How Does time with God Heal Overstimulation: Calmer Motherhood

Whole is the goal

As much as we’d like to be the mom who has never once lost her cool, or yelled at her children, or had to leave the room because of noise…we’ve all fallen short at one point or another. That is very human.

However, living in a state of overstimulation, with the constant need to withdraw are symptoms of a heart in need of deep rest.

Time alone, creative outlets such as hobbies, socialization, and healthy self-talk are all vital aspects of a whole mother.

But I argue, that even if mother does all those things…

works out,

eats well,

has her girls nights,

dates her husband regularly,

and takes her vitamins…

She will never be completely whole. Never have enough patience. Never be fully at rest, if she is not spending time with God.

It’s not you, love- It’s the science.

Almost every single piece of sensory information has to pass through a central routing station in your brain called the thalamus before it reaches your conscious mind.

This is a very intelligent design.

You have a built in “brain gate” that works on your behalf, using inhibitory neurotransmitters—GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)—to quiet down irrelevant signals.

Exhaustion, stress, or genetic predispositions can cause the “gate” to get stuck open, allowing sensory signals to flood your cerebral cortex at full intensity.

Data then hits your amygdala—the brain’s threat-detection center.

Because the automatic filters in the thalamus aren’t working, you have to use conscious energy to ignore distractions.

This consumes massive amounts of glucose and oxygen, leading rapidly to cognitive fatigue. You lose the ability to focus, become highly irritable, and feel like you want to escape.

Ever felt those things?

A mother load

Physiologically, your brain does not separate emotional stress from physical stress. 

Heavy expectations—such as the need to be a more perfect mom, maintain a clean house, or simply make other people happy causes anticipatory stress.

• “Am I doing enough?”
• “What do they think of me?”
• “I need to control this outcome.”

These kind of though-life demands subconsciously override your body’s natural signals to slow down.

This is what keeps us from centering into God’s presence,

which requires a closet encounter. (alone, quiet, silent, low sensory)

“…when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.”

Matthew 6:6

He wait on us to wait on him

But as a mother, I know that…

…things demand time and time is so limited.

It’s unendingly awesome knowing the Holy Spirit waits for us each morning inside of our unopened bibles to give us another glimpse of Jesus.

Forget completely how often you “miss” these moments and drop the heavy guilt-quilt which accompanies.

Instead, KNOW this,

When we do open that love letter- his word,

and humbly sit…

Sit. Still. In the silence. Listening for Him. Looking for Him.

He is faithful to show up.

He doesn’t make us pay for our lack of interest, or misplaced priorities.

He, like a waiting groom, has not abandoned the chance to meet his Beauty in their tryst.

He is always present.

We are the ones who need to show up in return.

Quiet time is our moment to do that. To be present and silence every demand for the request of his presence.

What happens when we do

When we do…

we hear from heaven.

We are seen.

We are heard.

We are enlightened.

We become load-less.

We are reminded. Of His character. His omniscience. His understanding and patience.

We are filled at a soul level, in the place so secret, no one knew exactly what we needed- not even ourselves. Somehow God reaches into THAT place.

He takes the “us” that was there and tattoos His love.

Rebranded for a new day

With the self imposed-

world imposed-

culture imposed-

family and friends imposed-

demands done completely away with, and replaced with the pleasure of his company,

we then approach not only our children and chores with a different spirit, but we have wiped windows which see clearly-

that our lives are so much more than what we do,

or what we haven’t yet achieved,

or whatever else ails our minds to overstimulation.

We are at rest in the simple truth, that God is enough.

He IS our life, and the one we live in the seen realm is only a shadow.

A shadow, yet, a short and priceless moment. To live it fully abandoned for the one who deserves every second.

Admiration’s imitation

Overestimation is legit. I understand the feeling as a Mom of 4. I could go toe to toe with every mom as to why I am completetly overwhelmed.

And the moments of, “Please stop talking” or “Do not say mommy one more time.”

…are part of being the center of tiny human’s world’s.

What we are aiming toward is a culture and atmosphere conducive to peace, rest, and joy.

We become aligned with heaven when we spend time with Him.

We don’t “get more patient”

We’ve spent time with the one who is patience.

Humans imitate the person who is most cherished to them and whom they most admire.

Who is that for you?

If you don’t make it God, the space is hungry to volunteer replacements. You’ll see.

