Have you ever felt burnt out?

We get busy. There are so many demands on our schedules, whether it’s work, family, the household, or whatever it may be. Sometimes you just get exhausted, and you feel weary. When you’re burnout, it’s something more than a simple nap is going to fix. It’s when you feel overwhelmed to the point that it’s hard to keep going forward.

Have you ever gone through a season where it just felt like no matter what you did, it just wasn’t enough?

In 2nd Samuel, chapter 21 verse 15, we read that “when David and his men wearing the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted.” In Psalm 38:8, he wrote, “I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart.” In Psalm 69:1-2, we read, “the flood waters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire, I can’t find a foothold to stand on.”

With our busy schedules, it can be so hard to keep going. Sometimes it can be really easy to get trapped into the daily grind and to keep trying and trying to push forward, but just feeling weary. So as Christians, what do we do with that? Isaiah, chapter 40:28–31, “don’t you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out. He offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up, but those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, They will walk and not faint.”

Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to do things on our own that we lose sight of what we’re doing. We forget that we have to wait on the Lord at times. We have to wait for Him to show us what the next step is, instead of trying to make the pieces fall into place on our own.

Matthew 11:28–30, “Then Jesus said, ‘come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light.”

How often do we take on so much more than what we need to, just because we try to make it happen of our own will in our own power?

So what does this look like in practice? There are some things you can do to help overcome those feelings of being burnt out:

1. Take time to meditate on God’s word and seek His face in prayer. He has promised us wisdom if we ask for it, and He is EVERYTHING we need. When we get caught up in the daily grind, we become tempted to operate without calling on Him. We can easily forget to come to Him with the little details, and start carrying them on our own shoulders… so we quickly become burdened down with them. When we read in scripture that God calls us to come to Him when we are weary and burdened, it’s because when we do that, we are acknowledging that we need Him, and we can then let Him carry the load that we don’t need to carry. What this looks like in practice may be going to your war room and confessing to God that you have become distracted and have been trying to carry too much on your own, and that you need His help sorting through it and learning what to let go. You may find that there are areas that just need to wait until the time is right , and that they will fall into place on their own.

2. Rest. Even God rested on the seventh day. Take time to rest and refresh yourself in His presence. I’ve heard it recommended that we should all get away from home for at least 3 days 3 times a year, to give ourselves time to refresh and refocus. Even throughout your week, take mini breaks. Make it a point to take time throughout the day to step away from what you’re doing to go for a walk, do stretches, do controlled breathing or relaxation exercises – something to break up the routine and give yourself a mental, spiritual, and physical break from the task at hand.

3. Take a step back and ask God to help you find a project that inspires you. If you are not feeling engaged or stimulated, find something to supplement what you’re doing. If your routine has become dull – shake it up by doing something creative. What inspires you may not inspire the next person, but everyone has a creative side, and it’s important to discover that! Whether it’s art, music, writing, rearranging furniture, gardening, learning something new, or whatever it may be, take time to learn what is going to put a bounce back into your step.

I hope this has been encouraging to you. If so, be sure to click like, and share it with someone else who may need a pick-me-up. Encourage one another and stand firm together. You are not alone!

If you need a community of women to help encourage you, consider our monthly membership, Digging Deeper. You can find more information on that at diggingdeeper.everydayincredible.net. Have a blessed day, and remember that there are new opportunities every day, so make every day incredible!