308: Real Talk on Relief from Overwhelming Emotions in Motherhood with Becky Thompson

Let’s be real friends, motherhood is hard. We’re all craving relief from the overwhelming emotions that come with it, but how do we actually find it? Today, I’m joined by best-selling author Becky Thompson to bring some deep encouragement for moms. We go beyond surface-level fixes and talk honestly about the real emotions in motherhood. This episode reminds us that real peace and rest are possible, even when motherhood feels relentless.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• [03:21] How Can We Stop Feeling Overwhelmed in Motherhood?
• [08:09] Why Are We Running From Rest?
• [11:56] The Rest We Are Longing For Is a “Filling of The Spirit”
• [16:13] How Can We Feel Peace When The World is Full of Problems?
• [20:00] When God Becomes Our Peace, It Changes How We Move Through Life
• [26:16] Small Practical Steps We Can Take to Find Rest and Peace
• [30:53] Alicia’s Reflections: Jesus Wants Us to Go Deeper and Build Intimacy With Him

[03:21] How Can We Stop Feeling Overwhelmed in Motherhood?

We talk a lot about emotions on this podcast, and today we are talking about them from a specific angle – motherhood. If you are a mom, you know that emotions can range from toddlers to teens to empty nests. Although these emotions are always changing, there are similar themes. One of the first themes that Becky talks about in her book Healing Rest is the idea of how we can stop feeling overwhelmed when we do not have a second to ourselves. 

Becky shares that she wishes she had the secret sauce to tell us what to do. She has spoken to rooms full of women with notepads in their hands, waiting for the three-step answer to acquire peace and orient their lives towards the Lord for security and peace. She reminds us that each of us experiences overwhelm differently. For her, overwhelm shows up internally in her chest, her jaw, and her chest. Externally, it looks like the way she attacks the dishes, how she drives intensely, and how she is doing everything very purposefully. Sometimes she does not even notice she is overwhelmed because she has been there for so long.

Since 2020, many moms are now living with a new “overwhelm” baseline. Becky shared that while some may have felt this kind of pressure before, in 2025, it feels like the overwhelm is just part of everyday life. It is not just an occasional moment of stress, it is the place many moms live in all the time. Culture pushes us too hard, schedules are packed, and even our to-do lists can feel like too much. The truth is, if we are not careful, the world around us will fill every moment, and our bodies, minds, and hearts will feel the weight of it.

If you are in this place, Becky reminds you that before rest can be a position of your body, it must be a posture of your heart with the Lord. The invitation today is to lean into the rest that Jesus offers for our overwhelmed hearts. Becky shares that overwhelm not only comes from the circumstances around us and thoughts within us, but also our soul feeling unsettled with God.

When the world fell apart in 2020, we did what we had to do and put one foot in front of the other, but most women did not have a chance to stop and heal. Becky does not think that women have had a time to pause in their day, let alone rest long enough that their hearts can be restored with the presence of the Lord. In her new book, she offers an invitation to shift the perspective of where God is, who He is, and how we can lean in and find rest in Him.

[08:09] Why Are We Running From Rest?

Even though we have the very real demands as moms, there is still space and availability for rest, Becky shares. So why do we run from it? Becky shares that we often view rest as a reward for our finished work. Have you ever said, “I will rest when my work is done. I will sit down when there is no other noise telling me something is unfinished and I am wasting time.” There is so much internal noise when the work is undone that it makes it difficult to rest because our minds are still racing when we are still. We often view rest as something that gets in the way of what needs to be accomplished or something that can only be fully enjoyed when the work is done. 

But as humans, we know that that line keeps moving and the work is always continuing. Becky shares that she believes this is a tactic of the enemy. It sounds noble to put your family first, sacrifice your life, sacrifice your needs, and lay it all down for those that you love. But really, when we push ourselves, we are sacrificing our own peace, mental health, and physical health. 

That is why we run from rest, because we would rather have the “peace” of accomplishment than the peace of the presence of God. But we have to remember that there is actual work being done in our souls when we’re in the presence of God. We can pause our body apart from the Lord, but unless the Lord is meeting us in that space, our soul is not coming back into rest with him.

