On-Demand
Session
Empowering educators to joyfully fulfill their God-given calling
4 Root Causes of Overwhelm (and How to Fix Them!)
with Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi of Tightrope Teaching
Teachers, are you feeling buried under to-do lists, obligations, and mental clutter? If so, you’re not alone. Overwhelm doesn’t just happen; it has roots. Dig deep into the real reasons you feel stretched too thin in this session with Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi. Uncover the common causes of overwhelm so you can develop a toolkit of strategies to break free.
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About Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi
Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi has been figuring out how to balance the “teacher life” for almost 20 years. As a wife, mother of 4, full-time high school English teacher, and part-time writer, she knows firsthand how difficult (and important) it is to balance work and life without burning out in either space.
She began teaching in 2005, earning her MA in 2009 and National Board Certification in 2011. In 2023, she launched her website and blog, TightropeTeaching.com, where she helps overwhelmed teachers reclaim their time and peace of mind through support, encouragement, intentional strategies, and resources. Rhapsody has a genuine passion for helping others, and Tightrope Teaching enables her to extend that reach outside the walls of her own workplace. What a blessing it’s been to connect with teachers from all over the world!
Rhapsody is a volunteer representative and member of Christian Educators, and regularly contributes writing for their Daily Devotionals. Her work has also been featured in CE’s Teachers of Vision magazine, the Kingdom Educators podcast with Jesica Glover, and Teach4theHeart’s Rise Up Online Summit 2024. She is thrilled to be back at Rise Up 2025 to help, encourage, and connect with this incredible community again!
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*Comments may be used as testimonials.
Very informative
Every session I have watched so far has moved me to tears. They have been speaking truth and encouragement into my teacher heart! Thank you for taking the time to present for this conference!
Patty, I’m so happy that you were so encouraged by the summit! 🙂
These are such great and true areas where we can relieve stress. Thank you!
I love this session. I am going to utilize what I learned and pass it along to my staff!
So glad you found it helpful, Andrea!
I’m not alone! Something that really resonated loudly was to look deep to find the cause of the overwhelm, not just the symptoms.
Loved all of the suggestions. Some of them I do! And some I’m challenged to try.
Love all the tips. Definitely understand trying not to take it all on me – pray and be a conduit of prayer! Give it to God
And also be kind to yourself
Thank you for your vulnerability in sharing what you were doing that was wearing you down. I appreciate the tips for getting things in balance rather than normalizing overwork.
I appreciated this session so much! Some really good reminders and some new ideas I hadn’t considered. A key takeaway for me was “God calls you to do your best, not to experience burnout”. You need rest and time to reset, despite not having everything done!
Some great reminders and refreshers to do to avoid overwhelm!
I love the comment about comparing yourself to veteran teachers. This is something I do frequently, and it is a helpful reminder that everyone is a different teacher at different points along their journey. So helpful!
Sometimes it’s just the one nugget that you needed to hear…so glad it was helpful to you, Katelynn!
So many convicting things here. I am very guilty of the “I will rest when everything is done”. I feel like I am doing better the older I get but definitely a perfectionist. At least I am organized….
Keep working on that perfectionism, Laurie…it is SO freeing to let it go 🙂 Rooting for you!
God is in control. We have very little to control.
Doing your best is more about your heart than the product. I am also a recovering perfectionist!
Loved this! Remembering to set boundaries was a huge take away for me. Also, I’m an administrator so it gave me good insight to ask myself how much extra am I putting on my staff? I need to reflect on that and ask my staff for feedback.
Sally, a good admin makes ALL the difference to teachers. Simply knowing that you care enough about their actual wellbeing to even think about their workload is going to mean so much to them! Thank you for being an awesome admin! We need more!
My biggest takeaway from this session was the quote she used about “Comparison is the thief of all joy.” and then the statement that comparison really shows a lack of trust in how God made us and how he equipped us with our own unique talents and gifts.
I appreciated the reminder that I am uniquely and wonderfully made. God has given me what I need to do what He has called me to do.
Amen, Brenda! 🙂
I needed the reminder about comparison and also that we do not carry the heavy burden alone.
I’m reminded of what does God say about… comparison, my todos, his ways!
This session with Rhapsody really hit home- trying to do everything for everyone all the time leaves us with nothing to give others and ourselves. Comparison doesn’t allow for us to truly grow into our full potential. And perfection will never happen this side of life.
Yes, Ingrid! Let these thoughts ruminate and sink in to your heart–it really is a game changer when your mindset shifts in this way. Rooting for you!
Thank you for taking the time to share the 4 key root causes of being overwhelmed. My takeaway is working too much. I also coach and put too much on myself. I’m going to start practicing a work-life balance one day at a time. I’ve learned that I don’t have to be perfect and do it all. Thank you,
Kimberlee McCune
You are SO welcome! Absolutely…1 thing at a time. Because if you try to change everything at once, that can be overwhelming, too! Reminds me of the expression, “How do you eat an elephant?…One bite at a time!”