The more of Him they’ll see

The more time you spend with God,

the more of Him your family will see.

The more that God has your undivided attention,

the easier it will be to recognize his tone when you are doing other things.

Not one moment is wasted with God,

Stay happy.

The Promised List

When you are feeling overstimulated and need practical ways to remedy the overwhelm in the moment, try these proven tactics to reset your brain and calm your nervous system.

There is no condemnation for NEEDING a few tools in your tool belt.

Physically Related

• Visual Deprivation: Close your eyes, slip on a weighted eye mask, or sit in a dark room. Over 80% of our sensory processing is dedicated to vision.
• Tactile Simplification: Shed tight, restrictive, or scratchy clothing. Change into soft, loose, seamless fabrics. i.e.- take your bra off.
• two quick inhales through the nose, followed by one long, slow exhale through the mouth. The second “micro-inhale” pops open the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs, allowing for maximum carbon dioxide offloading on the long exhale, which instantly triggers a drop in heart rate.
• Vocal Resonance (Humming, Chanting, or singing): The vagus nerve passes directly through your vocal cords and larynx. Low, rhythmic vibration—like gargling water or deep humming (the “vooo” sound)—physically stimulates the nerve.
• Cold Exposure to the Face: Splashing ice-cold water on your face, or holding an ice pack on your chest or the back of your neck, triggers the mammalian dive reflex. This reflex instantly slows your heart rate and shifts your nervous system out of sympathetic fight-or-flight.
• The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Method: A classic technique to anchor your focus on the present physical environment. Name to yourself:
  • 5 things you can see
  • 4 things you can physically feel (e.g., the chair supporting you, the floor)
  • 3 things you can hear
  • 2 things you can smell
  • 1 thing you can taste
• Deep Pressure Therapy: Using a weighted blanket, a heavy pillow on your lap, or receiving a firm, slow hug. Deep touch pressure sends calming, organizing inputs to the central nervous system, similar to how swaddling calms an infant.
• Wall Push-Ups or Floor Planks: Pushing flat against a wall with maximum effort for 10 to 15 seconds. This intense muscle contraction releases tension and forces your brain to shift its processing resources away from ambient noise and into your major muscle groups.
• Rocking motions. If you have a rocking chair, use that or sway back and forth for a few minutes. Even a swing outside will work.

Noice Related

• Low-Stimulus Auditory Masking: If absolute silence is impossible, use brown noise or pink noise rather than white noise.
• Active Noise-Canceling (ANC) Headphones
• What to Avoid: Podcasts, audiobooks, or lyric-heavy, high-tempo pop music. These require your prefrontal cortex to decode language and structure, which eats up the very mental bandwidth you need to manage your kids.
• What to Choose instead: Lofi beats, ambient cinematic tracks, classical piano, or acoustic guitar. These genres provide a predictable, rhythmic blanket of sound. They mask sudden, jarring household noises (like toys clattering or high-pitched squeals) without demanding an ounce of your conscious attention.

Food Related

If you are already dealing with high-sensory demands, a blood sugar crash will instantly push you into a hyper-irritable, fight-or-flight state.

• Avoid: Quick-digesting simple sugars on an empty stomach (packaged sweet treats, white breads, or sugary sodas), which cause steep spikes and subsequent crashes.
• Emphasize: Complex, fiber-rich carbohydrates paired with a protein or a healthy fat (like oats, sweet potatoes, chia seeds, or berries). These digest slowly, keeping glucose levels beautifully stable so your adrenal glands aren’t forced to pump out stress hormones.
• Magnesium (The Neuro-Relaxant): Magnesium acts as a natural gatekeeper on NMDA receptors in the brain. These receptors control excitatory neurotransmission. When you are low on magnesium, your brain cells become hyperexcitable and easily overwhelmed.
  • Food sources: Pumpkin seeds, dark leafy greens, almonds, cacao/dark chocolate, and avocados.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (The Myelin Builders): Your brain cells are insulated by a protective myelin sheath (similar to the plastic coating on electrical wires). Omega-3s help maintain this barrier, ensuring that neural signals travel cleanly without “short-circuiting” or causing erratic brain activity.
  • Food sources: Wild-caught salmon, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.
• L-Theanine (The Alpha Wave Maker): An amino acid that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. It blocks glutamate receptors (which cause anxiety and overexcitement) while promoting calming alpha brain waves.
  • Food sources: High-quality green tea or matcha.