Do you ever feel like everything depends on you?
The schedules, the responsibilities, the relationships, the work, the expectations, the endless mental load—it can feel overwhelming trying to carry it all. Many women today are exhausted from striving to keep everything together while quietly wondering if peace is even possible in the middle of real life.
In this week’s episode of The Love Offering Podcast, I had the joy of talking with author and speaker Nichole J. Suvar about her new book, I Don’t Have to Hold It All Together: Cultivating the Peace of Eden When Feeling Overwhelmed. Our conversation was deeply encouraging and honestly convicting in the best way.
Nichole vulnerably shared her own story of living for years with undiagnosed anxiety. As a child, she experienced panic attacks and overwhelming worry but didn’t have language for what she was feeling. Over time, she began to believe something was wrong with her spiritually because she couldn’t simply “pray away” her anxiety. Like so many people, she carried silent shame while trying harder to manage and control everything around her.
Eventually, after reaching a breaking point in adulthood, Nichole sought help through counseling and professional support and was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and major depression. That journey became the beginning of healing and a deeper understanding of God’s peace—not as something she had to manufacture, but as something she could receive.
One of the most beautiful parts of our conversation was Nichole’s connection between our longing for peace and the Garden of Eden. She explained how God originally designed humanity to live in communion with Him, surrounded by peace, purpose, rest, belonging, boundaries, and goodness. Deep down, we still long for that kind of wholeness.
But instead of receiving God’s peace, we often try to create our own version of Eden through control, perfectionism, overworking, people-pleasing, or constant productivity. The problem? When we build our own “peace,” we become responsible for maintaining it. And that is exhausting.
Nichole shared this powerful reminder:
“God never asked you to hold it all together. He’s asking you to trust Him to be the one who does.”
What freedom there is in that truth.
We also talked about the importance of true rest. Not just numbing out with social media or distractions, but intentionally slowing down and trusting God to be the provider and sustainer of our lives. Rest becomes an act of surrender—a declaration that we are not God, and we were never meant to carry what only He can hold.
Another important part of our discussion centered around boundaries. For many women, saying “yes” to everything feels responsible or loving, but often it leaves us depleted and resentful. Nichole encouraged listeners to prayerfully ask God what He is actually calling them to carry—and what needs to be released into His hands or entrusted to others.
Perhaps my favorite line from the entire episode was this:
“You don’t have to hold it all together. God is already holding you.”
Friend, maybe you needed that reminder today.
If you’ve been overwhelmed, anxious, weary, or weighed down by pressure, I hope this conversation encourages you to loosen your grip and trust the Lord more deeply. Peace is not found in perfect performance or controlling every outcome. True peace is found in the presence of God.
You can listen to the full episode HERE.
To connect with Nichole, visit her website at LiveWithIntent.org or follow her on Instagram at @nicholejsuvar where she regularly shares encouragement, practical mental health support, and faith-filled reminders that you don’t have to do life alone.
And be sure to grab a copy of Nichole’s beautiful book, I Don’t Have to Hold It All Together. It’s a gentle, hope-filled invitation to stop striving and start resting in the God who has been holding everything together all along.
