Preventing and recovering from burn out

1 Kings 18:46 - "The power of the Lord came upon Elijah,"

1 Chronicles 16:11 - "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."

Psalm 22:19 - "But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me."

We are all perhaps guilty of living life at too faster pace. However, this is what the world of business and society has drummed into us. In the civilised world, weekly working hours are increasing. In the UK, the state retirement age has increased. Our lives are revolving around our work.

Now I appreciate that most jobs are important and necessary, but on a biblical level it is the least 'important' careers, ie non-world, non-person, non-faith centred jobs that are suffering the most. Sectors such as charities and care-giving work have seen their funding dramatically reduced which means that the organisation has to its services or expect more from its employees and volunteers.

On the flip-side, sometimes those that experience burn out have no one to point the finger at but themselves. They may have no pressure from their employer, they may not even be employed. However, they fill their lives to such an extent that burn out is bound to happen at some point.

Sometimes, you just can't stop working, even though you are exhausted and need a break to recharge your batteries. This could be because of pressure of because of a personal addiction to work. When you need to finish a job or task but feel that you don't have the strength to keep going, you are going to have to find that strength from a higher power - God. You need to pray for God to give you the strength to enable you to finish the task in hand. There is a strength that only God is able to give and you can receive it just by asking.

Exodus 23:12 - "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work,"

We all know that when we are tired, our productivity decreases dramatically. We become slow, our concentration waivers and our output decreases. This is why we need to rest. Rest refreshes and energises us. Regular, consistent weekly rest is an important part of both avoiding and recovering from burn out.

You need to learn to recognise your own limits and stick to them. Don't agree to late nights out through the week if you know that you will suffer the day after. Discipline yourself to your own limits. Also bear in mind that poor nutrition and poor health invites burn out: Eat well, exercise, sleep and if you are ill then make sure that you make time to seek medical help. And finally, ensure that there is allotted devotional time in your day, preferably in a morning.