Burnout is a real thing. Especially during the middle of the semester.
I’m writing this post because I’m in the midst of a burnout right now. The last magazine really drained me (not in a bad way . . . but in a this-is-a-TON-of-work-and-I’ve-used-up-all-of-my-allotted-creativity-for-this-month kinda drain).
Regarding burnout, Saturdays are especially bad for me because they are my Day of the Hobbit . . . meaning I hole myself away in my room and rabidly get all my homework for the next week done or else it ain’t gonna get done.
Those days are full of introspection . . . which is not good. And suddenly, I’m on the floor of my bedroom, wondering why this isn’t happening this way and why that isn’t working and WHY AM I FAILING?
Burnout is such an important thing because it always ends up pushing me into a spiritual slump. It questions me:
Why am I doing what I’m doing?
Where do I think I’m going?
Did I miss my purpose?
I feel like I’m a master of Burnout. So, whenever these thoughts start flooding my mind and I’m tempted to just quit everything and close up shop so to speak, here’s what I do.
Maybe this is self-explanatory, but I know that questions like the ones above are not from God. If they were, they would be way more constructive. Questions that make you feel like tossing in the towel do not have a holy source, so they must be combatted with something holy.
What I read depends on a lot of different things. One time, I randomly read Philippians (it ended up really rebuking me, and I needed a kick in the pants).
Lately, I’ve been reading through the Elizabeth devotional by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. This really was on target when I was reading through it the other day. It challenged me to do my next point:
I’m a huge list-person! I believe strongly in the power of a good list. A Burnout List is a good way to get your problems out visually so you can tackle them. On my list, one of the things I wrote might be:
“Failing” Spanish.
As girls, we have to figure things out externally a lot of times (whether that be talking to a friend on the phone or writing it down on paper). Once you target these burnout areas . . .
Now, why is this making me feel burnt out?
“Failing in Spanish.”
- It really taints my confidence in other classes. Like, if I can’t even get a good grade in this class I don’t have to take, how do I think I’ll get other good grades? THE WATER HAS BEEN TAINTED. I CAN’T EVEN SAY THAT IN SPANISH HELP.
- It was a bad choice to take Spanish. What other bad choices am I making?
- Taking Spanish was kind of a statement for me. Like a yes, I can. Failing, or quitting, would say I can’t.
I’ll stop right here, ‘cuz I’m sure you get the gist. But doesn’t GETTING IT ALL OUT make you feel good? I already feel a bit more liberated. (thanks for letting me rant)
After this, you can then . . .
Speaking of introspection . . .
We believe a lot of lies.
A lot of the problems we have in life are simply because we’re subscribing to a lie subconsciously.
For me, I believe:
- My worth is in my grades.
- If I fail at one thing, I fail at all.
- Failing is anything less than an A. Even a B.
- Ultimately, I’m the one who made the decision to take Spanish.
- My identity is in becoming fluent in Spanish. (yo, I see that word Identity being tossed around a lot here . . . makes me think of our upcoming Identity issue . . .)
Whoa!! One simple area of burnout is rooted in, what, five lies? And I probably could’ve kept going.
Do you ever feel helpless? Like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Maybe you just consider everything adulting brings with it and it terrifies you. Maybe you’re younger and petrified of going to middle school, that great and terrible war zone. Or maybe you’re older and your kids are finally out of the house and that brings a whole shade of newness.
These moments of spiraling uncertainty and terror aren’t from the kingdom of light.
We’re not wrestling with flesh and blood, but against the rulers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12-13).
Because, yeah. WE ARE HELPLESS. Sometimes we put a ton of work into the release of a blog or an Etsy store, a self-published fiction book, or a school project and it just doesn’t get the results.
No one buys anything.
Your project gets a C.
Your identity, your hope, was founded in these earthly things.
When we get to Heaven, our identity is not going to be based on whether or not you made $300 in your first month on Etsy. Even though it matters—a lot—to us now, what’s going to matter is our reaction.
So. Grab your sword and slice down those lies.
- My worth is in my grades. My worth is in my identity as a Beloved Daughter of Christ.
- If I fail at one thing, I fail at all. Everyone fails; it’s part of being a human. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t need God’s grace and power.
- Failing is anything less than an A. Even a B. Well, at the school I go to, technically, failing is a D . . . this is comic relief hopefully. 😉
- Ultimately, I’m the one who made the decision to take Spanish. Ummmmmm es falso. It was God. God ordained since before time every single, minute detail of my life: even my taking Spanish.
- My identity is in becoming fluent in Spanish. My identity, once again, is that Beloved Daughter of Christ.
It’s hard being burnt out. It’s hard waking up in the morning and immediately groaning because you just have nothing left to give.
BUT. DON’T. GIVE. UP.
Don’t stop writing.
Don’t stop creating.
Don’t change your major.
Don’t quit working out.
DON’T QUIT. Give God a chance to work it out, to show Himself powerful. Allow God, in these desert moments, to be the water that satiates you and satisfies you and keeps you going.
Things of this life are like marshmallow fluff. They might give you that initial burst of energy, but God is the eternal second wind. He’s the One that’s gonna keep you going, even if you don’t feel like it.
Stay strong, sweet friend. I hope this post encouraged you! It definitely came from the heart. Feel free to download the free printable I created by clicking the button below and, if you need additional help or a listening ear, feel free to comment or DM me on Instagram or Facebook.
