Ever had a day when everything went south?
The phone rings or you get an emergency text and WHAM! everything’s upside down and out of control.
I recently had a day like that. I called my sister to see how her husband was doing and ended the conversation tossing an overnight bag in the car, cancelling appointments, and heading for the coast three hours away.
Long story to novella – my sister had been moving her husband from hospital to rehab, to home and then back to the hospital. Things were not going well.
After tears and prayers in the hospital chapel, a long and difficult discussion with doctors, staff and specialists ensued. Ultimately the decision was made to discharge my brother-in-law from the hospital and have him transported to home as a Hospice patient.
Once the decision was made things began moving fast. Speech therapists showed us how to thicken drinks and gave dietary restraints. Physical therapists demonstrated how to move a stroke victim from bed and back again. Prescriptions were written and explained. A hospital bed, oxygen and other items were delivered to the house. When all was in place the ambulance arrived with a striker chair to move my brother-in-law upstairs to his room. It was a frenetic whirlwind of activity all taking place in a single day. That night, at 8:00 PM when the Hospice coordinator arrived, I was in complete information overload and feeling frazzled.
How do you remain calm on a day like that? It’s not easy, but here’s what I’ve learned to do to stay sane during insane times.
1. Take a moment to let the situation settle. Stop talking, reacting and take a breath.
2. Intentionally switch gears and pray.
- Ask for the Holy Spirit to comfort and calm you.
- Ask for supernatural clarity of mind, strength and wisdom.
3. Choose to control your thoughts.
- Filter out all the senseless chatter.
- Think of yourself more as an observer to the chaos than a part of it.
- Control what you can – let the rest go – and trust God with all of it.
- Fear not.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
Drink lots of water, eat something, and rest whenever you can.
I pray you won’t have any or many days like this. But if you do, remember you’re not alone and somebody cares about you.
