Burnout is normal!?!

 “Burnout is nature’s way of telling you, you've been going through the motions your soul has departed; you're a zombie, a member of the walking dead, a sleepwalker. False optimism is like administrating stimulants to an exhausted nervous system.”   Sam Keen

 

Currently, Jane and I are on vacation in Tennessee. It’s our third year at a wonderful cabin in an out of the way place called Muddy Pond. With a name like that, you know it’s a bit off the beaten path. So it’s some two weeks of being basically unplugged and technology free in natural quietness. Our neighbors are the bullfrogs who serenade us each night, a blue heron who periodically drops in, and more catfish than I can count. I buy a big bag of dog food and feed them. It’s like having underwater pets.

  But there’s one hurdle I’ll struggle with nearly every day. Unfortunately, it’s not just when I’m on vacation. Like many of you, I wrestle with this monster nearly every day, particularly on a day off. His name is GUILT.

  The work of a pastor, like that of a farmer (maybe that’s why the Bible calls us shepherds) or the mother of young children, is never done. There’s always one more person you should call, one more letter you should write, one more sermon to prepare. Where’s the line? When is enough time spent in prayer or Bible study? What about evangelism or encouragement? Papers to file start piling up, books that should be read, another meeting to attend. Somehow you’re supposed to be a good husband, available parent, friendly neighbor, keep up with house chores, yard work and car repairs. Many of you feel the same pressure. In our day of economic cutbacks where employers are seeking to stay competitive, they continually ask less people to produce more and more.

  Often I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, remembering things I need to do or some forgotten detail that I overlooked. Then, as much as I try, sleep seems to allude me.

  Busyness, burn out, fatigue are so much a part of our lives that tragically, we’ve accepted them as normative. It’s why many fall asleep in front of the TV or looking at a screen. It’s why we don’t read. The quietness of stopping, just sitting down is difficult for us. And when we do, we fall asleep, so we give up. It’s why too many of us are on the brink of burn out.

  What are some of the signs of burnout? A biblical example of burn out is the Old Testament prophet, Elijah. I’d encourage you to take time to read his story this week. You’ll find the account of Elijah on the verge of a major breakdown in 1 Kings 19. As a high fever can be a sign of serious illness, these are some of the symptoms of burn out.  

  We depreciate our life and worth. Your life is filled with negative self-talk. Dark tapes play over and over in your mind like a broken record: “I’m a nobody. My life doesn’t matter. I don’t count. I have no value.” We compare ourselves with others and their accomplishments: “I’m not doing enough.” We compare our problems with the seemingly easy life others have. We compare our talents or gifts, and think how meager they are compared to the super star quality of the person next door or in the next office. But the worst thing we do is when we compare our expectations with the way life has really turned out. Failures then become final. When we begin to look at the way life turned out compared to the way we expected it would, we set ourselves up for anger, bitterness and burnout.

  We take on responsibility that’s not legitimately ours. You can’t make your kids do the right thing. A preacher can’t get people to respond in the right way to God’s Word. You can’t make an addict quit. But we still try, we up the ante on our inner control freak. Then, we blame ourselves for things we can’t control and that aren’t our fault. We develop a superhero syndrome, attempting to be general manager of the universe.

  We exaggerate what’s wrong and our problems. We overemphasize all that’s wrong in our lives, yet overlook God’s blessings. We consistently focus on the negative whether it’s in our life or in the world around us. We become critical, negaholics…and it often shows on our faces. When you’re drained, fatigued or exhausted, you have difficulty seeing life accurately.

  We pay too much attention to our feelings. Ours is an emotionally driven world. When we focus on how we feel instead of what’s true, it discourages us. Our emotions continually deceive us. Just because you feel a certain way doesn’t mean it’s real. Ask any professional athlete and he’ll tell how discouraged he can feel after a great performance. He’s drained emotionally, so it’s easy to distort reality. He may have done a great job, but that’s not the message he hears from his emotions. Sometimes we must ignore our feelings. Feelings are highly unreliable. So what’s the cure?

  Rest, both physically and spiritually. When we feel overwhelmed, most cut back on the one area that helps us deal with being overwhelmed – rest. We need to go to bed at a decent time. Sometimes taking a ten minute nap helps us recharge in the middle of the day. God understands your body better than you do. Psalm 127:2 (Living Bible) “God wants His loved ones to get their proper rest.” Sometimes in life the most spiritual thing you can do is go to bed. When you’re tired, you can’t handle a whole lot. Often a good night’s rest will radically change your perspective, literally overnight.

  If you’ve set aside (or never started) the habit of spending time in God’s Word and prayer, restart. Physical exercise is helpful; spiritual exercise is the best. Resist the tyranny of the urgent. Instead, renew a fresh awareness of God’s power and presence in your life. Learn to pray for others, too.

  Grow in gratitude. I’ve found that if I’ll take the time to write notes of gratitude, it lifts up my spirit and recharges me. We must learn to thank God for even the “little” blessings and work at turning our focus from the negative to the positive. It’s easy to let negative things dominate our time and thoughts. When we stop letting them control us, when we start spending more time with positive/grateful people, our emotional state dramatically improves. Serving others does the same thing, getting our mind off ourselves. There’s something very powerful about serving others. It’s regenerating. Depressed individuals are self-absorbed, yet serving others is medicine to our souls. 

  Learn to have fun. There’s a world of difference between taking life seriously and taking myself too seriously. Most of us need to learn to lighten up, to laugh more, to do something unplanned, even spontaneous. When we do, we find ourselves rejoicing in the Lord more.

  Remember the famous entertainer, Frank Sinatra? He was known for his song, I Did It My Way. Sadly, his last words before he died were, “I’m losing it.” Even Frank Sinatra didn’t have power over life and death. He wasn’t God and couldn’t control the timing of his own death. If you’re a believer, God is your Father and He has it all under control. We can trust Him. As we do, we learn to rest in Him more and more. 

Looking for quality used Christian books and other types of books at prices lower than even Amazon. Check out our family's online used bookstore at resurrectedreads.com.