Have you ever taken steps to overcome burnout but still found yourself with an overwhelming “What’s the point?” feeling? Maybe you’ve said yes to all kinds of good things, like meaningful work, caring for friends and family, and serving your community, but you still feel more exhausted than fulfilled. I’ve been there, and I can help.
Burnout, though similar to everyday stress, is its own unique struggle. Burnout is a prolonged feeling of stress and deep physical and emotional exhaustion, and it can often result in a sense of general disinterest. Burnout is typically the result of taking on too much in an effort to work more, do more, and be more.
How to Know if You’re Burnt Out
Enjoyment is a gift from God that helps us love Him and His people well.
Sometimes, our burnt-out, exhausted brains try to convince us that fun and enjoyment are nonessential parts of life. Or, at least, that they’re less important than the more productive things we have to get done. But I’m here to suggest that enjoyment is a gift from God that helps us love Him and His people well.
Not long ago, I wondered for the first time if I was actually burnt out. There was something about that term (maybe how often it’s used on social media) that made me hesitant to use it about myself. It became a buzzword that I didn’t want to reference incorrectly, so I didn’t use it at all.
But when I experienced a persistent feeling of exhaustion, dissatisfaction, and a bit of apathy, I read this Finds article: Simple Burnout Test: Take It, and Start Finding Relief.
I answered these five questions:
- Are you exhausted?
- Are you increasingly negative?
- Are your passionate interests fading?
- Is your health declining?
- Are you withdrawing?
To my surprise, I answered yes to all of the questions and realized I was unbelievably and completely burnt out. There was finally a clear reason for my physical exhaustion and my short temper. I had some serious steps ahead of me that I needed to take for the sake of my own health and my relationships.
So I started making time for more intentional rest, took better care of my body, and of course, sought after God by reading the Bible, praying, and honoring the Sabbath.
While these steps made a noticeable difference in my overall mental, physical, and spiritual health, I still struggled with a general sense of “What’s the point?”—especially when I was invited to have fun.
An Important Disclaimer
While depression can be similar to burnout, it is a completely different struggle with very different treatment.
Depression is brought on by a culmination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors, rather than an overly stressful schedule.
If you feel that you’re struggling with hopeless feelings or a consistent loss of interest, please talk to a professional to receive the help you need. If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 now.
Seeking help is the most courageous thing you could do right now.
When Your Productivity Has Gone Too Far
This disinterested feeling inside of me was a product of something specific—my avoidance of things I was genuinely interested in. It had nothing to do with my loved ones or a lack of care I had for them.
The cause was my own “no” to good, fun, and enjoyable things. Instead, I was saying “yes” to work or other things I deemed more important.
- My friends would suggest we hang out, but I felt indifferent.
- My brother would invite me to lunch, and I would count down the minutes until I could get back to work.
- My church family would ask if I wanted to attend a prayer and worship night, and my mind told me it wasn’t worth the time.
It got to the point where I felt too indifferent to properly love my neighbors.
I think the reason I was more likely to say “yes” to the productive things on my to-do list was that I could easily see the product of the time I spent working. Can you relate?
One hour of work is quantifiable, and it (quite literally) pays off. But saying yes to a dinner with friends—and saying no to two more hours of work—felt like I was losing something instead of gaining.
But repeatedly saying no to the good things we desire will produce a feeling of overall disinterest. Even if you are working your dream job, or the productive things you’re saying yes to are good and God honoring, pulling away from community and denying your mind, body, and soul the good things they’re craving could mean your work has become a vice.
Burnout tells us that fun, simple, unproductive things are not worth our time.
Burnout tells us that fun, simple, unproductive things are not worth our time. That our time is better used on quantitative work. But if that were true, why would God give us the capacity to enjoy non-productive things?
Enjoyment Is From God
Have you ever thought about how wild it is that we have favorite colors? Favorite foods? Favorite movies? We are given the capacity to experience these things—eyes to see colors, mouths to taste food, minds to comprehend movies—but we are also given some sort of unexplainable draw toward certain things.
This starts happening early in childhood. I can remember getting into heated debates as a six-year-old about why swings were just objectively better than slides. The greatest conversation starter kids can offer each other is, “What’s your favorite color?” and they learn a lot about each other through this question.
Even now, I’m not sure why my favorite color is green, but for some reason, I’m just a little happier wearing a green shirt than I am wearing an orange one.
Our capacity to enjoy things—things specific to us as individuals—is a gift from our Creator. It’s a gift that we can and should utilize, and I have found, it is a cure to my burnout.
When I find myself in a particularly difficult bout with apathy, I try to more fervently exercise my ability to enjoy. Burnout tries to argue that little, random things are too unimportant to remain on my to-do list, but I know that I have to make time for them for the sake of my health.
3 Weird Things I Do to Fight Burnout
The things I do to fight burnout might sound weird or insignificant to you, but that’s kind of the point. They’re easy, attainable things that I can do to remind myself to enjoy life—to remind myself that I can enjoy things because God loves me enough to give me such a gift.
As you explore my list, think of fun, relaxing things you like to do. They don’t need to be productive or expensive—they just need to give you joy.
1. Mediocre Movie Nights
On the weekends, my best friend and my brother come over and we watch a mediocre movie. We sit under blankets, turn out the lights, and watch the whole thing. Then, we debate the best and worst bits. Characters, songs, plot points, everything.
There’s really no practical reason to keep this tradition up. It steals sleep as we stay up late to playfully argue. It costs gas money since we’re driving to meet each other. It’s inconvenient during busy weeks. But we enjoy it. It’s a great way to wind down from a long week of work. It’s an excuse for us to see each other and catch up. And we enjoy watching movies under blankets with the lights off. It’s simple but necessary in the fight against burnout.
