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Are you feeling stretched a little too thin? Has the weight of the to-do’s become extra heavy? Do you crash into bed (or the couch) each night thinking you can’t take much more? Are you so buried that you can’t see a way out? Welcome to burnout! It’s an awful place to be, so please don’t set up camp!!!
I will be very straight with you in this article; prepare yourself. The real reasons you are experiencing burnout have little to do with time management, schedules, or routines. It has little to do with work deadlines, new projects, sports, clubs, or seemingly endless school spirit days. Take a deep breath; this may hurt, but you are the problem. Ouch, I know! The good news is that if you are the problem, you can also be part of the solution!
Life is demanding. Life will continue to be demanding until you are no longer living. The world is constantly shouting messages that you need to do more. Messages that you need to excel, or at the bare minimum, live up to unrealistic expectations of motherhood, sports moms, businesswomen, homemakers, wives, friends, ministry leaders, volunteers, etc. The demands thrown at you will not stop; however, you do not have to grab hold of them! Let’s look at some reasons you're visiting burnout camp.
Reason 1 - You are taking on things not aligning with God’s plan and purpose for your life in this season. What is your motivation for taking on these activities? Are you taking these on to prove something to yourself or others? Are you saying “yes” when you need to say “no” to gain acceptance, please people, or feel superior? Are you adding more and more to your calendar as a way of gaining a sense of self-worth and value? If any of those are the case, your motivations are out of alignment with God! You are falsely gaining worth, value, and love from your doing, not your being. You are looking to your accomplishments to feel worthy, yet the Lord already sees you as worthy because of Christs' accomplishments on the cross. It is finished. Your value, worth, and love flow from what Christ has done, not what you do.
Solution: Spend time with the Lord in His word and regain an understanding of who you are in Christ. Then, looking at the calendar, ask God to reveal the true motivation for each activity. Ask Him to show you what can stay and what needs to go.
Reason 2 – You are not trusting God in the journey. Often, God will show us what our future holds, and we rush ahead to make it happen. We may wait at first for God to move, yet as humans; we get antsy very quickly! When things don’t move in the direction we feel they need to move or at the pace we believe is needed, we step right in and take over. And guess what, the Lord will let you! He will step aside until you come to your senses! When you rush ahead of God, you miss all the lessons, spiritual growth, and treasures He has for you on the way. The task becomes burdensome, heavy, and simply un-fun! Many women quit altogether, completely walking away from their promised land! Some refuse to move out of an activity when led because, in their minds, what they are doing is godly. The activity may be godly, yet if it’s not what God has for you in that season, let it go!
Solution: Take every decision to the Lord, no matter how small it may seem. – allow Him to lead and guide your every step. Perhaps some activities, though good, are not for this season in your life. Be open to your path shifting.
Reason 3 – You are not resting in the Lord. I would guess you are not resting, period. Even louder than life's screaming demands is the ticking of the clock! We accept the pressures the world puts on us; we wake up earlier, go to bed later, work on weekends, and stay awake worrying, wondering, plotting, and planning. We do not rest. Our physical bodies were not designed to function optimally without rest, and neither are our spiritual bodies. The Lord God Almighty Himself took a day off!
Solution: Get some rest! Disconnect from all distractions and rest your mind, body, and spirit. Pray, worship, sleep. This will look different, yet everyone should carve out a specific period of just being, not doing!
Any reasons ring true? These are hard lessons to learn; believe me, I know! Yet getting into alignment with God’s purpose for your life, allowing Him to lead you along the journey, and resting in Him is so rewarding!! Schedule a complimentary discovery session online or email me at kristin@thekristincampbell.com if you need support in these areas.
Let’s move you out of burnout camp!!
cover image: Tara Winstead