Men, Are You Showing Signs of Burnout?
What Does Burnout Look Like?
Burnout manifests itself differently in different men. In some cases, it's physical symptoms. Recent statistics have shown that 77% of Americans have symptoms—physical symptoms—associated with stress. It might be palpitations, it might be your skin is breaking down, or it might be achiness all over.
Then there are emotional symptoms. For men, it's not usually weepiness, it's anger—irritability, bad temper, irrationality. You might be lashing out at people and they're saying, "Whoa, what's that all about?" And you can't explain what's going on.
Many men might hit one or two of these marks . . . if you hit one or two, it's time to take action.
There are mental symptoms as well. Mentally, a lot of men find it difficult to focus, they may be distracted, or exhibit negativity. Some might become obsessive in their thinking—mulling one thing round and round and round and round.
Socially, men withdraw when they are moving along that spectrum of stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression. They withdraw from their wives, children, and friendships, and become quite isolated.
Morally, men become very vulnerable. It's been shown that the part of the brain associated with willpower actually shrinks when we are stressed and depressed and anxious. This makes men especially vulnerable to temptation.
Reset
David Murray
Although burnout is growing increasingly common among men in ministry, it doesn’t have to be inevitable. Pastor and counselor David Murray offers men gospel-centered hope for avoiding and recovering from burnout, setting a more sustainable pace.
And, of course, there are spiritual symptoms. All of the other symptoms have a trickle-down effect and eventually, your devotional life is suffering, closeness to God is gone, and you lack interest in the church and serving the Lord.
So, there are many damaging effects of stress. Many men might hit one or two of these marks; some will hit them all, but even if you hit one or two, it's time to take action.
To learn more about the epidemic of burnout, and how the Bible presents solutions, check out this informative infographic.