It is a two-part truth: rest is not a reward for finishing our work; it is a gift made available through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Because of what He has done, we can rest in Him, even when the work is not done. We deserve rest before the checklist is complete, and we deserve the tools that help us find it, whether that is professional counseling, coaching, or anything that teaches us how to pause and quiet the mental noise. But we also need the spiritual resource of knowing how to enter into Jesus’ presence in those moments. That is how we learn to “rest on the go”, trusting that God is holding us, our families, and all the things we worry about in His grace. It has to be both an invitation to be with the Lord and a commitment to let our bodies and minds be still.

[11:56] The Rest We Are Longing For Is a “Filling of The Spirit”

In our culture, we are not taught how to manage emotions, and the same applies to rest. We hear about rest, and we try to get this rest by getting a pedicure and being by ourselves for a few minutes. But these are surface-level things. What Becky is talking about is this true soul release. We are longing for this, yet we continue to let the “gift of accomplishment” overtake the rest. 

This resonated with me because I feel like this is the lie I can get into. I can get into that habit of feeling like I am moving towards accomplishing this goal, and that is what is going to give me rest. I think, “If I finish this, then I can rest.” Which is never going to happen because the rest I am longing for is the filling of the spirit, and that happens as we go. It has to; otherwise, we are just continually moving the carrot down the track.

Becky shares that moms especially recognize this pattern. As moms, we keep telling ourselves, “Once they sleep through the night, I’ll feel more rested,” or “Things will get easier once they can walk, or once they’re in school.” But deep down, we know that line just keeps moving. Each new season brings its challenges, expectations, and there is even more to do. The quiet moments we long for are often replaced by the next thing. And while there is good, joy, and beauty in those seasons, there is also exhaustion, overwhelm, and emotional weight that follows us if we are not careful.

God’s presence promises that it is available right now, fully paid for by the blood of Jesus. There is no higher price, which means it holds the greatest value. Becky once heard someone say, “What you’re willing to pay for something determines its worth,” and Jesus was willing to give His life just to be with us. And yet, so often, we spend all our time and energy building our lives, even good things, even kingdom things, and He whispers, “I love what you’re doing. I love how you care for your family. But I miss you. I love you. And I hate how this is crushing you.” 

He did not create us to carry it all on our own. But as women, we so often say, “It’s fine, I’ve got it.” When really, He’s just inviting us to stop striving and rest in Him, Becky shares. Every mom knows how it feels to watch your child struggle to do something they should know how to do, and we eventually just say, “Let me take care of that,” and we just put it on our backs. We are always willing to receive more, but it takes a spiritual discipline to say, “No, I am going to set this down and stop racing along with the pace of this culture.”

Rest is not the reward that we receive when we get to the finish line. Rest is the stamina that keeps us going in the marathon. It is that thing that we need. As I said before, I always fall for the trick of “When I do this, then I can rest.” But this target is always moving. We have to get to the place where it is a discipline, just like brushing our teeth and washing our hair. It is our sustenance for moving forward.

[16:13] How Can We Feel Peace When The World is Full of Problems?

Let’s talk about peace, especially in the world we are living in today. The chaos of 2020 still seems to ripple in our lives, and studies show anxiety levels spiked by 25% after COVID. For many of us, they have barely come down. As moms, we live with this low-level anxiety and constant sense of danger. It feels like the world is full of threats, and we are always on alert for what our kids might fall into, be exposed to, or be misled by. So what would you say to the mom who asks, “How can I feel peace when the world feels anything but safe for me and my children?”

Becky shares that her first book about mental health was called Peace, Hope, and Healing for the Anxious Momma’s Heart. The Lord walked her through a journey out of anxiety in 2018, and the book was released in 2020. He knew the timing of all of this, and before she wrote the book, God gave her a vision. 

