What do you do when overwhelmed?

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I will not bore you with details because everyone of us have alot going on in our everyday lives. I was just looking for new ideas on how to relieve stress spiritually.

What prayiers help you?
Which Saints help get you back on track?

Thanks
 
Kermit, Being overwhelmed is almost a constant state of life for me! Seriously, I pray the Memorare often during the day. I believe Mary understands what it’s like to feel overwhelming stress. She always helps me calm down and realize that I need to take one step at a time in my tasks for the day. God bless you, Theresa
 
Kermit, Being overwhelmed is almost a constant state of life for me! Seriously, I pray the Memorare often during the day. I believe Mary understands what it’s like to feel overwhelming stress. She always helps me calm down and realize that I need to take one step at a time in my tasks for the day. God bless you, Theresa
I will second the Memorare. Praying it provides immediate comfort for me, and renews my hope hope and faith as well.
 
I will second the Memorare. Praying it provides immediate comfort for me, and renews my hope hope and faith as well.
For some reason I have always thought the Memorare was only to be prayed in extreme emergenies. I have no idea why. Since the first responce by Theresa I have recited it 3 times and your right it does provide immediate comfort.
 
I do not have a prayer but here is something to read. When I feel like this I take my bible and read and after that I pray not any specific prayer but what I am feeling at that moment.

Who’s the Boss, You or Your Emotions?

by Joyce Meyer
The daily ups and downs of our emotions are one of the major struggles we have with our relationships. Instead of riding the emotional roller coaster, we need to learn to become stable, solid, steadfast, persevering, and determined people. If we continue to let our emotions rule over us, there’s no way we’ll ever be the person we were meant to be. Of course, none of us will ever be totally rid of emotions—but we must learn to manage and control them and not let them control us.

Life is no fun when it is controlled by feelings. Feelings change from day to day, hour to hour, even moment to moment. Not only do they change, they lie.

For example, you may be in a crowd of people and feel that everybody is talking about you, but that doesn’t mean they are. You may feel that nobody understands you, but that doesn’t mean they don’t. You may feel you are misunderstood, unappreciated, or even mistreated, but that doesn’t mean it is true. If we want to be mature, disciplined people, we must be determined not to walk according to what we feel.

People often ask me, “How can I know for sure whether I’m walking in truth or walking according to my feelings and emotions?” I believe the answer is found in patience. Emotions urge us toward haste, telling us that we must do something and do it right now! But godly wisdom tells us to wait until we have a clear picture of what it is we are to do and when we are to do it. We need to be able to back off and view our situation from God’s perspective. We need to make decisions based on what we know rather than on what we feel.

Let me give you an example from my own life. One time I had saved up some money to buy a good watch. I wanted to buy a nice watch so the band wouldn’t change colors and turn my wrist green! One day, my husband Dave and I were in the mall and happened to stop at a jewelry store where I saw a watch that was really very pretty. As we looked at the watch, we discovered that it was gold-plated and knew that it would probably eventually discolor, but it seemed to be just what I was looking for and it fit my arm perfectly. Not only that, but the clerk offered to mark it down. So my emotions said, “YES! That’s exactly what I want!”

But Dave said, “Well, you know, it’s gold-plated, and it will eventually discolor.” I said, “I know, but I really like this watch. What should I do?” “It’s your money,” he answered. “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do,” I told the clerk. “I’d like for you to hold the watch for me while I walk around the mall for a bit. If I want the watch, I’ll come back for it within the hour.”

So Dave and I walked around the mall for a while. As we did, we passed a dress shop. Because I needed a couple of new outfits, I went in and found a really nice suit. I tried it on, and it fit perfectly. I loved it.

“That’s a nice suit,” Dave said. “You ought to get it.” I looked at the price tag and thought, It costs so much …no wonder it looks so good on me! But I really wanted that suit! Actually there are three things I wanted right then. I wanted the watch, I wanted the suit, and I wanted not to be broke. What did I decide to do? I applied wisdom and decided to wait. The watch—which really wasn’t the quality I wanted—would have taken all of my savings. The suit was beautiful, but it also would have taken most of my savings. So I decided that the best thing was to keep my money and wait until I was sure of what I wanted most. Usually the wisest course is when in doubt, don’t!

When faced with any difficult decision, wait until you have a clear answer before taking a step that you may regret. Emotions are wonderful, but they must not be allowed to take precedence over wisdom and knowledge. Remember—control your emotions instead of letting them control you.
 
