When You're Doing Too Much

When You’re Doing Too Much…But Don’t Know How to Slow Down

December has a funny way of magnifying the pace we’ve been sprinting at all year.
Women keep telling me the same thing in different words:

“I know I can’t keep going like this…but I don’t know how to downshift.”

It’s not that they haven’t tried to rest.
It’s that rest doesn’t “stick.”
As soon as they sit still long enough to breathe, the exhaustion hits like a freight train.

Then the guilt creeps in:

– “I should be doing something.”
– “Everyone needs something from me.”
– “If I slow down now, everything will fall apart.”

You’re not imagining this.
And you’re not failing.

You’re just…tired.
And your brain is trying to protect you.

The Real Reason Rest Feels Impossible

Here’s the truth:
Your brain is wired to conserve energy when it senses you’re low on reserves.

That feeling of sudden exhaustion when you finally sit down?
That’s your lizard brain saying:
“Oh good, she stopped. Shut everything down.”

It thinks it’s saving you from a tiger on the hill.
Except…
There is no tiger.
Just a calendar that looks like a Christmas tree had babies with your to-do list.

Your exhaustion is a survival response.
But your soul needs something deeper:

Recovery. Restoration. Space.

Maybe You’re Just Doing Too Many Things

Let’s name another truth:

You might be doing more than is yours to carry.

Not everything on your plate belongs to you.
Not every “yes” is required.
Not every expectation is holy.
Not every holiday tradition is necessary this year.

Sometimes the bravest spiritual discipline is:

Saying no.
Letting something go.
Not picking it back up again.

Here are three questions I invite my clients to consider:

1. What am I doing out of obligation, not calling?

2. What am I holding because I don’t trust it will get done without me?

3. What quietly drains me every week that no one asked me to carry?

What would December feel like if you gave yourself permission to put one thing down?

What if letting go is not quitting…but obeying?

Your Limits Are Not Flaws — They’re Signals

Women often think they’re failing because they’re tired.
But your limits are part of how God communicates with you.

Your need for rest is a cue.
Your low energy is a cue.
Your irritability is a cue.
Your tears-in-the-car moment is a cue.

These aren’t signs of weakness.
They’re indicators that your soul is overdue for renewal.

You are not a machine.
You’re a human being made in the image of a restoring, renewing God.

A Gentle Way Forward This Week

You don’t have to overhaul your December.
You don’t need a color-coded calendar.
You don’t need a miracle burst of energy.

You just need one small shift.

Here are a few ideas to try:

• Cancel something you don’t actually have to attend.
• Remove one tradition that feels like pressure instead of joy.
• Ask for help (I know—hard).
• Build a 5-minute “quiet pocket” into each day.
• Replace one late-night task with sleep.
• Let someone else handle part of Christmas this year.

Think margin, not mastery.

Think breathing room, not burnout.

Think obedience, not overachievement.

You Don’t Have to Keep Running This Pace

If you’re exhausted, depleted, or secretly dreading the holiday rush, you’re not alone.
And you’re not stuck.

Your soul knows when it’s time to slow down.
Your body knows.
Your spirit knows.

This December, may you have the courage to honor your God-given limits—and the confidence to put a few things down. If you're ready to get strategic about the coming holiday season, grab the priority planner PDF. It will help you dump that swirling to-do list, find some things you can delegate/eliminate and get it all on the calendar.

Your future self will thank you.