| Approaching burnout is not a lot of fun. This spiral | | | | necessary looking back. |
| into spiritual and practical hopelessness comes in | | | | So, I was ripe for eventual burnout. Inspired yet |
| different ways for different people, but the common | | | | without the necessary maturity to harness the |
| outcome is often life-changing. | | | | inspiration, my enthusiasm was prophetic for my |
| When I approached burnout and succumbed a | | | | mental demise. Burnout both initiates and concludes |
| moment before reaching it several years ago I was | | | | mentally with spin-offs emotionally, physically and |
| shocked how it came. I was playing table tennis of all | | | | spiritually. |
| things. Can you imagine seeing the ball to hit but not | | | | I did withdraw from many of the discretionary |
| being able to use your mind to move the bat to | | | | activities. I had to. I had to learn how to say no. I |
| make contact? We'll that was me! It would've been | | | | had to learn how not to be a 'yes-man.' I was very, |
| laughable if it wasn't so serious. My mind felt frozen. | | | | very fortunate that I received nothing but the fullest |
| I'd become a spectator--temporarily 'shut in'--in my | | | | support from everyone I had to "disappoint." |
| own life and I felt mentally and emotionally numb. | | | | Burnout can involve time and tension--it did for me. |
| Fortunately this only lasted a few hours (this time). | | | | My problem was that enthusiasm for life, and the |
| Ever since this initial occurrence I've been prone to | | | | activity of life, burned strongly within me. I was |
| what I call 'mental fog,' which is when the mind | | | | positively tense. I saw, and still see, so many good |
| freezes and literally nothing can be done but escape | | | | things to do. The only way to reduce the positive |
| to sanctuary. | | | | tension regarding time is not to be too greedy with it |
| This first occasion of mental fog was a warning sign. | | | | and try to do too much. The trick is accepting we |
| I'd eighteen months beforehand suffered a marriage | | | | can only (best) do one thing at a time. |
| breakdown and on the long road back to rebuilding | | | | Temptations producing lives subject to burnout come |
| my identity I found love in many places--I was just | | | | from our outer worlds--those external to our being. |
| thrilled to be alive! I was passionately involved as a | | | | This is important because it shows us where our |
| part-time parent, involved as a ministry leader at my | | | | focus needs to be in creating (or re-creating) a |
| church, working three days per week in a busy role | | | | balanced life. A huge part of recovering our balance is |
| in the workplace, a volunteer student mentor at a | | | | supplementing our inner (spiritual) world. |
| primary school, and, I was also studying a | | | | According to Gordon MacDonald the answer is not |
| postgraduate degree at fulltime load--fully engaged in | | | | easy, but it is simple: |
| seminary life! | | | | We escape into the space of the inner world only |
| There was no lack of things to do and I just felt | | | | when we determine that it is an activity more |
| blessed with my capacity to do everything I could. I | | | | important than anything else we do.[1] |
| loved learning, serving and just being involved. Due to | | | | We cannot have it all. Resisting burnout, or |
| the loneliness of "becoming" single I spent many of | | | | responding to it, requires from us the strength of |
| my nights out with others. It was a very busy life in | | | | self-discipline to say, "NO!" The problem for the |
| reflection. | | | | person already burned out is they have precious little |
| I'm actually quite bewildered now how much I | | | | mental, emotional and spiritual strength left to think |
| attempted in my life at that time let alone what I | | | | and act consistently in self-disciplined ways. |
| achieved. And as I look back there were many | | | | It highlights a classic cliché: prevention is |
| warning signs previous to my actual table tennis | | | | better than cure. |
| meltdown that I didn't heed. Our bodies and minds | | | | Perhaps it's wise to leave the last word to John |
| have ways of forcing our hands, as I learned. | | | | Wesley who, whilst living a very effective overall life, |
| The mood of my life at this point was 'fresh life.' I | | | | got his public-life balance right: |
| was living the stridently confident faith of a new-born | | | | Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry, |
| believer who had then known God for nearly fifteen | | | | because I never undertake more work than I can go |
| years. I was living full of hope. I was even living an | | | | through with calmness of spirit. |
| unrealistic hope, but it carried me interminably | | | | © 2010 S. J. Wickham. |
| forward in any event. This hope (although it proved | | | | [1] After a marital-type relationship breakdown, it is |
| false inevitably) provided sufficient distance not to | | | | said that the people affected need one year in every |
| distract me from building a strong launch-pad for take | | | | four years of that relationship to properly recover |
| two of life for the future. You see, like others in the | | | | and heal. For me personally, a thirteen year marriage |
| same situation I was strongly tempted to 'move on' | | | | meant I needed at least three years of single life in |
| prematurely in life. (Recalling via my journal at the | | | | order to fully recover and heal. (Source: DivorceCare.) |
| time, I was still going through significant | | | | Recovery is not something that should be rushed. [2] |
| grief-of-identity.[1]) Given that I still needed a year or | | | | Gordon MacDonald, Ordering Your Private World |
| two more to recover properly from my first | | | | (Updated Edition) (Surrey, Great Britain: Highland |
| marriage breakdown, being in a seed bed situation | | | | Books, 1985, 2003), p. 238. |
| was very good for me and my future--it was entirely | | | | |