Four Strategies For Dealing With Chaos

Each of us have different levels of tolerance and I believe this also applies in our ability to handle “chaos” that may occur in form of a messy house, piled up laundry, other housekeeping problems, and work-family conflict.

I assume that in less than a year into parenting some mamas have their house operating as smooth as a well-oiled ship: Feeding schedules, food time tables, wake/ nap/sleep times allocated, office hours penciled in and so on. While other first-time moms like me are just beginning to put things in order after one year of parenting.

Having implemented some changes, chaos is gradually giving way to some sane sense of order in my life. An examination of behaviors that contribute to chaos have helped me come up with strategic ways to deal with chaos.

The strategies below have helped me in dealing with chaos as a Christian mom and wife working from home. I believe they can help you in bringing order wherever you may be experiencing chaos.

Seek God First: While there are countless secular books, articles, speakers, conferences that stress the importance of changing the way we think, meditation/positive affirmations and implementing discipline into our daily routines. We cannot truly accomplish much more without God’s help. We need God’s supernatural to be added to our natural.

What we will spend a lot of time, money and effort trying to force ourselves to accomplish comes so easily with God’s help.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

Seeking God also involves meditating on God’s word and declaring His Word. Meditating and declaring out loud scriptures from the Word of God is powerful and life transforming. We also get detailed directions on daily decisions from Gods Word. Time spent in God’s presence is refreshing and invigorating:

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.
ISAIAH 40:31 (AMP)

Cut out times wasting activities: Often times we tell ourselves we deserve some “me” time to relax and de-stress. Most often, we do so through social media, television or our favorite game app. This precious time can be spent doing a mountain list of chores or office work. Having work pile up just makes it more overwhelming and energy-draining

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27 (NIV)

The Message translation says:

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive.

It is Important to start instilling in our children a sense of responsibility at an early age and not do all the chores for them. It’s a Win-win situation because:

A) It lessens the work for you

B) Trains them to be productive and responsible members of society

Develop physical and mental stamina: Oftentimes, there are so many things we want to do, but physically we are just too exhausted to do anything but move through the day in a sleep-deprived haze. It is important to develop good sleeping habits, make healthy diet choices, and engage in regular exercise to build our physical fitness.

Research shows that Aerobic exercise increases brain volume in the parts of the brain that support short-term memory and improve cognitive function. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/amp/320576

Other ways we can stimulate and keep our brains active is by learning new information, learning a new language or finally taking lessons on your dream musical instrument.

She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] And makes her arms strong – PROVERBS 31:17 (AMP)

Make use of organization tools: Yes I am talking about implementing one or several of the following:

a) To-do lists

b) Scheduling

c) Implementing daily waking up/nap/bed times for your children

d) Setting Alarm reminders on your phone

The key here is to find a balance. Don’t be too hard on yourself, yet at same time put some effort in being more responsible in balancing your work, home and family responsibilities. Most importantly, Seek God’s help.