Moms + Work 04: Real Help When You're Overwhelmed—An Interview with Jill Thomas
As moms, the work that fills our to-do lists can feel overwhelming. Schedules are tight, keeping the house clean is near-impossible, and the weight of meeting the mental and emotional needs of our families can put us in overdrive. In this episode, Emily chats with Jill Thomas, a mental health therapist focused on helping moms through the challenges of marriage and motherhood, on the ways work affects our mental health and how to step back and care for ourselves as we seek to faithfully do what God has placed before us. When our work feels heavy, we can rejoice that God has never asked us to do it alone, and his grace is sufficient to sustain.
*While Jill Thomas is a licensed therapist, this episode is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you resonate with any of the mental health topics discussed, please reach out to a counselor or medical professional.
Want to help Risen Motherhood keep creating the content you know and love?
As a part of our Moms + Work series, we’ve created a new workbook to help moms process through their income-producing endeavors. If you are currently considering changes to your income-producing work—whether that’s taking a job for the first time as your family enters a new season, scaling back because you’ve added another child, or debating whether or not to go back to work after your first baby, this workbook is for you. Filled with questions to help you consider logistics and practical execution, as well as take you deeper with heart motivations and desires, this workbook can be done alone or with your spouse.
We understand that the decision to pursue income-producing work is different for all moms, each with a unique set of circumstances. No matter your season, we pray this workbook is of service to you. This will correspond with Episode 3 of the Moms + Work mini-series, but can be done at any time.
R|M Apply Questions:
Consider your own daily rhythm and family life. Are you seeing signs of chronic overwhelm? Or, are there needs you may have capacity to fulfill outside of your home?
Jill outlines the “4 D’s” to help shape where we may be able to reframe our day-to-day responsibilities and burdens. Draw out four squares on a piece of paper and label them: Delegate, Drop, Delay, and Do. What can you place in these categories?
Read the conversation between Moses and God in Exodus 3-4. In Exodus 4:11, what encouragement do you find in God’s response when Moses feels as though he isn’t fit for the purpose God has called him?
Jill talks about putting on our “gospel goggles” when we’re struggling to find motivation or purpose in our work. As you think about the responsibilities that sit before you this week, what would it look like to reframe these through the lens of the gospel?
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