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The Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom: Finding Peace, Clarity, and Joy in Motherhood

A conversation with Jamie Erickson on The Feast Life Podcast

Overwhelm has quietly become one of the most common words modern mothers use to describe their lives. Calendars are full, expectations feel endless, and many women carry a constant low-level anxiety even when nothing is technically “wrong.”

In a recent episode of The Feast Life, I sat down with author and podcaster Jamie Erickson to explore a powerful question: Is overwhelm simply part of motherhood, or is it a signal that something deeper is out of alignment?

What unfolded was a wise, grounding conversation about peace, priorities, faith, and the hidden choices that shape our daily lives as mothers.

Why Do So Many Moms Feel Overwhelmed Today?

Jamie points out something many of us sense intuitively. Previous generations of mothers were busy, but they didn’t describe themselves as chronically overwhelmed. One major difference is visibility.

Modern moms are constantly exposed to thousands of other women’s lives through social media. We don’t just see one friend’s good idea, we see everyone’s. Over time, those ideas begin to feel like expectations.

Overwhelm often grows not from too much work, but from too much comparison.

The Three Types of Overwhelm Every Mom Should Know

One of the most helpful parts of this conversation is Jamie’s framework for understanding overwhelm. Not all overwhelm is the same, and each type requires a different response.

1. Everyday Overwhelm

This comes from neglected routines and unfinished tasks that pile up over time. Dishes, laundry, paperwork, and daily responsibilities become heavy when systems are missing or consistency fades.

This type of overwhelm can be addressed through rhythm, structure, and faithful attention to daily work.

2. Comparison Overwhelm

This is overwhelm created by carrying responsibilities that were never meant to be yours. Seeing what other moms are doing and assuming you should do it too adds unnecessary weight to your life.

Learning to stay in your own lane is often the fastest way to reclaim peace.

3. Acute Overwhelm

These are seasons beyond your control. Illness, loss, financial stress, family crises, or major life transitions. No amount of planning or productivity can remove this kind of overwhelm.

In these seasons, the invitation is not control, but surrender.

Why Control Increases Overwhelm in Motherhood

Jamie speaks directly to something many homeschool moms struggle with: taking responsibility not only for their children’s education, but also for their emotions, outcomes, and success.

When a mother believes she must fix everything, regulate everyone, and guarantee results, overwhelm is inevitable.

You are deeply important in your child’s life.
You are not meant to be everything.

Releasing control is not apathy. It is trust.

Guilt vs. Shame: A Crucial Distinction for Moms

One of the most freeing moments in this episode is Jamie’s distinction between guilt and shame.

Guilt is a response to sin and leads us toward repentance.
Shame is rooted in fear of other people’s opinions.

Saying no to baking cookies, joining one more activity, or taking on another role is not sinful. When discomfort shows up after a wise no, it is often shame, not guilt.

Naming that difference helps moms stop carrying what was never theirs to hold.

Why Overwhelm Robs Us of Joy

Overwhelm doesn’t just drain energy. It steals presence.

When a mother is stretched thin, her yeses often come with resentment, exhaustion, or frustration that spills onto the people closest to her. Joy fades not because life is hard, but because priorities have quietly drifted out of order.

Jamie reminds us that every yes is also a no.
The question is: Who are you saying no to?

Finding Joy Even in Hard Seasons

Not all overwhelm can be fixed. Some seasons are meant to be endured with open hands rather than solved.

In those moments, joy is not found in escaping difficulty, but in drawing closer to God within it. Scripture reminds us that peace does not come from control, but from trust.

Trying to self-help your way out of a season God is using to draw you closer can actually delay healing and joy.

Scripture That Anchors This Conversation

Jamie references 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12, which encourages believers to lead a quiet life by minding their own business and working faithfully with their hands.

Quiet here does not mean silent.
It means peaceful, ordered, and rooted in rest.

About Jamie Erickson

When she’s not curating memories, hoarding vintage books, or playing ringmaster to a circus of her own making, Jamie Erickson can be found encouraging and equipping a growing tribe of mothers all across the globe on the Mom to Mom Podcast, through her blog The Unlikely Homeschool, at national conferences, and in her books Holy Hygge: Creating a Place for People to Gather and the Gospel to Grow and Homeschool Bravely: How to Squash Doubt, Trust God, and Teach Your Child With Confidence. Founder of the Biblio-files, a kid-lit vetting community, she has a passion for placing clean and captivating fiction into the hands of young readers. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for over twenty-two years. Together, they’re raising and launching their five second-generation homeschooled kids along the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota.

You can learn more about Jamie and her work at jamieerickson.com.

A Final Word for Overwhelmed Moms

Overwhelm is not a personal failure.
It is often an invitation.

An invitation to examine priorities, release comparison, ask for help, and return to what matters most.

If you are a homeschool mom longing for a quieter, more grounded life, this episode will encourage you deeply.