Sometimes the busyness of the season (time of year or life) is a precursor to hibernation. Right now I have more on my plate than an oversized college football player does on Thanksgiving! My eyes were too big for my stomach and all I can see ahead is nausea.
One of my students is at the same table as I am and she too has piled way too much on her plate, but she did it for a different reason - she's afraid that if she doesn't, she won't have what she needs later. She's preparing for a lean winter.
Some of us, when we get overwhelmed, tend to pull away, back off, and even drop out of sight altogether. That's what I do. That's what my student, Ellen (not her real name), does, too. The problem then arises that everyone else around you may use the "out of sight, out of mind" approach with you and when you find yourself in need, you find yourself completely alone.
Ellen came out of her self-induced hibernation long enough to fall apart at the mouth of her burrow. One the one hand you could say that she came out too soon. On the other you could say that she went to sleep too soon. Either way, she is not strong enough to make it through the long winter this way. She needs help from people willing to hand feed her until the Spring comes. She needs a safe place to be, away from predators and vultures.
I know that I've been hibernating. I can tell you all the good reasons why. I can outline for you why I just had no more energy to engage in the things of daily living. I need to clear some of the food off of my plate so that my portion is appropriate. After all, my stomach is supposedly only the size of my fist; why take in more than I can handle?
I know from experience that if I don't decrease my portion for myself, God will do it for me. That's enough motivation for me to deal with it.
What about you?