Brace Yourselves… PACE Yourselves!

2025 has come in like a fully-powered firehose in the face! Transitions and fast-paced changes are overwhelming making it hard to keep up with it all. But I want to encourage you to pace yourselves. What we are seeing is just the beginning and we have a long way to go.

Challenges come in many forms. It could be something as serious as an unexpected health crisis or a personal challenge like an attempt (or need) to overcome a bad habit. These are examples of long-haul issues. Ones that will require your “participation,” whether you prefer to give it or not, in order to overcome. The prospect of facing a challenge like either of the ones I named, or a million others that you can plug into the “imagine if” scenario, can be daunting when you try to tackle everything at once. So I encourage you… pace yourselves!

Stamina is the Key

I entered 2025 with STAMINA as my focus word (click the word to read the full post). At the time that it was revealed to me toward the end of 2024, I was mentally and physically worn down from all that the year had required of me and the word was a strategy that God gave me to avoid feeling the same way at the end of this year. I understand so much better now the reason He gave it to me!

Any long-term commitment requires a strategy to make it from start to finish. Enduring a challenge requires spiritual grounding, mental fortitude, emotional strength and intelligence, and physical endurance to sustain you. You’re going to need a PLAN, Friend, and it must be able to support you on many fronts. Stamina is the ability to hang in there. It is being able to keep standing and to keep fighting when things are tough! It is being able to go every round with the strength to keep contending for the win. In order to do that, you must pace yourself.

Going All the Rounds

I’m not a huge boxing fan but I have watched some matches here and there, and I do enjoy a number of other sports. In individual sports, where the outcome of the competition is in the hands of one person, the ability to manage their pace is key to determining the likelihood of a whether or not a competitor can, well, compete. Boxing requires non-stop movement against the opponent. The early rounds of a match are usually an intentional “feeling out” of the opponent, assessing their strategy and style and figuring out their weaknesses. Those rounds are also a time to exercise measured control over the amount of energy that the boxers exert so they don’t run out of steam before the end of the fight. The same strategy applies with marathons and other long-distance races. A key part of the training for these sports is strength and ENDURANCE training to increase the ability for sustained performance over time. That’s what you’re going to need, what WE are going to need, for the foreseeable.

Things are shifting quickly!!! They already have in many ways in a very short time. Your head may be on a swivel, you find it hard to keep up and things feel out of control but I want to assure you that there are things that you can do to brace yourself, and pace yourself, so you are still standing once the raging winds have stopped blowing, and even when they continue to!

Create Your Plan

Educate yourself but don’t overwhelm yourself. There is a tidal wave of information being thrown at us right now. I encourage you to very carefully choose what you wish (or need) to consume and to tune out the rest as best as you can. Focus on finding truth that matters most in the areas that directly impact you. The Bible is the best place to start as it offers great insight into the times in which we are living. Not only that, it provides reassurance that God indeed has a plan and that everything is working out as it’s supposed to. I won’t detail a list of Scriptures at this point but I would encourage you to research what the Bible says about the end-times. Google is a good place to start!

Intentionally find joy. Life is bound to feel very heavy and very scary. We all need healthy outlets to balance out the heaviness. Find hobbies and engage in them regularly, play games with your family and hang out with your friends. Find reasons to laugh OFTEN! Doing these things releases the good hormones that can help keep you stabilized.

Care for yourself physically. Drink your water, move your body, go outside and get sufficient sleep. Our bodies carry stress and trauma. It’s important to incorporate ways for the stress and trauma to move through the body so you don’t get stuck holding onto it. Don’t create an environment where sickness and disease can take up residence!

Be intentional about community. Nothing feeds a downward mental spiral like isolation! Make time for your friends and family. Go to church or wherever your people are. The potential to give and receive love is immeasurable in value and of tremendous support.

BREATHE. Literally stop and take a few deep breaths when you start to feel overwhelmed, or before responding if you are triggered. Inhale for four seconds and then slowly release by exhaling for 6-8 seconds. That should immediately calm you and help to regulate your emotions.

Seek help if/when you need it. There’s no shame in reaching out for help! As a matter of fact, you do yourself a great disservice (and possible harm!) if you need help and don’t get it. The CDC, The Mayo Clinic, and the National Alliance On Mental Illness are but a few examples of the resources available. Click any of these links as a starting point or refer to your health insurance for potential benefits and resources.

The Long Haul

Life brings us all challenges that may put us on a long, hard road. Try as we may, wish as we might, the only way to get through some hard things is to get through them! Taking the proper steps can help to increase your stamina and prepare you for the long haul. You’ve got this, Friend! You were already capable and now you hopefully have a few extra tools to add to your kit. And always remember, we are in this together. Here’s cheering you on!