DIY How to avoid Pastor burnout
DIY How to avoid Pastor burnout
Are you worried about pastor burnout?Here are 10 ways to avoid pastor burnout:
1) manage time well and take breaks
2) schedule physical activity
3) schedule reading time
4) schedule vacation, family, marriage time
5) gain perspective and happy experiences
6) pace for endurance, not a sprint
7) get things done early, don't procrastinate
8) recharge daily in the Word, meditation, and prayer
9) look back on each day with thankfulness
10) look ahead with great anticipation
Pastors, just like anyone else, can experience burnout if they are not living a balanced life. The Christian walk itself requires a balance of spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. Even our spiritual disciplines must be in balance. If any area of our life is out of balance, we suffer. If the intellectual aspect of our life takes all of our time, our spiritual life and physical health degrade. We feel sluggish and are not functioning at our optimal level. Most people don't realize that when we exercise, it not only increases capillaries for muscular healing, but the number of capillaries begins to increase. These capillaries are the delivery mechanism for blood to the cells. Not only do the capillaries increase in the body, but they also increase in the brain. So, our physical training can give us better vascularity in our brain. We think better! We can see the obvious benefits of balance. What is needed to achieve this balance is intentional discipline. If each system is functioning optimally, the others will be too. Physical activity also brings feel-good hormones to the body, and people who work out regularly report living more productive lives. So, what is burnout, and how can pastors avoid it?
Burnout is the feeling of running out of fuel. The body and mind tell us that it is time to recharge. It is caused when our physical body reacts to physical or mental stress overload. We all process our emotions, tasks, and responsibilities differently. Some people have more energy and a higher capacity to multi-task than others. When we are acting in our gifts, it can be a more pleasant experience, but we can take on too many of these good things. In the same way that too much cake can make us feel sick, too many mental tasks can make us feel worn-out. We need to pace ourselves in life for the endurance marathon and try not to run sprint after sprint in constant succession. We cannot sustain this unrealistic pace. As an endurance athlete, I know not to overtrain, or I’ll set back my progress. I also know to get sleep, relaxation, take ice baths, and massages if I want to be able to compete at the same competitive level the next day. Pastoring needs to be managed just like an endurance race. Stop sprinting. Paul refers to ministry as a race, a long race. A competitor may shoot off the line quickly to get ahead of the pack, but he and everyone behind him soon drop back to a sustainable pace. In our ministry, we need to be realistic about what we can physically and mentally sustain. We find our unique pace and stay within that sustainable zone so that we can finish what we started. Why would anyone start a race they couldn’t finish? So, a pastor must realize his limitations and set a pace through scheduling. Rest, vacation, family time, office work, fieldwork, sermon prep, church business, and visitation must have protected times. The last two years of academic success were due to disciplined scheduling. At times I was very busy balancing full-time work at Trinity, full-time college, and part-time work at the church. Some people, including my wife, asked, how are you able to do it? I told her it was simply a matter of discipline and time management. I never became stressed because, in each compartment of my day, I knew what I was going to do. I completed projects as soon as they were assigned so that I could complete all of them early. Early completion is a huge stress reliever. I never felt “under the gun.” I also had plenty of time for creative rewrites and additional research. I also learned to say “no” if it did not fit into my schedule. I also declined things that were not high on the task priority list. It’s important to know what is most important, sort of important, and not so important. When a schedule is made well, you have time for everything. There are some sacrifices. I always get up early, and at times, stay up late. Every hour is accounted for so that there is no wasted time. By creating consistency in disciplines, I have avoided burnout. I also scheduled for exercise and family time. Time management is the first important skill to avoid burnout.
Second, once you have balance time well, you must also balance your mind. Take quality downtime so that you will be fully rejuvenated. Sometimes at lunch, I will sit in a massage chair then take 5 minutes to lay still and closes my eyes. This 10-minute break can recharge me for hours. Take the short break when you need it. If I don’t take these breaks, I could easily overload. I can also easily compartmentalize tasks. I finish work on one item and completely move to the next task. If I carried everything I was working on in my mind at all times, it would quickly overwhelm me. Even the genius Einstein understood the limits of his own mind. He never memorized anything he could look up, including own his phone number. Compartmentalizing is very important. When you are home, you are home. When you are at work, you are fully at work. Learn to create mental boxes for each activity you need to accomplish and be ready to put it on the shelf once you are done with that frame of time. Finally, when you take downtime, rest hard. What do I mean by rest hard? Resting hard is maximizing the intensity of your time off. Do something memorable. Have an adventure. Weekly, I dedicate a full hour several days a week to intense high paced paddling on the sea. At the end of this exercise, I am fully worn out, but my stress is also fully burned off. I take vacations that incorporate hiking, paddling, cycling, snorkeling, or other physical outlets. When we spend time with family, we immerse ourselves in social activities. We relax so hard that when we get back, we feel like we have had serious down-time away from our regular work. We laugh, raise our adrenaline, and create positive memories. Every day even with all these other tasks I always have time to listen to sermons, read the Word, and pray. I find my peace in these scheduled activities. I take time to ponder each day, plan for the day to come and get excited about what I am in the process of building. We need to see God's hand in all it so that we don't get "us" focused and burdened. If you perceive life through the eyes of a servant of the Lord, it's really quite exciting. Pastors must find both perspective and balance in all the areas of their lives so that burnout isn't a concern.
I hope these helpful hints help you avoid burnout. God needs us to be productive for the long haul. The apostle Paul didn't lack activity yet he didn't burn out. He faced adversity yet did not let this deter him. He relied on the Lord for his strength and took care of his body and mind. He exercised to discipline his body. He exercised his mind through scriptures, mediation, mentoring, teaching, and prayer. His discipline created time in a busy schedule. Because of his discipline, he was able to find additional time. Burnout has always existed but in our increasingly fast-paced society, more and more of us are falling victim to it. Now more than ever it's important to be disciplined with time. Don't become an empty tank person by pouring out without refilling. Fill up in all areas so you will always have a tank filled to go the distance.
Are you at risk for burnout? Take any one of the many free online assessments to evaluate your potential for burnout. Here is a great self-assessment available from mindtools.com.
If you are over 33 points, you might be heading toward burnout. The good news is you can do something about it. It's time to start balancing your life better.
If you are 50 to 75 points, you are already experiencing the pressure of building burnout. It's time to make drastic changes to help your condition. Like a boiling pot, if you don't address these issues soon, it will boil over and produce problems in your life.
Everyone has a different capacity for stress. The best way to evaluate yours is by how you are coping with it. It's not how busy you are, it's how well you manage your stress. Make adjustments based on your self-assessment or see a professional for help.
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