Burn Out & Self Care

08.19.10

Burn Out & Self Care

God has wired us with warning signs of burn out.  According to leading authorities on the topic of "burn out", here are the 5 most common warning signs:

Sign No. 1: Your co-workers are walking on eggshells around you.
If you find yourself becoming cranky and irritable with co-workers you used to get along with, it may be more than just typical interpersonal dynamics. 

Sign No. 2: You come in late and want to leave earlier.
You used to wake up in the morning excited for another day, but now every day you dread heading into the office. Once lunch passes you start watching the clock, counting the minutes to the end of the day. 

Sign No. 3: Apathy has replaced enthusiasm.
You feel no motivation, no sense of accomplishment and have no desire to be challenged. Those who have burnout lose their motivation to perform, as well as their feelings of pride for a job well done. 

Sign No. 4: You've lost camaraderie with co-workers.
You're no longer interested in the company network. You used to go to lunch, go out for drinks and participate in other company functions but now have no desire in socializing in or out of the office. 

Sign No. 5: You're feeling physically sick.
You always feel exhausted, have headaches, feel tension in all of your muscles and are having trouble sleeping. These physical signs are common indicators of job stress, and demonstrate that this can turn into a physical problem. 

These 5 common signs of workplace burn out can and should wake an individual up!  God has wired us with many warning mechanisms that show us when we push past the bounds he set for us.

This is why it is so important to practice SELF CARE.  

Self care is simply defined as:  taking care of one's self.  

Here is how I practice this principle:

1.  Spending time in the WORD, every morning.

2.  Journaling and Blogging my thoughts

3.  Prayer

4.  Making sure I get a least 8 hours of sleep per night.  (a tough one with a newborn, but it is important for me to stay sharp.)

5.  Working out no less than 5 days per week for no less than 30 minutes per session.

6.  Reading books that help my mind grow.  2 books per month is my goal.

7.  Choosing healthy food options, that will give me natural energy.

Okay, all that is well and good... but here's the real nitty gritty...

8.  Deciding to NOT CARRY GUILT for scheduling a "sleep in" day during the week

9.  Deciding to NOT CARRY GUILT for cutting out from work once in a while to do something recreational (golf, run, etc)

10.  Taking the time to identify "balancing" activities that turn me on, and install them into my natural rhythm of life. 

By taking care of your self, you can actually be more balanced and effective as a leader to others!  Overflow baby!

Here are some scriptures that speak to this:

Philippians 4:13 (New International Version)

¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

(Kind of tough to do all things when you don't take the time to GET THE STRENGTH!)

1 Corinthians 3:16 (New International Version)

 ¹⁶Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

(So sounds like your body, mind, and spirit are actually God's temple.  How would you manage someone else's property, professionally?)


Take care of YOU, in the way God wired you to do.  In this, we honor Him as the creator!