Managing Stress and Overwhelm This Christmas

Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.”

3 Steps to Keep the Peace:

1. Slow your mind with “The 30-Second Reset” Whenever you feel overwhelmed: Pause. Place your hand on your chest. Take one deep breath. Say: “Lord, I need You.” This resets your nervous system and your spirit. Try it right now. Feel the shift? That’s the power of the Holy Spirit intervening on your behalf.

2. End the mental chaos with a “Brain Dump Prayer”
At the end of a stressful day: Get out a blank sheet of paper- Write down everything swirling in your mind- Turn the list into a prayer- “Lord, here are today’s burdens. I’m giving them back to You.” Your mind will breathe again. 

3. Create a “Peace Priority List”

Instead of trying to do everything, choose: The 3 most important things for the day- The 1 habit that grounds you-The 1 moment of rest you will honor-

Here are a few ways you can destress this week: 

1. Lower your holiday expectations, LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS.

2. Delegate boldly- it won’t be done your way, that doesn’t mean it isn’t right. 

3. Set boundaries without guilt:

A loving “no” protects your peace. Try this:“I wish we could, but this season is full. We love you though!” Or:“I can’t commit but thank you for thinking of us.” 

4. Nourish your body intentionally

5. Choose 10 minutes of movement

Jesus, we love you. Thank You for being our Peace. Thank You Father that we get to celebrate the birth of Jesus this week, thank you for this time together with family and friends and the ability to serve, love and give back. Help us to focus on what’s truly important this year. We want to forget the overwhelm and strive and try. Calm my mind Jesus, settle my spirit, and break the chains of distraction this season. I crave intimacy with you Lord, help me walk in step with your Holy Spirit leading the way. Teach me to rest, to lay down control and remember that Jesus is the only reason for the season. Happy birthday Father, Amen
 

Are you sick of trying diet after diet and NOT losing weight?

Hey there friend, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late twenties and struggled for years to get it off. Seven years ago, I found a basic system that worked and has helped me lose 90 of those pounds. I’ve been working with women in online fitness and nutrition ever since to break chains of diet culture, embrace their bodies and fueling instead of dieting.

In this podcast, I'll teach you how to:

• • Lose Weight in a Way that honors God without obsessing about the scale
  • Meal Plan and Prep for Your Family
  • Follow a MACRO based plan that allows you to eat the foods you love.
  • Recognize and pray through triggers keeping you stuck.
  • I’ll help you Plan your week and schedule your self-care time.
  • Cultivate a spirit of self-discipline in your workouts you actually enjoy.
  
  It's time to give God your health journey and watch Him make you new, from the inside, OUT.

Join The Biblical Weight Loss Framework: https://www.herweightlossmindset.com/framework

Join my FREE Community: https://bit.ly/JoinTheChristianWeightLossCommunity

Join my Insiders List with weekly tips for weight loss for Christian women: http://herweightlossmindset.com/herweightlossmindsetinsiders

Transcript

Christmas Overwhelm

Welcome, we are right in the middle of our Christmas Wellness Series, and today we're talking about something every woman feels in December. Stress, overwhelm, expectations, and an increased mental load. Like we carry so much.

Think about buying gifts. What events are we going to? Meal planning, our emotional needs, family gatherings, hard people to deal with, work deadlines, church activities, volunteering, the pressure to make Christmas magical.

Oh my gosh, the struggle is real. And when mental load increases, healthy habits feel even harder. I mean, to be honest, everything feels harder, doesn't it?

Like food becomes comfort. Our workouts get skipped. We feel scattered.

We're frustrated and we are exhausted. We forget about the true meaning of the Christmas season. So my prayer today is that today's episode will give you a biblical mindset, practical strategies, and a few encouraging tools for your mental health.

So we're going to seek a pathway to peace while we celebrate the Prince of Peace. So you can walk through December without drowning in overwhelm. Okay?

So take a deep breath. We're doing that a lot lately. And let's begin.

Are you sick of trying diet after diet and not losing weight? Are you tired of doubting your ability to actually lose weight in a healthy way? Do you wish you could find a laid out for you plan that will help you stay accountable to your goals?

Hey, friends, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late 20s and struggled for years to get it off. So grab your pre-workout and let's chat.

You don't have to stay in old habits. You don't have to live with excess weight. You can truly give God your weight loss journey and let him heal you from the inside out.

