Overfunctioning as a Christian Woman: Why Rest Feels Risky

For a long time, I didn’t realize I was overfunctioning as a Christian woman. I just thought I was dependable. Disciplined. Faithful.

But underneath all that doing, there was something deeper driving me. It wasn’t ambition. It was pressure.

And for many of us, overfunctioning as a Christian woman doesn’t look like rebellion. It looks like service. Responsibility. Leadership. But when you peel it back, you might find the same thing I did: a fear of what would happen if I stopped.

Would I fall behind? What if everything unraveled? Would I even know who I was without the producing?

Overfunctioning as a Christian Woman Doesn’t Look Like a Problem—Until It Does

I lived like if I didn’t hold it all together, things would fall apart. Not because I wanted to be in control, but because it felt safer than resting. Rest felt risky.

But when I look back now, I can see it clearly: Overfunctioning became my coping strategy. It was how I avoided facing the deeper fears underneath the pressure.

The Invitation to Stop Pushing

Things shifted when I sat with Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God…”

It was a direct invitation to be still not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Stop striving . . . forcing . . . holding everything up with your own strength. And in that stillness, trust: God is still God even when I stop.

How Healing from Overfunctioning as a Christian Woman Actually Looked

The healing didn’t come all at once. It came in the moments I recognized the pressure and chose not to push through.

When I felt that tightness in my chest—like I had to get it done, right now—I stopped. I paused. And I brought it to God.

I’d sit down with my journal, name the feeling, and pray about what was behind it. What was I afraid of? Was there an outcome I was trying to control? What belief was driving the urgency?

Only when I felt peace return would I step back into the work—if I still felt led to. Sometimes I didn’t. This was the healing: not pushing through pressure but pausing to ask what God was inviting me to see beneath it. I needed this new way of relating to God in the middle of real life.

You’re Not the Exception—You’re Being Invited Back into Alignment

There’s a temptation to think this is just how I’m wired. To believe that if I let go, I’ll lose ground. That resting means failing.

But here’s what I’ve learned: You’re not just loved when you rest . . . you’re aligned.

When you stop overfunctioning, you stop striving to be someone you were never asked to be. You return to who God actually made you to be: present, trusting, available.

And from that place, peace isn’t just something you feel, it’s something others feel through you.

Journal Prompt: Where Does Rest Feel Unsafe?

This week, I invite you to pause when pressure rises. Before pushing forward, ask:

• What am I believing right now that’s making me feel I have to do this?
• Where am I afraid to rest?
• What would it look like to let God meet me here instead of muscling through?

Write it down. No pressure to fix it . . . just notice it. Name it. And let God show you the truth underneath.

Want to Explore Journaling Like This With Me?

I’m opening the waitlist for an upcoming Journal Workshop—a space where I’ll walk you through the process I’ve developed over the last 15 years. If you’re curious how journaling can be a lifeline instead of a checklist, I’d love to share what’s helped me and how you can apply it to your life. Join the waitlist here!

If you’d like to explore practical tools that make journaling more life-giving, I shared some of my favorite journaling supplies here.