I go to a meeting of my 12 step group and try to be of service to someone else. If that is not possible, I try to get quiet and pray. Sometimes, if I can, I go somewhere a little private (even if it is the ladies’ room at work) and maybe even allow a bit of a cry to help relieve some tension or fear. I guess what I really try to keep in mind is that every saint who ever walked on earth had down times and worry and times of fear and stumbling…while I try to be perfect as my Heavenly Father is perfect I remember that I cannot achieve perfection. That helps to keep me humble.

And if all that fails, I go get a piece of chocolate…👍
 
One time I really did feel overwhelmed and it was because I was
being forced to make a decision more quickly than I felt comfortable with. To calm myself down, I prayed the our father
over and over out loud in the car. I chose the more risky decision, and God took care of our family. To this day I am
relieved that I made the decision to serve God over protecting
my own comfort.

In times of overwhelming suffering, I have been helped by
adoration.
 
In times of overwhelming suffering, I have been helped by
adoration.
I absolutely second this advice…you can even go here to find adoration near you. Adoration has helped me when I was nearly inconsolable.
 
The Memorare is a beautiful and helpful prayer. If you can get to daily Mass or adoration these are especially wonderful things to do.

Otherwise repeat a few times the Divine Mercy motto - ‘Jesus I trust in you’ - or St Paul’s lovely verse - ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthns me’ 👍
 
I get on CAF when I am overwhelmed! 😃

It usually calms me down.

But, I also think a rosary walk is helpful. Praying the rosary and getting the benefits of walking work very well.

I also like this ejaculation, “Sacred Heart of Jesus, I give you my life.”
 
When overwhelmed, as bad as it sounds, usually the only thing I can remember to do is offer my annoyance/impatience/overload to God to use in any way He possibly can- even if that way is to help teach me humility/patience/mercy, etc.

I’ve found that I get almost instant relief at that point.

C
 
If I’m overwhelmed I just “dump” it on God. I simply go there, kneel down, tell Him exactly what’s going on (He knows anyway, but still), I spend some time in the receiving mode if I can get myself to stay still. I just ask Him to help me… probably no specific words and I try not to make it too pompous or dramatic. I try to make it simple on purpose and to hold nothing back. He knows anyway and He wants to help me.
 
Whenever I become overwhelmed, to the point of tears, I find comfort in praying the rosary. I feel Our Mother consoling me, as if my head were on buried in her shoulder…
 
The Memorare is very effective. I also pray to St Anne or St Jude when really overwhelmed.

Thank you Cecilia for the link on finding a church in your area which offers perpetual adoration… I was just wondering today if there was such a site!

🙂
 
Oh yes, the Rosary always works.

Sometimes I just can’t get myself to anything other than simple Our Fathers and Hail Marys, when the pressure is too big. When the pressure is too bigger, I can no longer do it in the vernacular and I just switch to Latin. In Latin, my voice never breaks. In the vernacular, it has. When it’s really hard, even improvised prayers turn up in Latin in my head. I can’t explain this. I normally make a point of not using Latin (or any language other than mine, unless I only have the foreign text of a prayer I don’t know by heart - though even then I tend to translate) because God understands all languages and doesn’t really need any. Himself, Jesus said Our Father in Aramaic, anyway.
 
I hate to ask what seems to be so obvious… but what is this prayer? 😊

Still learning,
CM
We are all still learning… so nothing is obvious to all of us… I learn things here everyday that I feel most Catholics already know… so don’t feel strange asking!

The Memorare, as I have it on the back of a laminated prayer card I always keep in my purse…

The Memorare of St. Bernard

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins, my mother;
to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.
 
I was thinking about this thread when I woke up this morning and was feeling very overwhelmed with some things that are going on in my life. I’m much better now though. I sent out some messages to friends and family asking for their prayers as I head towards court on Tuesday. I went to Mass and my priest was so nice as to weave some particular encouragements into his homily since we talked yesterday. I liked the way he was able to use today’s readings to give me some comfort. Then I went to adoration at a neighboring church and prayed the rosary. It is amazing how much calmer and more competent I feel now.

A friend once told me that blesssed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted is an invitation to share what is weighing on our heart. How can we be comforted if we keep all of our burdens to ourself?
 
We are all still learning… so nothing is obvious to all of us… I learn things here everyday that I feel most Catholics already know… so don’t feel strange asking!

The Memorare, as I have it on the back of a laminated prayer card I always keep in my purse…

The Memorare of St. Bernard

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins, my mother;
to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.
I’ve never heard that prayer before… it is beautiful ~ thank you!
 
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