Learning how to recognize triggers is key. Learning how to manage your time is key. Learning how to forgive yourself and others is vital to your healing process.

That's why I created the Biblical Weight Loss Framework. I gained 100 pounds, 100 pounds. And I struggled for years to get it off because I was following every fad diet or promise of weight loss.

I never saw sustainable results until I learned to give God my journey. And I'm still not perfect, but I have the tools.

And I want to give you the tools that he's given me so that we can finally lose the way and heal the way that he wants us to heal so that we can go out and make disciples who make disciples.

So if you're ready, join the Biblical Weight Loss Framework. And let's take a Holy Spirit led approach to weight loss God's way. January 5th, we're kicking off a new accountability group.

Love to work with you. 

Biblical Peace Foundation

So I don't know about you, but managing stress and overwhelm and expectations is hard all throughout the year, but it's especially hard through this season. And so today's word comes from Philippians 4 verse 6. It says, don't worry about anything.

Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Oh my gosh, what an incredible promise.

We are celebrating the birth of our risen Savior. And he reminds us that this season and every season, not to worry. We're to seek him and thank him and trust him.

And it's okay to feel worry. Like we're human, right? But we have to learn to recognize that fear and toss it up to God.

Do you remember 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 3 and 5? It says, for though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight are not weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Oh my goodness, I love that verse. And it keeps going.

Verse 5 says, we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. And we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Every thought.

It says, we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. We are at war, my friends. Life is not always sunshine and rainbows.

And this season can be very hard for many people. So we are going to cling to this promise, his promise, not because life is calm, but because your mind is fixed on Christ.

December can often feel heavy because everything is magnified, emotions, memories, expectations, deadlines, family dynamics, social obligations.

The enemy loves to attack our minds, especially this month, because we are supposed to be focusing on Jesus and pointing our family and friends to him and not the tree.

The enemy fills our thoughts with distractions and lies, and we compromise our convictions by spending time with certain family members. He whispers, You're not doing enough. You're not doing enough for your kids.

You're behind. You'll never be consistent with your eating habits, so you may as well binge. You're messing everything up.

The list of lies goes on and on. I want you to think about the lie that he's whispering to you today. Are you going to take that thought to Jesus?

Listen, we all feel overwhelmed during this season in one way or another. Our family leaves for a 13-day road trip, the 22nd, and I'm packing for myself, my husband, and the dog. Overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed even in good things. Our brother-in-law's niece just buried the baby that they gave birth to, not knowing that she had health issues. We're dealing with breakups, addiction, financial trouble, gluttony, lost relationships.

But overwhelm is not a character flaw. It's simply a signal that your soul needs Jesus. You need boundaries and rest and Holy Spirit alignment and remembering the true meaning of this season.

A couple weeks ago, my grandma was telling us about Kevin Kastner put a movie on ABC, and if you didn't watch it, you need to go search it. It's called The First Christmas.

And it was the most beautiful representation of Christ's birth I've ever seen. And so many things that we have learned about Jesus' birth have been through songs and accounts that aren't necessarily true. Like Jesus was not born in a cozy stable.

Oftentimes, back then, the animals were kept in a cave sort of place. And we are learning that that is where Jesus was born. We learn that the innkeeper shooed him away.

But we don't read actually about an innkeeper in the Bible. They were actually very loving people there that were there to help Mary give birth.

So staying in Holy Spirit alignment, remembering the true meaning of this season, this is going to help us to recognize the overwhelm, not push it away, recognize it, bring it in, and throw it up to Jesus. You have to learn to recognize it.

When you're overwhelmed, your body releases cortisol. And that affects your cravings, your energy, your appetite. It affects your sleep, emotional eating, affects your motivation.

It affects your fat storage. So managing stress isn't just emotional, it's wellness strategy. That's the difference between being joyful this season and not being joyful.

And joy is the fruit of the spirit. So it is in you, if Christ is in you. You just may need to seek it, cultivate it.

We choose joy over happiness because even in our heart, with joy, God is our hope. Your nervous system needs calm so that your body can align.

Three Peace Steps

This is a spiritual battle, my friend. So I want to offer you three steps to help you keep the peace this Christmas. And I pray that these will bless you.

The first one, slow your mind with a 30 second reset. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, pause. Place your hand on your chest, take one deep breath, and say, Lord, I need you.

This resets your nervous system and your spirit. Just try it right now. Can you feel the shift?