This vision was of a blindfolded woman standing in a dark forest at night. It was as if she had been dropped off there, and she was not wearing shoes or dressed for the forest. Becky watched as she reached up and pulled the blindfold off her eyes. This woman could sense that she was not where she wanted to be, but she was still hoping that maybe she was not quite as alone as she felt. This woman called out “Hello” louder and louder like her life depended on it, but still, no one responded. Becky was standing at her kitchen sink with tears pouring down her face. She said, “Lord, who is she?” And He said, “She is a woman lost in the forest of fear, and you are going in so we can lead her out together.” That season of life for her was the most anxious she had ever been, even with a previously diagnosed anxiety disorder that runs in her family. 

Becky shared that she has also known Jesus her entire life, so she knows what it feels like to be a Christian woman suddenly suffocating with the fear of the world. She knows what it is like to deal with daily fear, fear of a world that does not feel safe, and then dropped into 2020, where all the messaging was “You and everyone you love are not safe.”

We lived under that messaging for so long, Becky shares. Of course, it was dangerous; many people lost their lives, security, and the lives that they knew. She led 10s of 1000s of women through the book and online courses, who said, “I was never afraid until this happened. I never dealt with this, and I can't breathe. I feel like I have to hold my kids so close. What do I do?” Peace was Becky’s journey out of the forests of fear to remind women that the Lord meets them there. 

[20:00] When God Becomes Our Peace, It Changes How We Move Through Life

Becky shares that one question from these women came up over and over again, which was “You are telling me that the Lord is our protector and our strong tower. You are pointing to Scripture, and I want to believe it, but there are people that I love who have lost their lives. There are people that I love that are not okay. There are people that I love who are losing their battle to cancer, and their children have gone through horrible things. Where was God? How can we trust Him? How can you find peace when the world is full of problems?” 

The Lord gave Becky the answer and He reminded her of John 16:33, which says, “In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart. I've overcome the world.” He reminds us that the world is unsafe, that trouble will come, and that it breaks His heart as much as it breaks ours. We think of Jesus as victorious and standing over all things, but He is also the one who weeps and mourns for the way life is. He never intended for it to be this way when He created a perfect home for his family.

Yes, the world is unsafe, and trouble will come, but we are always securely held by a good God who loves us and promises never to leave us. The real gift is not found in safety or in having life turn out the way we want, because ultimately, none of us escapes this world without experiencing loss. While we all long for our families to be spared from pain, Jesus never promised a life free of hardship. What He did promise is that we would never face pain, loss, or trouble without His presence.

When we begin to see His presence, not safety or ease, as the true gift, it shifts everything. The peace we receive is not in the absence of storms, grief, or struggle, but in the nearness of Christ Himself. And when He becomes our peace, it transforms the way we navigate life, allowing us to walk through hard things with a deeper sense of security and hope.

Becky shares that her new book is an invitation to ask, “How does my heart get to the place where I truly want Him more than I want security? Where I long for His presence more than the assurance that everything will turn out okay?” It is in that place of surrender and longing for God Himself that we begin to discover what is truly real. When we seek Him like that and find Him in that deeper way, it brings healing, peace, and freedom. Even as we walk through the unknown or the difficult moments, He is with us, and that companionship changes everything.

When we settle for surface-level, physical rest, it can bring some relief, but God desires to give us a deeper, complete rest for our soul, mind, and body. Often, when we are afraid of what could happen, or of what is happening, we default to asking God to take it away. But true surrender sounds like, “Come what may, Your will be done. I know You love me, and the promise I’m holding onto is that You are with me in the storm.” That truth does not change, no matter what.

We are often quick to remember the comforting promises of God, but we forget that He also promised there would be trouble. We need to stop being surprised by hardship. I remember the early days of motherhood, it felt like trouble kept coming. Another sleepless night and another earache. But instead of asking to be rescued from it all, we can begin to pray to rest in Him through it. 

Becky reminds us that we cannot rest in arms that we do not fully trust. For her, the Lord’s invitation has not been a question of “Do you trust Me?” but a call to lean into trust and ask, “How do I actually live out that trust? How do I let go?” We often try to hold onto control while still longing for rest, but Jesus never offered both. Control is only an illusion of peace, an illusion that we can fix, change, or hold everything together. 

