Professionals are keen to talk about burnout these days. But it’s not simply because people have a better willingness to talk about mental health and wellbeing. It’s also because burnout is a bigger problem than it’s ever been.
The increase can’t be attributed only to the pandemic anymore, either. In an article for the BBC, Alex Christian noted that there are problems within the workplace and culture that have shifted to set the stage for higher burnout rates, such as poor communication habits and the need to solve the additional problems that come with flexible work arrangements.
Science also reveals that burnout has a detrimental influence on our decision-making capabilities. Stress elevates hormones like cortisol, which essentially cause the cognitive areas of the brain to go offline in favor of emotional response. This is a protective mechanism within God’s design — people don’t always have the time to think through emergency situations like being in the path of a careening car, so the ability to act without lengthy cognitive processing helps people survive. Remember here that fatigue, which often accompanies long hours associated with burnout, still serves as a physical stress that signals to the body there’s a problem. This means you still can experience burnout even with work you find relatively enjoyable or meaningful, as many pastors will testify.
How the Devil corrupts God’s protective mechanism
Satan is a master of twisting what’s good about God’s design and using it against people. In this case, when people are burned out, the Devil knows we can’t think as well as we do when we don’t have as much stress. He understands that, when we are burned out, we have a diminished ability to recall everything we know to be true about the Father to maintain a good hold of our faith.
So, in the Devil slips. He ramps up access to temptations and tells people that those temptations — not God and Jesus — are the quick-fix, immediate gratification solution to the stress they’re experiencing. He amplifies and repeats the messages of the world that keep the burnout alive, making people worry about what will happen if they slow down or change what they are doing to go against cultural expectations.
Because we feel desperate, we listen.
Decisions, boundaries, and spiritual integrity
It is when we are most burned out that we are least able to make the kind of decisions that protect not only our careers and health, but also our relationship with God. This is why drawing good boundaries in our work and personal lives is so critical — it preserves our spiritual integrity. That integrity is necessary to do what He has assigned to us and live with the joy He deeply wants us to have.
Why expert recommendations for addressing burnout fall short
Gurus have no shortage of recommendations for how to fight burnout and build the good boundaries that support wellbeing. They often tell people to clarify expectations, prioritize self-care activities like meditation or journaling, improve social connections, or even challenging the current perspective around the circumstances.
Yet, most of what gurus recommend rely on the power and control of the individual, not on the power and control of God. It assumes that there is nothing to do with the brokenness of the world’s systems but cope. It also denies the reality that, because burnout impairs good cognition and depletes energy, it’s hard for a person to find and implement solutions for themselves.
That’s not particularly hopeful.
Aligning with God as a burnout solution
By far the best thing a person can do to beat burnout is to stop leaning on their own strength and evaluate whether activities or goals align with the character of God. Anything that doesn’t align with Him should be eliminated or changed. Simply evaluating tasks and habits in this way quickly can clarify what a person can let go of and what’s worth continuing with despite difficulties. It reduces load in a practical way and reorients the individual back to a larger purpose that goes beyond their own enjoyment.
This approach can feel radical. It demands that the expectations of God, not the expectations of the world, be a person’s primary driver. But problems that threaten wellness and long-term spiritual integrity require radical solutions. And when an individual understands that the world is the cause of their trouble, turning to God as a captain becomes the only sensible path. To reject the world and accept Him becomes, in a very literal way, life.
If you have a mustard seed of faith, you have a burnout fix that’s big enough
Learning to trust God and align with Him in everyday work and life is very much a practice — it requires patience, repeated return and trying, and constant readjustment as He reveals what’s best to do. But as the demands of the world get only larger, the tiny mustard seed of faith we have is enough to fight back with. If we nourish it with constant prayer and time with the One who offers rest, we won’t just have balance — we’ll thrive.