My biggest takeaway is time. We can work so much and it becomes a burden. We need to do better with the four things she told us. We should be able to love our job but have a work life balance.
Loved this session. What really stuck out to me this year was the “getting too personal” side–that we need to keep our focus on our own hearts and not spiral out imagining worst-case scenarios when people are coming against us. I also want to work on backing off on micromanaging so I can let students have more direction of their own learning.
“Stop comparing yourself to other people”–I spent most of my 38 years of teaching doing this–slowly, “step by step,” coming to the realization that (1) no one ever reaches perfect (including the teachers I wished I were), (2) wishing I were someone else denigrates God’s gifts to me, and (3) it will never all be done (God gives grace and rest and compassion apart from the task and FOR the task, not AS A REWARD FOR what I’ve done).
Great wisdom, Kim! Thank you!
I appreciate the comment of keeping balance and not taking too much on emotionally. God gives us the balance in life and schoolwork when we put our hearts into our job.
Plan out time for grading and lesson plans. We are imperfect people and need to let go of perfectionism. Comparison is the thief of all joy” – good quote.
Recognizing that I’m not perfect and that it’s okay to ask for help: good reminders!
Amy,
Thank you for sharing this. I need to start asking for help along the way.
Love the reminder about control. Making a list of things I can control and trusting God with the things that are out of my control. Trusting God with all of it!!!💕💕💕
Amen, Brenda! 🙂
This was such a good session. Rhapsody’s career is so relatable and it is helpful to hear you should be gentle with yourself and remember it is a process. It will never ALL BE DONE, but that can be a fun creative part of the job if you let it go instead of letting it become an overwhelming reality. As I keep listening to different sessions, God keeps reminding me that He is in control and there is so very little I have control over, so I should stop trying to control so much in situations or in other people.
I’m so happy you found this session helpful, Stephani. Letting go of control is so hard…but I think it’s a little easier when you realize how little you actually have in the first place. Reading your comment, what came to mind for me was Job 38, when God chastens Job saying, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (etc)…I love this part of scripture so much because when I watch God put Job in his place, it reminds me to stay in MY place…which is NOT trying to do God’s job for Him! And even God doesn’t control people; that’s why He gave us free will…such a deep well to think about!
So many good points:
Doing your best is more about your heart than the outcome.
Accept the fact that it will never ALL get done.
So full of good nuggets!!!
1. Every lesson does not have to be a wow lesson to be good for students.
2. Organic moments that happen in the classroom that you could not have planned that lead to student learning!
Been teaching for 25+ years and still able to benefit from what was shared. A must for pre- and in-service teachers within the first three years!
Thank you, Robin! I’m so happy the session was helpful to you!
Doing your best is more about your heart than your product.
Stay poitive and take small steps to defeat feeling overwhelmed.
Really good session. Like how we should stop doing things and just rest, and that the only thing we can control is our emotions and thoughts, but not what other people think of us.
Every piece of advice was helpful and very practical. Thank you so much! I’m especially thinking about my perfectionism and how I am going to look at my never ending “to do” list in a different way.
Thank you, Loli! I’m so happy you got so much out of it!
Rhapsody stated that we need to accept the fact that it will not always all get done. I’m a list maker and a control freak. I feel if my entire list is not completed I have not controlled the situation and I become very anxious. Thank you so much for encouraging me that I will get there just keep pushing forward.
I’m rooting for you, Kim! 🙂
Thank you for sharing! I am definitely going to spend some time planning in grading time before report cards to give some breathing room!
Yes!! This advice was originally given to me by my friend/classroommate/department chair, who is about 10 years my senior. She shared, “don’t take any new work past Memorial Day!” (We ended in the second week of June). From there, I started applying that to every report card period, and it helped SO much!
I know that after leaving teaching 15 years ago, I was called back to teach by God. I really appreciate the fact that you remind us that God is in control. I am walking by faith in this journey and have let the thoughts that I am not qualified to be in the classroom after all these years. I was even questioning why he would lead me down this path. I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions for keeping Him first in this process and let God lead me through this.
Anna, if God had called you to it, He will get you through it. Discouragement and any thoughts of “not enough” are lies of the enemy…God says we are more than conquerors and that we can do ALL things through Christ! Listen to His TRUTH and reject those LIES! Rooting for you!
I have been teaching 20 years. I agree with everything you said. I was spending entire weekends away from my family for years and finally had to learn that it will all be there tomorrow. I was teaching public school at the time and the admin I had really put pressure on the teachers so felt like I had to spend a lot of hours.
Thanks Rhapsody for the great ways to minimize our stress levels as teachers. I love the suggestion not to compare our selves with others. I needed to hear that!! I also love the idea of starting out small and working on one thing at a time!!
So glad you found it helpful, Heather!