She shares that she cannot be the savior of her kids’ stories or the one who holds everything together for her family. Trying to carry that burden will only lead to burnout and heartache. Real rest comes not through control, but through surrender and placing trust in the One who truly can carry it all. If you are overwhelmed, burnt out, and do not know how to change your day-to-day life, the invitation from Jesus here is to let Him change the posture of your heart so that you have the spiritual strength. 

[26:16] Small Practical Steps We Can Take to Find Rest and Peace 

Becky shares that a small practical step to find rest and peace is to recognize when alarms go off in our lives. It is important to notice the tension in our bodies or how we feel in the morning. Sometimes we wake up feeling the need to ask the Lord for help, but often, we pray for strength or peace as if it is something we can get and use on our own, like picking up something in a to-go bag out of a drive-thru window. However, the rest Jesus offers is connected to His presence, and it cannot be separated from it. His peace comes like an infusion when we truly invite Him in.

For Becky, the step toward peace is stillness, asking the Lord to make her aware of His presence right here and now. It is not just head knowledge from what we have read, but a deeper experience of feeling His arms around us. Even those who have spent their lives in His Word can forget that He is not an idea or a figure waiting on the other side of eternity. He dwells within us, and from this indwelled place, He already knows what’s to come and draws us toward eternity with Him.

Becky shares that she does not have an exact method, but she uses this simple prayer for awareness again and again: “Make me aware, mind, heart, body, soul, spirit, that You are here in this room with me.”  Then she takes a deep breath and goes from there. 

This reminds me of a conversation I heard from John Eldredge the other day. He was talking about how we need to start following Christ with our left and right brains because we need both logic and emotion. If we have been a Christian for a long time, we are really good at logically following the steps of being a Christian. The part that is missing is sitting back in the stillness and letting the mystery of God show up. Not just asking Him for strength like it’s a to-go order, like Becky said. I realized how often I have prayed, “God, give me strength,” and then just moved on with my day. But what if He is not just trying to give us a quick boost? What if He wants to be with us and carry us? That’s a whole different way of living.

[30:53] Alicia’s Reflections: Jesus Wants Us to Go Deeper and Build Intimacy With Him

I often interview people I have never met, and this conversation with Becky reminded me that there are people who are willing to dig deeper into the topics that we may gloss over. It is easy to say, “Just release it all to God and surrender your worries to Him.” We share these things a lot in the Christian world, and from this conversation, I hope that you heard another dialogue that is available for us. 

These topics do not have to be surface-level. Jesus wants us to go deeper, and there is intimacy that He offers which has no substitution. I pray that this conversation was an encouragement to you and that this is the type of God who wants to meet you in your rest. He is the one who wants to not just “fill your to-go cup from the drive through of strength”, He really does want to dwell with you. That strength and rest that we are looking for is not going to come outside of His presence, as Becky so beautifully put it. Check out Becky’s work here.

If you are struggling with emotions right now, I want you to know I am here for you. I would truly love to have a conversation with you about what it looks like to walk through these emotions with the Lord. I love connecting with women who, like me, are in the middle of it and just need someone to listen and offer encouragement. If that sounds like something you are interested in, you can reach out to me on Instagram or Facebook. 

I also offer a free 20-minute call where we can talk through what you are facing emotionally, what has been tripping you up lately, and how I might be able to support you. Whether it is simply listening, sharing a helpful resource, or reminding you that you are not alone. Sometimes it feels like I am just speaking into a microphone, but I trust that God uses it to reach the one heart that needs it most, and maybe that is yours today.

RESOURCES:

Tired of up-and-down feelings stealing your peace, sabotaging your relationships, and filling your mind with self-defeating thoughts? If so, make sure to get my new book, “Emotional Confidence: 3 Simple Steps to Manage Emotions with Science and Scripture”.

Connect with author Becky Thompson

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