Top 10 signs you're overcommitted

by Julie Sallee for ec magazine

10. You lost your daily planner, and it literally left you in a panicked, out-of-control, hysterical state.

9. You don't take the time to listen to your voicemails until the inbox is completely maxed out.

8. Your Facebook relationship status says "In a relationship with caffeine."

7. You can't even watch a new episode of your favorite show without thinking of what you have to do as soon as it is over.

6. Anxiety attacks are now a part of your everyday routine, just like fast food for lunch and faster food for supper.

5. You constantly find yourself looking at you dog in envy of its simple lifestyle.

4. You tried to say "no," but it came out as "no problem."

3. It has been at least a week since anyone heard your voice over the phone—who has time for a conversation when texting is so much faster?

2. So what if you haven't showered or flossed in almost three days . . . hygiene is secondary to sleep.

1. Sleep? S-L-E-E-P? You must be joking!

Do these sound like you? If so, here's some advice:
• Evaluate what's going on. Where is the pressure coming from? Do your parents have great expectations for you and you feel overwhelmed by that? Talk to them! Don't be disrespectful or argumentative, but do be honest. Is the pressure coming from you? Take a step back and evaluate. Spend some time in prayer. Talk with your parents or trusted, mature Christian advisers. Learn the lesson now that you can't always do everything.

• Learn to listen, take deep breaths, and don't underestimate the power of taking a break from a stressful situation.

• Are you taking too much on yourself? This could be your workload, class load, problems—and sometimes it might even include other peoples' problems. You can't take responsibility for everything in the world and not everything is your fault. If it's school work that's stressing you out, break things down into smaller tasks. Learn some basic study skills and plan ahead. Don't procrastinate. If you're having trouble juggling work, school, sports, or whatever it is you do, understand that there's no shame in NOT doing something. Talk things through with your parents. Pray and ask for God's leadership in the situations. Follow the Holy Spirit's leading to the things that are most important and spend your time there.

• Don't mistake all your accomplishments for self-worth. Sometimes we get caught up in doing a lot of things because it makes us feel useful, important, and someone who is worth something. That's not the truth. Your worth is found in the fact that you are made in God's image and He loves you. You are a child of God; let that define who you are and what you do. If you recognize that you are trying to find worth in the things you do, talk to your parents about it. Enlist a trusted Christian friend or mentor to talk to when you start to feel overwhelmed by your lack of perfection. Do what Scripture says and take negative thoughts captive (2 Cor. 10:5) and erase negative talk from your vocabulary.

Finally, understand this: sometimes, God uses the most broken, disappointing moments of your life to teach you about Himself. Maybe you can't handle whatever it is you're facing—and that's kind of the point. God wants to handle it and display His power in and through your life. That's easy to say, but it's hard to submit to when you're actually going through it. But you can trust Him. He doesn't leave when things get tough.


© 2009 LifeWay Christian Resources
Julie Sallee, "Top 10 signs you are overcommitted," ec magazine, May 2009, LifeWay Christian Resources: Nashville, 2009, p. 8.

© 2008 LifeWay Christian Resources
Mandy Crow, "Overwhelmed: Ways to fight back," ec magazine, December 2008, LifeWay Christian Resources: Nashville, 2008, p. 56-58.

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15 cool Christmas gifts under $15

If you’re scratching your head, trying to figure out what to give that person on your list who is hard to buy for, consider our suggestions. Just click on the item's name to link to its Web site. (Prices listed do not reflect shipping and handling. Prices are correct as of Dec. 15, 2008.)



Luggage tags ($10)
This handy set offers some laughs while saving other folks the trouble of accidentally picking up your bag.






Reminder to save ($10)
It’s a better take on the traditional piggy bank. Spare change is always available if you obey the simple reminder to “save.”


Gadget pen ($13.95)
Better than a pocket knife (and maybe even more useful!). This pen is actually a 12-function tool, and it comes in three colors. We think guys and girls alike will find this one of the most practical presents they’ve ever received!




Make your own chewing gum kit ($11.95)
Almost everybody likes gum. This is a fun gift idea, although it is not suitable for your friends with braces.



Faucet light ($14.99)
We're not really sure that this product serves a functional purpose, but it sure is fun! Talk about a conversation starter. Plus, you don’t have to worry about not being able to watch yourself wash your hands if ever the power goes out.






Mini water cooler ($12.99)
Instead of getting up to get a drink of water while you study, work on homework, or finish that big project, this mini water cooler keeps you hydrated right where you are. It's way more fun than a water bottle.