I am a perfectionist and a control freak. Knowing God is in control and then acting on that knowledge-letting go and trusting Him-that is where I struggle the most. I didn’t even realize it until now. And now that I know better, I can do better!
One step at a time! I’m rooting for you, Melane! 🙂
So many great takeaways, not just for the classroom, but for life. Thank you for sharing!
I appreciate the reminder to not compare ourselves with other teachers. I do see where others get a lot of recognition and others do not because we are not as congenial. I realize l could be more friendly. This goes hand in hand with not taking things personally. I like the reminder that God is in control!!
Thank you for sharing these root causes of overwhelm. The parts about perfectionism and micromanaging really stood out to me. I especially appreciated the reminder that “nothing feeds stress like the compulsive need to control things.” I definitely need to step back and trust things to God’s control. Thank you for guiding our eyes back to God’s truth.
So glad you found it helpful, Jennifer! God always finds ways to tell us just the right thing we needed to hear 🙂
I really resonated with “Comparison is the thief of all joy”. As she said, you are enough. I often forget that in my day to day. I never realized that it was a lack of faith in God because He is our Creator and if I truly believe He never makes mistakes, then how could I not feel like I am enough?
Perfectionism contributes to my overwhelm, but I definitely feel the personal and emotional relationship aspect more than anything.
Organization is my biggest overwhelm…its just not my natural strength..so that is where I need to start.
You’re not alone, Allyson! Rooting for you!
I like the part where it says God calls you to do your best, but that does not mean God calls you to burn yourself out.
What great insights to support the overwhelming feelings we teachers can have. I feel remembering that doing my best for God is about my heart attitude–not any end product. In a career that often has many “requirements” that can cloud our calling, just to remember I am doing it for God’s glory and my heart is for His good.
“God calls you to do your best, but doesn’t call you to burn yourself out.”
As a teacher in my 32nd year, I really relate to the perfectionist comments. Society has such unrealistic expectations for teachers. We, as a vocation, must reshape our self expectations. Great session.
I loved the idea of having a cut off date for the grade book. I like the idea of not feeling too overwhelmed at the end of the quarter or semester waiting for work to be turned in.
She also got me with the it is possible to care too much, I love my students as my own and there are times where I can feel this statement. I love my students but I can see caring too much to where it affects you.
Thank you Rhapsody! So many good take aways from this session! There’s not many things we can control but we can control our actions and thoughts. We cannot control everything around us even though we would like to and think we can. And just start small on things you are going to change to help not be so overwhelmed like choosing a place for students to turn in homework.
It also hit me hard when you said “you might be the only person in the whole world praying for that child.” How true is that and how sad! I don’t know how people who are not Christians get through hard stuff but thank God for intercessors!
So true, Becky. And what a place of honor we have, that God has basically assigned us these kids on this roster for this year to pray for. Hand picked matches. Thank you, Lord, for this weighty and important calling.
Rhapsody, thank you for great practical steps to help those of us who have overwhelming teacher feelings. I love when you said “Doing your best is about your heart rather than the product.” I like the stress of not doing it all at once but in steps. I agree that we’re always a work in progress and enjoy the moment God has given us today!
Amen, Scott! This moment is the only one we truly have 🙂 So glad you got some nuggets!
Such an uplifting and practical session! Knowing others share in the same struggles and hearing ways to take steps towards a healthier work life balance was awesome! Favorite quote- “Comparison is the thief of all joy.” Thank you, Rhapsody!
So glad you found it helpful, Stephanie! I love that quote too 🙂 Such a good reminder to rest in who God has uniquely created each one of us to be!
Great job! I love this one. Each teacher connects with different kids in different ways.
Thank you, Bekah! Glad you got some nuggets! 🙂
I love the how you drilled down on the root causes of overwhelm. Too often I have tried to “do more” to find relief, when a shift in thinking is what I really needed. I used to get so worked up because I had an apathetic kid I just couldn’t seem to reach and motivate. I took it personal and felt like I was failing. Then God showed me some kids are not ready to change… yet! So I developed a “not yet” approach that enabled me to love them where they were while watching and waiting for a time when they were ready to be helped.
Not taking things personally really resonated with me.
Thank You!
This is such a relatable story, Mike…I think we all know what it feels like to be frustrated with that “one kid”! Thank you for the reminder to just love them and wait on God’s timing. 🙂
Every teacher will find encouragement in this practical and insightful session with Rhapsody. She clearly communicates the realities of our profession and the natural tendency to feel overwhelmed, then provides clear reasons behind it along with actionable strategies to overcome it. Participants will leave this session equipped with practical mindsets and steps that can truly help reduce feelings of overwhelm and renew their sense of purpose in teaching.
Thank you, Michelle! I’m so glad you found it helpful!
There is great wisdom here. Whether you are a new or experience teacher, you will find something to help you out of the feeling of being overwhelmed!
Thank you for watching, Heather! 🙂