental break, but Julian and the kids had quality time and they all got to see what life was like when mom didn’t do everything she does.

Not everyone will be able to take a week away from their family and home. I completely get that. With working from home I did have the luxury of taking my work with me, which is a blessing. I didn’t actually stop working during this time but had more freedom to work at my own pace. Maybe you just need a change of environment. Think of a way to make a change, if even for a day.

• Take your friend up on that offer to keep your kids for a day or two.
• Go somewhere away from home and take a journal or notebook with you.
• Take a book and sit outside and breathe in the fresh air.
• Go shopping or for a long walk.
• Do a mental dump (Get your JOURNAL here)
• Listen to some relaxing songs you haven’t heard in a while and sing your heart out
• Kneel at an alter or even just your bed and pray
• Talk to a friend and get some sound advice
• Read daily scripture or start a devotional

This won’t solve all of your problems but will help you get some clarity.

What is causing your stresses? What do you want? What can you shed from your schedule? Who is bringing you down? What will help relieve your stress? Who can help you get your needs met? These are all questions to think about and write in your journal. You absolutely deserve to get a reset if you need it. We all need it every once in a while.

I encourage you to remember that with God’s Will and with God’s help, you can get to the place where you have peace and fulfillment. When you open your schedule and ask for His guidance and clarity to lead you to what your true purpose is, and you whole heartedly open yourself to His Will, you will have a reset like you have never felt.

Get your own Reset Button