You can’t pour from an empty cup, they say. But I know I’ve tried.
Recovering from burnout has been a long and sometimes tedious process.
There’s a whole industry dedicated to helping you recover from burnout or whatever ails you. The global wellness industry is currently valued at around $7.8 trillion and is projected to approach $10 trillion by 2029.
It makes sense, as we are living longer at the same time chronic diseases have become more prevalent.
If you were to search for how to heal from burnout, you would find a range of things to do. Ways to spend more money to optimise your health. Get a coach. Join a fitness group. Join the gym. Walk more. Track your sleep. It is endless.
I’ve discovered that tracking my sleep sets me up to feel bad before I even wake up properly in the morning. That sleep score that shows I got less sleep than the night before and only one per cent of it was any real sleep. Not the news you want to start your day with.
So I take it off at night. My sleep will be what it needs to be. I can tell when I wake up if I’ve slept well or not.
There are benefits to getting help with burnout or whatever your health challenge is. However, I’ve recognised that with burnout, trying to get better sleep, eat better, walk more, rest more… takes energy I don’t have in the first place.
The Word tells us:
“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.” . Psalm 37:7 (KJV)
It also tells us:
“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” . Psalm 23:3 (KJV)
That’s where I run to for the rest I need. For the restoration of my mind and body.
Some days that means curling up in bed and sleeping even though it’s daylight. Other days it’s watching some television and having a good laugh. On the rare occasion, it is visiting with a friend and enjoying a good chat over lunch.
Yes, I get my steps in, but I don’t beat myself up when I don’t.
Jesus reminds us that rest is not something we have to earn through our productivity:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” . Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
Notice that He doesn’t say come to me when you’ve got yourself together, when you’ve completed your to-do list or when you’ve managed to get your health back on track. He says come as you are, weary and heavy laden.
I was trying to fix my burnout by working harder to improve myself. All it did was create more exhaustion and more ways for me to feel like I was failing.
One day, the Lord told me there is nothing wrong with you.
That healed something in me.
My body was tired, but I didn’t need to feel that it was a personal failing. The truth is, it was the result of years and years of focused work to achieve a goal I’d set before me. It was time for a reset of body, mind and soul.
Sometimes we forget that we are not designed to operate endlessly without replenishment. Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds to rest and spend time with the Father.
“And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.” . Mark 6:31 (KJV)
If Jesus recognised the need to withdraw and rest, why do we sometimes make ourselves feel guilty for doing the same?
I can’t fix myself while I am empty. I can’t motivate myself into eating right and sleeping more when I can’t even focus.
Now, I trust God to see me where I am and as I am.
He restores my soul.
His Word reminds me:
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” . Isaiah 40:29 (KJV)
That’s what I need now. For Him to fill my cup and make me whole.