2. Wednesday Afternoon Popsicles
On Wednesdays, when I get home from work, I eat a popsicle or some other kind of frozen treat. It reminds me of being a kid in the summertime, running into the house after several hours of playing outside.
Years ago, I’d take two popsicles from our little white freezer, one for me and one for my childhood dog. We’d make our way to the back porch and eat them together. Now, when I eat a popsicle, I still eat it on my back porch if it’s warm outside. It’s a small and random ritual, but it makes me happy.
3. 99-Cent Coloring Books
Sometimes, when I’m feeling drained, I will get out a coloring book and crayons and sit on the floor to color. I don’t buy the “coloring books for adults” because those aren’t fun for me. I buy the classic, cheap ones featuring princesses or dinosaurs because I have fun with the large surface area of a Tyrannosaurus rex or a regal ball gown.
I have the capacity to do things just because I like to do them. You do too. So think of stuff that doesn’t take much time, that might be easy to overlook, but that reminds you to utilize the gift of enjoyment, just because you can.
How Does Fun Affect Disinterest?
These weird, simple things I enjoy soothe my “What’s the point?” feeling because I am operating in my purpose as a Christian. In Matthew 22, Jesus says the Law and the Prophets—in other words, everything we are supposed to do as followers of Christ—can be summed up in two commands: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
By doing my weird, fun little activities, I am producing a more loving, patient, joyful spirit inside of me, which is better suited for caring and serving. By making sure to take my burnout seriously, I am able to better care for my loved ones. I am properly treating the disinterested feeling that has forced me to withdraw from my community.
This knowledge—that taking care of myself will help me in my efforts to better care for my friends and honor the Lord—has provided a strong argument for me to use against burnout’s most convincing lies.
Suddenly, those random little enjoyable things become strikingly important when put in the context of our duty to God and our neighbors. When I am once again interested in participating in life—in all of life, not just the “productive” bits—and I have escaped the confines of my exhaustion, I am far more capable of honoring God and loving my neighbors.
Don’t Skip the Simple Stuff
It’s worth mentioning that these weird ways of fighting burnout only work when rest has already been sought after. Sometimes, you feel disinterested in certain areas of life because your mind, body, and soul are just too exhausted to care.
However, when Sabbath has become a ritual, sleep is regulated, and healthy habits are put in place, but you still just can’t shake that “what’s the point?” feeling, I’d encourage you to do something fun. And if it’s been a while since you had fun and you’ve forgotten what little activities make you happy, let me help you!
3 Ways to Make Yourself Available to Enjoyment
1. Ask ‘What’s Fun for Me?’
For me, this question is easiest to answer when I think about my five senses. What do I like to see, hear, taste, smell, or touch? Light a candle. Make (or order) your favorite meal. Turn on that new music artist your friend told you about. Become more aware of what a gift from God your five senses are by providing each of them with an object or activity to enjoy.
Be proactive in doing the things you love—because it’s good for you. And because God made this big, fascinating world and put us in it, equipped with senses to take it in. This place is our home and our gift. How beautiful is that?
2. Beware the Lies of Burnout
Sometimes, we do have to say no to fun things in order to fulfill obligations or be good stewards of the work we’ve been given. But often, burnout will convince us that the work is more pressing than it is, that we don’t have enough time for rest and fun, and that pushing off the movie night to next week isn’t that big of a deal.
It’s our job to know the difference between the necessity of a longer day at work and the lies of burnout.
How can we discover which is which? Take a look at the situation as a whole, and ask yourself questions like these:
- Is this task something that can wait until the morning?
- How long has it been since I genuinely enjoyed doing something?
- Have I been working too hard for too long, and if so, what can I do to lighten my load?
If you’ve been intentional about your rest and your project’s deadline is looming, sure, spend an extra hour or two working. But if you know your body is tired and you’ve been working late for weeks on end, fight the urge to stay and work, and take the gift of rest God has for you. He holds your life and your future. He promises to provide. Rest in that fact and go home to your popsicle.
3. Worship
If you’ve followed all these steps and you still find it hard to justify time just to have fun, think of it as an excuse to worship. Remind yourself that God made the things you enjoy, and thank Him for them. For example:
- That fruit you ate at work today? God grew it.
- That album you listened to on the way home? God gifted the band members with all of their musical talent.
- That book you have a hard time putting down at night? God gave the author the capacity to write.
Jesus says in Matthew 7:9-11 NIV, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
We, even as broken humans, have the capacity to give gifts to one another because God created us that way. And if we sinful people have the capacity to give good gifts, how much more is the good, perfect, and beautiful God our Father able to give us?
One of the most amazing things is that we don’t have to wait until we see God in heaven to experience the gifts He has for us. We can see them right now, even in something as mundane as a popsicle, and praise Him.
So find something small to thank God for, and use this example prayer as a jumping-off point:
Thank You, God, for the gift it is to see colors and use crayons on paper to exercise my creativity in such a simple, stress-free way. Thank You, Lord, for the friends and family You’ve given me who are able and willing to come to my house for a few hours to watch movies. Thank You for reminding me that it’s okay to have fun.
You Have Permission to Slow Down
It’s my prayer that you’ll feel the permission to do the things you enjoy—for no other reason than that God made you to enjoy His good gifts of all kinds. I hope you feel God’s love in your smile when that one song comes on.
I pray that God’s generosity would become evident to you when you smell the candle you lit in your living room. And that your burnout would be soothed by the gentle love of our good and generous God.