When to Leave - Warning Signs You’re Burning Out

This episode explores the critical topic of recognizing burnout in ministry before it takes a toll on your life. We discuss five primary warning signs of burnout and offer practical steps to address and prevent it.

• Discussing the definition and prevalence of burnout in ministry 
• Identifying emotional exhaustion as an early warning sign 
• Loss of joy as a significant indicator of burnout 
• Reconnecting during periods of relational withdrawal 
• Recognizing physical symptoms and their roles in burnout 
• Understanding increased cynicism and its influence on behavior 
• Actionable steps to combat burnout, including identifying root causes 
• Importance of rest and taking breaks for mental health 
• Encouraging open conversations with mentors or friends for support 
• Emphasizing the need to set boundaries and evaluate workloads

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. I'm Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom, and I'm also your host here to help you navigate some of the ups and downs of ministry. And if you're feeling tired and stretched too thin or like you've lost your passion for work that you once loved, this episode is for you. My friend, today we're talking about a really critical topic the warning signs of burnout. Now, I know we've talked about this a little bit on the podcast in the past year, but this year we just started this week a brand new series inspired by Wade Hodge's book when to Leave how to know when it's time to move on before you stay way too long. And today we're going to explore how to recognize burnout before it takes over your life and ministry. And stick around, because at the end of this episode we'll have some practical steps for you to take. But also I will provide you with a link for a free download to Wade's book called when to Leave Burnout man. It is a sneaky thing. It doesn't usually show up overnight, but instead it builds over time and it quietly drains your passion and your effectiveness. And Wade Hodges in his book that we're talking about, that we're doing this series on describes burnout as the soul's way of saying I can't do this anymore. It often manifests itself in ways that we don't expect, but if we leave it unchecked, it can not only harm your ministry but your relationships. It can harm your family life, your marriage, your vocation, your job, your health and your faith. It has wide-ranging ways to really get you off the rails in life. We're going to talk just really briefly about five common warning signs that Wade mentions in his book of burnout, and I'm going to rattle these off rather quickly. Keep a mental note and any red flags that come up, we'll talk about it after I go through these.

Speaker 1: 2:14

Okay, the first is emotional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion Do you feel like you're running on fumes? Emotional exhaustion is one of the first indicators of burnout. If your motivation is gone, it's time to pay attention. You might have some emotional exhaustion. So that's the first one. Number two is the loss of joy. Remember when you used to look forward to preaching or leading worship, or teaching kids or whatever your role is. Remember when you used to look forward to that, or teaching kids or whatever your role is. Remember when you used to look forward to that. If those moments now feel like a chore. That's a red flag Could be that you're on your way to some type of burnout. Okay, so we have emotional exhaustion, we have loss of joy.

Speaker 1: 2:57

Third is relational withdrawal. When you burned out, you might start pulling away from people, from friends or family, even your church, because you're just so exhausted. And this isolation can actually make the problem, the burnout, worse and bring it on even quicker. Are you dealing with any relational withdrawals? Number four physical symptoms. Are you constantly tired? Are you getting sick more often? Are you dealing with headaches or other unexplained health issues?

Speaker 1: 3:28

Burnout and this is true, but it's interesting burnout often shows up in your body before you realize that it's a sign of burnout. Okay, so listen to your body. Are there anything going on physically that maybe is telling you hey, I might be on a path that's not good for me? And then number five this is the one that hit home to me, because this is, this is, this is my go-to spiritual gift. It's increased cynicism. Are you more critical? Are you more pessimistic? Are you more detached than you used to be? It's really easy to be cynical and let cynicism creep in when you're stretched too thin. Okay, those are the five Emotional exhaustion, loss of joy, relational withdrawal, physical symptoms, increased cynicism.

Speaker 1: 4:15

If you're recognizing some of these warning signs in yourself, don't panic. Burnout isn't failure, but it is a signal that something needs to change. And here's the bottom line for today you can't pour into others if you're running on empty. You just can't do it. So here are some steps to take.

Speaker 1: 4:33

First of all, identify the root cause. Is it your workload? Is it relational strain? Is it conflict? Is it a lack of boundaries? Are you just saying yes to everything? Figure out what's causing your burnout in the first place. That's the first step to address it. And then, number two take a break. Even if it's a short break, it can help you gain perspective. If possible, schedule a day off, take maybe a mini retreat to rest and reflect. A third talk to somebody, whether it's a mentor, a therapist, a trusted friend. You know sharing what you're experiencing can really help to start lightening the load a little bit and help you at least start to process and get some input from other people. And then, number four set some boundaries. Learn to say no to things that drain you. Prioritize the activities that fill you up and give you energy. So here's your action step for today. I want you to set aside some time and evaluate your schedule and identify at least one thing that you can delegate or eliminate. Small changes can make a really big difference and if you're getting starting to get burned out, chances are your calendar is a key to something that you can change. That could at least take a little bit of pressure off.

Speaker 1: 5:47

Okay, if burnout is something you're dealing with, I'd love to hear from you. I'd love to hear your story. You're trust me as a confidant. I'm not going to share it with anybody else. You can email me anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. You're not alone in this. I'd love to help encourage you and be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss future episodes.

Speaker 1: 6:06

As I said, we're on this three-week journey just about half a week in, on Wade's book. And, speaking of Wade's book, if you would like to download a free copy of the book, it's called when to Leave, and you can do that at chemistrystaffingcom. Slash when dash two dash leave. Chemistrystaffingcom. Slash when dash two dash leave. It's full of insights that can help you through really tough decisions, and one of the things that we talked about is exactly what we talked about here today, and that's burnout identifying burnout and what to do about it. Okay, that's it for today. Thanks so much for joining me. Remember, burnout doesn't have to be the end of your story. Hopefully it's not, but it could be. If you don't recognize it, and just simply by recognizing some of the warning signs that we went through today and making some intentional changes, you can move forward and make 25 a healthier and more sustainable ministry year for you. Okay, take care of yourself. I will see you here again tomorrow on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Have a great day you.