We have all experienced burnout on some level. Life gets the best of us and we slowly feel the fizzle. People often pretend that they are above this, this does not happen to them and they could not possibly relate to this because they have balance. Well bologna.
Instead of try to fix it, today I just want to recognize it. In light of seeing the recent pastor who commit suicide and the recurring headlines of people hurting one another and themselves I thought we needed a light shined on this subject. People are hurting and hiding it, it is a fact. This is part of what creates burnout. Burnout is so much bigger then the box we put it in. It encompasses so many areas of life, work, home, kids, sleep, and pretty much any life stressors you can think of.
When we continue to put out everyone’s fire while ignoring our own flames we are creating burnout. You simply can’t continue to pour from an empty glass without eventually feeling and reacting to it. The thirst to have your own needs met will outweigh the desire to continue to be everything to everyone.
Like I noted I am not here to give ideas, solutions or pathways to heal. Today I want to simply sit with the elephant in the room that we all ignore. Burnout is happening, daily, at times in our own lives and to those around us. It is creating alienation and depressions that lead to consequences that sometimes we can’t undue. It is heartbreaking and highlights the dire need for mental health in our society.
We need solutions more pungent than my words. Coming together as a whole to stop ignoring, to stop looking at ourselves and others as weak when we suffer, we need to take care of each other and become a beacon of light. My challenge for you is to start forming your own anthems of change, to come up with your own solutions and to become an advocate for change within the community that you influence.
We all experience burnout, you are not above it, I am not above it, lets recognize it in ourselves and in others. Forward movement in this area is going to be so detrimental. If you or someone you know needs someone to walk beside them during a time of need please reach out, if not to me, to anyone. This is not about pretending we are all okay all the time. This is about understanding that we all have breaking points and have reached them to some degree at varying times in our lives. You are not alone and you do not have to pretend anymore!
