Twelve Signs of Burnout in Life & Ministry
In December of 2009, I sat across from my boss in a hotel lobby and said, “I am done.” I couldn’t take another minute of continuing to do a job I once loved. For years I had given the job all of my best energy and care, until what felt like an out-of-the-blue, 180 degree turn, landed me in a reduced-schedule medical leave of absence. I was disoriented, scared and depressed. The lovely gift of shame (sarcasm intended) also had a nice way of nipping at my heels. I don’t know if I would have recognized it as shame at the time because I was too tired and numb to even acknowledge it for what it was, however, that’s what burnout can lead to if you don’t attend it.
I thought burnout only happened to people who hated their job and kept doing it anyway. I didn’t think it happened to people who were wholeheartedly committed with passion and “calling” for their work, but I was wrong. Here are some signs that I invite you to notice and see if there are any indications of these in your own life:
Seemingly from out of nowhere you find you cannot go to one more event or meeting
You notice you are numb when in conversations with the people you serve or serve alongside
You go through the motions of what “the right thing to do” is, but you are dreaming about the beach or another job
Your attention span is short
You realize the energy behind your actions is more about external pressure than a genuine care for what you do
Hope seems elusive
Emotionally you feel busy, but your schedule might not reflect the same kind of busyness you feel internally
When you rely heavily on a break or vacation and you find that doesn’t quite do the trick anymore
There is a lack of laughter and joy
You find yourself isolating
Your tolerance of people is waning
You wonder when and how you began to feel disconnected from God
These are just a few indications that you might be experiencing burnout. Do any of these resonate with you? Over the next two months, I will share about how I got to such a low point, my journey of walking through burnout, the things I realized about myself, and how God continues to use that dark period of time to shape my life. I hope you’ll follow along in this series.
