I would wake up the next morning feeling more sore than I would after running a half marathon. Groggy, worn out, and wondering if I could take the day off.
I started calling it the “ministry hangover.”
It’s what happens after a long night of youth ministry, a weekend retreat, or the marathon of them all—Vacation Bible School. You give everything you have… and then the next day, you’re expected to do it again.
The problem is, ministry doesn’t stop just because you’re depleted. And while it’s reasonable to take time off, most of the time that’s not actually an option. So over time, I learned a few steps to take:
REFLECT ON THE OPPORTUNITY
Before you move on to the next thing, take a few minutes to pause.
Whether it’s prayer, a quick journal entry, or just silence in the car, ask yourself:
- What am I most grateful for from this experience?
- What did I learn about myself, my team, or the ministry?
- Who do I need to thank or affirm?
This isn’t about adding another task. It’s about closing the loop so you’re not carrying everything into the next week.
TREAT YOURSELF
After big moments, I learned to plan something small to look forward to.
Sometimes it was a good coffee. Sometimes it was lunch with a friend. Sometimes it was just ordering something I’d been wanting.
Each time it gave me the opportunity to reset, and embrace the good things in my life.
When I run long races, there are moments that get hard, but it's thinking about what comes after that can get me through (someone say, "Chicken Finger Sub?"). If you need a little bit of motivation to get you through, think about that coffee, the lunch or whatever brings you joy.
FILL THE BUCKET
One of the mistakes I made early on was jumping right into the next thing. In ministry we give a lot, the question that we have to answer is, "How do I refuel?"
I’d listen to a Ted Talk. Read a few blog articles. Spend time in prayer. Go to the gym. Do something that invested in my formation as a leader. What I read, listened to or did wasn't always relevant to what I was doing in ministry, but it challenged my thinking and extended my capacity.
If you keep giving without refilling, you don’t just get tired—you start to lose perspective.
The goal isn’t to stop doing ministry. It’s to stop carrying everything from one moment into the next. You may not be able to take a full day off. But you can build in a rhythm of recovery. And over time, that’s what keeps this sustainable.