Experiencing Burnouts???

Have you ever experienced a burn out?? You try to do what you love but you feel tired of doing it or you try to stay focused on a certain project that you love but you find yourself totally worn out?? Am penning down this blog post just for you because I have struggled with burn outs personally.

Currently, I work an 8am to 5pm job in the corporate sector but as I work, I still create time to do what am passionate about, however I have learnt along the way, I have to create time to rest and rejuvenate, in order to be more effective in what I do. Before I realized this principle of rest, I really experienced serious burn outs and most of the times, I was less effective and stressed up.

When I first stepped out in faith and began Beautiful Queens Outreach, I was pretty much excited about the events, from planning to preparations. During weekdays, I would stay up late at night studying and writing, while most of my free weekends, I was always on the move. However after sometime, I began experiencing serious burn outs. My effectiveness was deteriorating at my work place, my concentration in studying God’s word was wanting and my prayer life was somehow…in short, my body and mind was TIRED from the busy schedule, I had imposed on myself .

All along, I knew dangers of burn outs but I never thought, i was over working my body until I began noticing burn out symptoms. Take this from me, time is very precious and we ought to manage it very well, however God clearly shows us in His word, the importance of rest, after He took a rest from creating the Earth. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:2-3

Please hear me out, no matter how tight your schedule is, you were created to function like God, since you are His creation. Whenever you step out from this functionality, you end up not being effective, productive or you might end up being physically/ emotionally unwell.

Let’s look at Mark 6:30-32 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. “So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place

From the above context, we realize Jesus personally advised His disciples, to follow Him to a quiet place, where they would have some rest, away from the crowd. He knew very well, if His disciples did not have enough rest to rejuvenate from their previous missionary work, they would not have enough energy for the next assignment, which was awaiting them .He personally lived by example and taught His disciples the importance of rest.

I know there are people reading this post and you are always busy doing something with a notion, you have to make money, you want your family to live a comfortable life,you have to accomplish your set goals or you have to lead people, if you occupy any leadership position..

Please take this from me; your health is more precious than the money you are busy chasing day in day out. You need a healthy body to work and think,

Your family needs you more than the luxuries you are busy chasing at the expense of your health, your community still needs a healthy and competent leader to help them in the long run and if you are a minister of the gospel ,the body of Christ needs you in affecting lives .

If you happen to buy a brand new car, the dealer will explain to you guidelines on how to maintain your car and one is Service. As much as you enjoy driving your latest version of Mercedes Benz CLA, after some mileage, you will have to take it for servicing. Taking your car for service, does not mean it’s faulty, taking your car for services is a measure to ensure it gives you great service on the road.

Using the above illustration, of how drivers  ought to service their vehicles once in a while, is one way to bring my point home, why it’s important to honor our bodies by having rest.

Working hard and smart is great but taking some time to rest and rejuvenate your body, is very important to be effective in your career, purpose, business or assignment.

After experiencing some serious burn outs, I literary took a holiday off from work and I travelled, to unwind and take the required rest, my body needed. During my holiday, I learn’t the importance of planning my time and saying NO to some stuff, which are important but not that urgent to work on at a particular time. This has helped me to balance my schedule and have rest, as I work and still honor my gift by doing what am passionate about.

How to know you are experiencing a burn out

• You easily get distracted.

• You start becoming emotionally negative at the slightest irritation.

• You keep on procrastinating :-postponing on finishing a particular project.

• Your physical heath starts acting up funny , like lack of sleep, migraines or feeling tired when you have just woken up in the morning

• You get tired quickly

• Feelings of isolation

• You get discouraged easily.

• Spiritual dryness

• You are more prone to getting upset, if your plans don’t flow as you expected.

• You lose your passion for work

Ways to rejuvenate from a burn out:-

• Enter God’s rest by ceasing from your own works and rely on God’s mighty strength.

• Take some time off from what you constantly do and relax with your family or friends.

• Stop comparing yourself to others and be content with what you currently have.

• Take a daily break from technology: have time when you are away from your laptop or mobile phone.

• Take some time away to pray and  study Gods word.

• Take a vacation and don’t carry any work with you.

• find some balance in your life by creating time to engage in your hobbies.

• Focus on the positive

• Minimize intake of sugar and excess carbohydrates. This leads to a crash in mood and energy.

• Cut off draining relationships

• Set healthy boundaries, don’t over extend yourself

• Get plenty of sleep.

• Honor your body by having regular exercise.

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Enter God’s rest.