How to Avoid Burnout

Do you feel like you’re getting burnt out from work, college, responsibilities, or volunteering? I’ve been there, in multiple areas and times of my life. So what do we do when we feel burnt out? Here are four easy, implementable ways to avoid burnout. 

My Story of Feeling Burnt Out

A couple of years ago, my husband and I were serving in many areas of our church. I could name off all the different areas and ways we were involved or helping out, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter how much we were doing or how we were serving. That wasn’t what burnt us out. 

We loved serving in every area, but we looked at what we were doing as more of a chore than a way to serve joyfully. Of course, at first, we were happy to do anything and everything we could. But I wish we would have managed ourselves better and learned a couple of things to protect us from burning out. 

If I could go back and give myself some tips to avoid burnout, I would tell myself these four things:

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4 Ways to avoid burnout

1. Give yourself a Reminder

We all need a reminder from time to time. Recast the vision for why you are doing what you are doing. Why are you working at that job? Why are you going to school? Why do these things need to be done? Why are you serving at that ministry? What is your “why”? Remind yourself of your “why” often so that you can see the purpose of doing those things. 

Challenge:

Write down your “why” and hang it up at your desk or on your fridge wherever you can see it and remind yourself of why you do what you do.

2. Change your words

Instead of saying, “I have to do this or that,” say, “I get to do this or that.” It’s all about the perspective and your heart. And there is power in the tongue! You’d be surprised how just one-word change in your sentence will determine your attitude towards the situation. 

Challenge:

Ask the Lord to help you catch yourself and become more aware of the words you speak when you talk about your job, work you need to do, things that need to get done, or when it’s time to volunteer.

3. It’s okay to say no

Saying no is something I struggled with. I wanted to be apart of everything and struggled with the feeling of missing out. Because of this struggle, I overstretched myself, not just with serving but with other responsibilities. I wish someone would have told me earlier that it’s okay to say no. 

The truth is, sometimes we need a break, which is okay! God created rest for a reason. And even He shows us by example the importance of rest multiple times in the bible. 

• If you’re feeling burnt out from work, maybe schedule a day off, or schedule to come in late or leave early to take some time for you. 
• If you’re feeling burnt out from college, take some time to hang out with friends, do something you enjoy to take the load off. 
• If you’re feeling burnt out from life’s to-do lists and all the responsibilities, take some time to rest by doing something you enjoy. Maybe this means sitting and reading a book or doing something creative and crafty.
• If you’re feeling burnt out from volunteering, maybe you need to take some time off to refocus and remember your “why”. Nobody is going to hate you for taking some time off. 

We all need to take a second to stop and be replenished by that living water that never runs dry. And believe me, wherever you are feeling burnt out from will be grateful that you took the time to take care of yourself and refill with the lord.

Challenge:

In whatever area that you are feeling burnt out, implement one of those actions above. That way, you can find some rest and refuel. Take a minute, an hour, a day, or maybe a weekend to focus on the Lord and His plan for you with where you are at. Remind yourself of your purpose! 

4. Talk to God about it

Talk to God about the way that you feel. He wants to hear from you. He wants to help you. With talking to Him about your feelings, I highly recommend you take some time to thank God for where He has brought you and ask Him for a right perspective and joyful heart for the area that you feel burnt out. He loves you and wants to replenish you with His living water.  Not sure where to start? I have provided some tips on how to start spending time with God.

Challenge:

Start a gratitude journal. Write down three things that you are thankful for either at the beginning of your day or towards the end of your day. 

Fighting the burn out feeling is something that we need to actively work on all the time. We have to continue to work on reminding ourselves of our purpose and calling, change the way we speak/think, and learn not to overextend ourselves. For me, this was serving at my church. But these four tips help to avoid burnout out in every area of life!