When discussing burnout, most people have the tendency to lump all types together. While this mindset is dangerous for several reasons, the most obvious is it makes it hard to address the underlying cause. That begs the question, “What are the different types of burnout?” Leadershipresources.org highlighted four different types that most can be categorized into. If you are in individual who is facing burnout or have gone through it at some point and time and are looking to prevent it from occurring again, it might help to ask “Which category do I fit into?”
Leadershipresources.org starts with physical burnout. They mention lack of exercise, diet, and then put an emphasis on the importance of sleeplessness. If you have read my testimony of burnout, you will know the climax was after an extended period of time where I was only getting four hours of sleep a night. I noticed I started having more aches in my back and legs. I was constantly hungry and craved almost any type of junk food. Not to mention the complete exhaustion that goes along without sleep. Does any of this sound familiar?
Next, relational burnout is brought up and described as day to day interactions with energy draining people. For those in ministry, energy draining people could be anyone from other ministers to those they are ministering to, and in some cases, both. I formally worked in a children’s home, where I had a co-worker who could not respect my time off. In addition, when I was on shift there were high level children that required a significant amount of one-on-one attention. When dealing with people like this, it is important to have good personal boundaries. If not, you will not only find yourself drained relationally, but emotionally as well.
That brings us to our next topic, emotional burnout. This can be characterized by numbed emotions, and emotional distance between those who minister and their families. When interviewing ministers to find out what they need to renew and restore, an overwhelming majority of married individuals told us that people don’t understand how ministry affects the family. Most admitted to neglecting their family, and asked for time alone with their family.
The last topic leadershipresources.org brought up was spiritual burnout. We are told this happens when one gives without receiving. To evaluate yourself, you can ask if you desire to spend time with God. If the answer is no that is a symptom you should pay attention to. If you have a person ministering to you, find out how they receive appreciation and show it to them.
In closing, please remember to be self-aware of symptoms of burnout. Find out what you need to counteract it, and do not be afraid to love yourself, just as much as you love your neighbor. If you find this helpful, please feel free to sign up for our eNews Letter on the right hand side of our blog page, or left hand side of our Facebook page.