That's the power of the Holy Spirit intervening on your behalf. Just sit in it and enjoy his presence. The next thing I want you to do is end the day with a brain dump prayer.

At the end of a stressful day, get out a blank sheet of paper and write down everything swirling around in your mind, and then turn that list into a prayer. Lord, here are today's burdens. I'm giving them back to you.

Oh my gosh, what an incredible release. Your mind will be able to breathe again, and this will work. Lay it down now so it's not keeping you awake at night.

The next thing I want you to do is keep a peace priority list. So instead of trying to do everything, choose the three most important things for that day, and the one habit that grounds you. Remember that anchor habit.

And then one moment of rest that you're going to honor.

Five De-stressing Tips

So I want you to try a couple of things to de-stress this week, all right? I have five things. I want you to lower your holiday expectations.

Did you hear me? Don't tune out right now. Lower your expectations, your expectations.

Your value is not found in buying the perfect gift or serving the perfect food. It's not in the perfectly decorated Christmas tree or memories or perfect photos. Let your Christmas be simple, meaningful, and Holy Spirit-led.

That is the entire point, isn't it? The second thing is delegate boldly. It won't be done your way.

That doesn't mean it isn't right. Oh my goodness, my husband said those words to me a couple weeks ago, and he's right. Ask your teens, ask your spouse, ask your family, kids, friends.

You don't have to carry December alone. This is Jesus' birthday. Let's keep it in perspective.

It's not about you having the perfect thing. It's about involving people in the process. The next thing you can do is set boundaries without guilt.

A loving no protects your peace. So I want you to try this. I wish we could, but the season is full.

We love you though. Or I can't commit, but thank you for thinking of us, because we're keeping the peace over pleasing other people. Yes, you can.

Peace over people pleasing. Say it with me. The next thing you're going to do is nourish your body intentionally.

When you're stressed, you're going to focus on protein, produce, omega-3 fats, and hydrating foods. I've given you a couple of really fun recipes that will help you ease those cravings while moving towards your protein goal. Focus on those.

These are going to calm your nervous system and stabilize your mood. Protein, protein, protein. And then the last thing is you're going to choose 10 minutes of movement.

Maybe a short walk or stretching. Bodyweight moves. I've given you some really fun workouts lately.

Dance with your kids. My girl loves to dance. We dance party in the living room almost daily.

Movement is medicine. Physically and spiritually.

Recipe and Prayer

All right. So I have an awesome cozy chicken and veggie soup. So I want you to get this cooking resap.

You're going to take two chicken breasts shredded, three cups of chicken broth, two carrots, two stalks of celery, one onion, garlic, salt, pepper, a little bit of spinach, a tablespoon of olive oil, and you're going to sauté your onion, your

carrots, and your celery. And then you're going to add your broth and your chicken to that and simmer for 20 minutes. And then at the end, just toss in your spinach. I feel relaxed and cozy already, don't you?

You're looking at about 250 calories with 28 grams of protein, 15 to 18 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of fat. This is amazing. These, so many of these foods are chucked full of fiber as well.

And as a woman, you need, I think it's like 25 grams of fiber daily to stay healthy. So, God is not asking you to hustle through December, okay?

He's inviting you to walk with Him, to rest with Him, to move with Him, to breathe with Him, to lean on Him, to serve with Him. Because our peace is not found in perfection. You are not perfect, not this time.

This season is to focus on Jesus. And peace is only found in our perfect Savior. And it's the best gift worth giving yourself and other people.

So I want you to ask yourself, where am I carrying stress that God never asked me to carry? What am I overcomplicating? Who can I delegate to?

What does peace look like for me this year? Write it out and then pray over it. Jesus, we love you.

Thank you for being our peace. Thank you, Father, that we get to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And thank you for this time together with family and friends and the ability to serve, to love, and give back.

Help us to focus on what's truly important this year. We want to forget the overwhelm and the strive and try. Paul, my mind Jesus, settle my spirit and break the chains of distraction this season.

I crave intimacy with you, Father. Help me walk and step with your Holy Spirit leading the way. Teach me to rest, to laid out control, and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Happy almost birthday, Father. Amen. Hey sis, I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

If so, would you take 30 seconds and share it with a friend? Also, please leave a quick review for the show on Apple Podcasts. It lights me up to know this podcast is helping you.

Okay, it's time to go make a protein shake and get my sweat on. No more standing in the kitchen waiting for motivation to appear. I will meet you back here for another episode.

God bless.