Two crucial ways to avoid burnout

It’s going to be a busy weekend for pastors and ministers. Perhaps only knocked into second place by Christmas as the most exhausting time of the year.

And so it’s vitally important to be aware that—amid the joy of celebrating Jesus death for us, and his rising again to bring new life—we might be in serious danger of pushing ourselves too far.

Our recent survey on burnout in Christian workers revealed a shocking number of people who have either experienced some kind of burnout, or who had been at the precipice, and only just pulled back in time. Here are a couple of samples of what was shared:

"I was living too close to the edge with no margins in my life when a severe and unexpected personal tragedy occurred. I came within a day of quitting ministry. I was caught completely unawares and had never been expecting it to happen to me."

"I was signed off work for 6 weeks, and during that time I decided to leave. Awful. Truly awful. And sadly, I got little understanding from the church."

1. Look out for warning signs

As Dr Steve Midgley says in his appendix to Zeal without Burnout:

Burnout isn’t a medical diagnosis. Come to that nor is “mental breakdown”. But our culture sensibly uses both terms because they are good ways of capturing what’s involved when someone finds themselves “tipping over the edge”.

But what are the warning signs that, unbeknown to us, we are close to the edge? Steve says:

Sleeplessness is a key sign. It’s a common symptom of any form of mental distress, and always worth attending to. Low mood, tears, lethargy and exhaustion are other obvious signs that we are getting close to the edge. So too are persistent feelings of nervousness, sometimes escalating into full-blown panic. Less obvious warning signs would be irritability, moodiness and anger.

Our survey backed this up. Perhaps the most prevalent sign that people identified was irritability and grumpiness. But others noticed that they were too easily moved to tears watching movies, were unable to make even the simplest decisions, or laughed slightly too loudly at bad jokes.

2. Find what refreshes you

In secular studies, the numbers of people who “self medicate” with alcohol to cope with stress is very high. I am certain that some Christians succumb to this too, but our survey revealed very few for whom this was habitual. Used wisely, and with self-control, a relaxing drink with friends can be a gift from God in a stressful life (Psalm 104 v 15).

What’s crucial is to both understand ourselves, and to actively plan to do something that refreshes and energises us after a time of intense work.

What’s crucial is to both understand ourselves and to actively plan something that refreshes us after intense work.

As Christopher Ash says in Zeal without Burnout:

The kinds of experiences and activities that drain or energize us will differ from personality to personality. I remember standing talking to a friend at a party. As we looked around at the cheerful hubbub of conversation, he said to me, “Some people are energized by this. But I am drained.” So was I. We escaped from the gathering as soon as we decently could! But others will have stayed as long as they could. Some will be more introvert, as I am, refreshed by quiet reading, study, reflection and only certain kinds of conversation. Others will be energized by people, almost indiscriminately. I am glad for them, but I will shrivel up and become a pathetic, sleepless stress ball if I have too much of that.

So if you are seeing some signs of stress in your working life, take the time to pause and reflect after reading this to work out what will energise you—and then plan to do it.

Zeal without Burnout: seven keys to a lifetime of sacrificial service is available now. Buy it, read it, heed it, apply it. Give it to your pastor, or read it in groups using our ministry pack.

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