Stapleless stapler ($12)
If you have less than five sheets of paper to keep together and you don’t want to use a stapler, check out these! They punch a hole in the paper and fold the flaps together to keep your stack in tact. And there’s a bonus: you get two per set!




Grocery bag holder ($4.99)
Tired of struggling to lug lots of little bags (or tired of watching your mom or dad do it)? Order this handy handle and the problem disappears!




Grow your own Venus Flytrap ($8.98)
Got a friend who likes plants? We bet he or she doesn’t have one of these! The Venus Flytrap grows in 10 weeks and then the gift recipient can watch this carnivorous plant do its thing. (And learn from production editor Emily’s mistakes: don’t feed it bread. It won’t open up again!)




Computer screen cleaners ($6.99)
Tired of the fingerprints, smudges, and other unknown smears on your computer screen? This is the (rather cute) solution to a very common problem!







Lunch decision spinner ($4.50)
If you and your friends waste minutes or even hours trying to figure out what to eat, order one of these little gems! While it won’t pick the restaurant for you, it will give you a more concrete type of food to work with.





Remote Finder ($14.95)
Does your TV remote seem to sprout legs and walk away all the time? Find the missing device quickly and easily with this whistle-activated remote locator. Just blow the whistle, and the locator (which attaches to the remote) starts beeping!


Blockheads ($14.99)
Just because you’re too old to play with blocks doesn’t mean these aren’t really fun! There’s an image on each side of the block, so the combinations of faces you can come up with are endless. A great gift for the person who constantly complains of being bored.





USB desk lamp ($11.99)
These lamps shine the light right where you need it. Practical and fun, one of these lamps will make a great gift for the computer addict in your life.




Auto Air Purifier ($14.95)
Got a brother/sister/parent/friend with a stinky car? Give them the auto air purifier, and the problem’s gone! It operates in the cigarette lighter to rid a car of any bad odors.

Reclaiming Christmas

We’ve got to get Christmas back. Not that it actually went anywhere. It’s just that it’s gotten way out of hand lately as we’ve let all the holiday celebrations overshadow what we’re actually supposed to be celebrating. You probably heard about the Wal-Mart employee who was trampled by shoppers rushing the front door on Black Friday last week. But did you hear about how some of those shoppers then refused to leave that store as it was being closed due to the death? They said they’d been in line for hours and were there to shop, no matter who was killed in the process.

Does anyone else see what’s wrong with this picture? Isn’t it ironic that the holiday that’s supposed to celebrate the birth of our Savior incites such a frenzy in shoppers bent on getting that “perfect” gift that someone ends up dead? When do we, as Christians, step in and say, “We’re sorry, World, but this is not what Christmas is about!”

Then again, it’s easy to point fingers and spout out that Jesus is the reason for the season, meanwhile being offended that someone wished you a “Happy Holidays” instead of a “Merry Christmas.” But how often do you let the thought of gift-purchasing, party-going, and time off from school overwhelm your own sense of awe at the actual meaning of this holiday? When you think about Christmas, where does your mind go?



My mind kind of settles on the decorations, sadly. I was decorating my house for Christmas last night, and as I ate breakfast this morning, I was admiring the sparkliness of it all. I felt like Christmas cheer had finally settled upon me. Then it hit me. As I had been decorating, my primary thoughts had been about how much a friend of mine would love the silver reindeer I’d bought or how disappointed I was that my fireplace didn’t have a mantle that I could hang my stocking from. Hello!? Is that stuff even important? I didn’t even have a NATIVITY SCENE in my apartment to remind myself the real reason I’m even celebrating this particular holiday. I’d once again managed to take something sacred (Christmas, not decorating) and somehow twist it so that it’s just as much about the food, the décor, and the parties as it is about Jesus.

Right then, I prayed and ask that God give me a new sense of awe of Christmas. Of the miracle that He provided. Of the meaning of His Gift. If you too are realizing that you want to shift your focus this Christmas back to the One who started it all, then turn to page 8 of this month’s issue of ec for some ideas on how to do that.

Start now. Don’t let Christmas sneak up on you. And that way, when Christmas afternoon comes and everyone else is complaining of that letdown that occurs once all the gifts have been opened and the anticipation is over, you’ll recognize that Christ’s first coming is not something that you just celebrate while the Christmas decorations are up. It’s a gift you can be grateful for all the time.