APRIL 2021
burnout, defined by Te World Health Organization as a “syndrome” resulting from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Burnout has been especially associated with fields like ministry, healthcare, and not-for-profit organizations. People who work in these fields tend to place great emphasis on mission and purpose, with value placed on self-sacrifice (aka martyrdom)—so much so that they may neglect other values like just compensation, rest, and work-life balance. Often, we ministers give generously of ourselves but fail to consistently take the time to refuel ourselves. As ministers of the church, I have found that people so strongly identify us as ones who serve others that they sometimes forget that we also need to be ministered to. In fact, we sometimes forget that we need to be ministered to.
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How do you know if you are experiencing burnout? Physical symptoms like chronic fatigue might be prompting you to reach for an extra cup of coffee every day at 2 p.m. You may find it difficult to concentrate on tasks, causing you to stare blankly at your computer or absently shuffle papers on your desk. Emotional symptoms like irritability or quickness to anger might leave you feeling like you have a shorter fuse than usual. You might notice that the slightest inconvenience or unanticipated complication sets you into a downward spiral of frustration and nihilism. You may feel disengaged, mindlessly conversing with others without really hearing what they are saying. You may begin seeking refuge in soft addictions: alcohol, binge-watching television, overeating, shopping, and/or social media.
Burnout occurs in progressive stages, and we can move up and down the continuum, even within the course of a single day. Te first stage is loss of energy: feeling tired, worn out, exhausted and depleted. Over time, this lethargy builds to the second stage, loss of enthusiasm: causing you to lose engagement, interest, or desire for things that once brought you joy. You may find you don’t look forward to your work, or even that you dread it. Finally, the third stage is loss of efficacy: a decrease in productivity and the inability to perform your regular duties. If we can identify burnout at an
hile there is a distinct air of hope just on the horizon, many of us who work in ministry have been suffering from
“ While you may not be able to avoid burnout, you can learn to identify it, navigate it, and develop the resiliency to help you bounce back quicker.”
early stage and respond to it appropriately, we can often prevent it from progressing.
No matter where you may find yourself on this continuum of burnout, it is important to acknowledge that this past year has posed new and unique challenges to us as ministers. We have scrambled to figure out new technology and new ways of safely and effectively connecting with and ministering to our communities. We have worried about politics, job security, our health, and the health of those we love. We have reinvented the wheel countless times to keep up with changing local guidelines and capacity restrictions. Add the daily stress of working remotely, perhaps with an unreliable internet connection, in close quarters with a spouse who is also working from home, plus a few children or grandchildren who are e-learning. And we have done all of this masked and socially distanced, likely in the absence of things that normally bring us great joy and satisfaction: our choirs, a singing assembly, performing in and attending concerts, attending and throwing parties. It’s no wonder that during this past year, burnout seems to have become the norm, not the exception.
When I first began researching and presenting on Ministry Burnout with my friend and colleague, Keith Kalemba, our working title was “Avoiding Ministry Burnout.” It didn’t take long before we realized, through our research and through lived experience, that burnout was not something one could simply avoid. Fear not! While you may not be able to avoid burnout, you can learn to identify it, navigate it, and develop the resiliency to help you bounce back quicker. Here are five simple things to try as you move through your healing process.
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