How To Beat Burnout

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
 
Do you know what it’s like to be burnt out? To feel as if you are constantly on the go and constantly on the move so much that you feel drained, exhausted, and as if you are running on an empty tank. Your drive is gone, your get up and go has gotten up and gone, there’s no more pep in your step, no more glide in your stride. The things that should motivate you, like your family, relationships, job, and community involvement depress and disinterest you, bring you more stress than joy, and you constantly find yourself at your wits end.  
 
It’s a major problem in the U.S. with people constantly striving to achieve their version of the American dream—a bigger house, bigger car, better lifestyle, and the accumulation of more things. The problem is that the busier we get and the more connected we become (always on our phones, connected to social media and emails), the more we feel anxious and overwhelmed. The U.S. ranks toward the bottom of the work-life balance spectrum among developed countries, costing businesses up to $200 billion a year in health care costs, according to Harvard and Stanford Business Schools, and contributing to 120,000 deaths each year. It’s getting so bad that the World Health Organization officially recognized burnout as a medical condition at its annual meeting.  
 
Burnout is literally becoming a life and death situation. People experience physical burnout and emotional burnout, but they also experience spiritual burnout. This is when you take on so much that it doesn’t allow your spirit to rest and to grow.
 
Thankfully, burnout is not a destination for us as followers of Christ. There is a solution, a remedy to feeling burnt out, and that remedy comes from Jesus. He promises to give us rest if we come to Him. He promises to give us peace if we lay our burdens at His feet. And He promises to care for us as we cast our cares on Him.  
 
Sure, burnout may be plaguing our nation, but it doesn’t have to rule over us. We have a choice to beat burnout because we have a Savior who never intended for us walk through life on our own. So whatever is burdening you today, whatever has got you on the edge of burnout, lay it at the Father’s feet, and He will take care of you and give you rest.