burnout
How To Maintian Your Energy
Courtesy of Dreamstime.com The other day I just came home and crashed. I can’t tell you what time; however, my 20 month old son had just gone to bed....
Signs That Things Aren’t Right
Christopher Wesley
Aug 7, 2011
I had just thrown up in my mouth and had to use all my might to swallow it back down. In high school I could ride a hundred roller coasters in a row and walk away feeling fine. But after roller coaster number two that day I was done. I was sweating, nauseous and dizzy. I no longer enjoyed the ride and the middle school students I were with noticed my attitude changing. After realizing my defeat I realized I had to now tell these middle school students that my day was done. They called me old, forgave me and the rest of the day was fine.
It’s hard to admit that you are done, before you are ready to be done. Many of us want to be succeeding and moving forward so even to take a small step back seems like torture. It’s a tension we all deal with in many areas of our life. To know when to take a step back or even to cut a program or project means to know the signs that you are on the wrong path. What are those signs?
- Your Perceptions Of Others Change: You find yourself overly frustrated and resentful towards the people working along side of you. You can’t nail exactly why they annoy you, but it seems like you are the only sane person.
- Suspicion And Doubt Emerge: When the preparation or the process gets tough it gets harder to communicate. Instead of trusting that tasks will get completed you find yourself doubting others abilities and become suspicious of their motives.
- Your Body Begins To Hurt: I grind my teeth and get canker sores in my mouth when the stress builds. I know people whose backs hurt or they get shooting headaches. Your body is a great indicator of when things aren’t right, listen to it.
- The Personal And Professional Collide: The church you serve can be a great blessing to you and your family; however, it can be a great burden as well. When to be father and when to be minister has been a tension I could never ignore. It’s important to to take a step back and breathe if one side starts to resent the other side.
If you notice these signs:
- Acknowledge Them
- Take A Step Back
- Seek Counsel
- Reevaluate Your Position
Not all signs are clear, that’s why we need people around us who are going to show us that something isn’t right. Making sure we use our vacation or that we schedule days where we just reconnect with God is important. To avoid bailing on anything you need to make sure you know your pace, your strengths and weaknesses. When we know ourselves we’ll know when to stay strong and when to step back.
What are the signs you see when things aren’t going right?