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The amount of caffeine, Charles Stanley devotionals, FaceTime calls with Mom, and ABBA I’ve relied on to power me through this week has far exceeded the average. Never in my life have I felt so behind in all my responsibilities (thank you, chemistry 1211) and also so overwhelmed with emotions and big life decisions.

Yesterday in my Introductory Honors seminar, we focused on personal values through a self-reflection practice, and I realized in that moment that I had a lot of self-reflecting to do. It was then that I became aware of the burnout I am currently experiencing.

I understand the title of this blog might be somewhat misleading. I know that for me I would always get agitated when people tried showing me the “light at the end of the tunnel” or the positives of my difficult situation. It felt invalidating and borderline disrespectful.

But throughout my first year in college, I’ve started seeing all the benefits that life’s hardships bring about. I’m finally understanding what my parents meant when they would tell me that failures are inevitable but necessary for growth and success. For the first time, I feel that sense of empowerment from facing life’s challenges head on, overcoming them, and making the personal decision to learn from it and take a shift towards a new direction.

My classes this semester are much more difficult and demanding than last, not to mention I now have labs in addition to my lectures (note: 8:00am chemistry labs are not from the Lord). For the first time in my entire academic career, I feel like I can’t keep up with school. It’s like I’m always behind, and it makes me feel so inferior.

Recently, it feels like I never have enough time for me. I’m always rushing to catch a workout, to find time to read or crochet, to make it to Hugh Hodgson to practice piano, to see friends and get dinner, etc. I find myself always planning, always making to-do lists, always thinking about what’s next, because it feels like I can’t afford not to. It feels like being in the present is costly.

And then there’s the guilt that comes with trying to manage your own stress without burdening any of your friends and family. I know that opening up is important, but I never want to get to a point where I can’t give my people the time of day. It’s hard though, when you’re overwhelmed, and it seems like the world is always one step ahead of you.

Circling back to my seminar, I made a long list of the beneficial opportunities I see within this season of burnout. Let’s first define what burnout is. In my opinion, burnout is when you’re energy is so depleted, that everything, even the things you really love and enjoy, feel like a chore. If you are physically exhausted no matter how long you slept, your stress never seems to dissipate, and everything feels like a task, then you are most likely experiencing burnout.

And burnout can happen for multiple reasons. It doesn’t always mean that you’re simply doing too much. It can sometimes mean that you’re doing too much of the wrong thing, or that you’re doing the right things, but you’re mind is somewhere else. Your schedule might be balanced, but your mind is obsessing over negative, depressed, or anxious thoughts, all of which are massive energy drainers. Burnout can also arise if you’re living your life on a score sheet. This, in my experience, is the most common form of them all. It’s when you are so hyper-focused on living an aesthetic life versus an authentic one. Your focus is on productivity instead of spiritual growth. You define your life on accomplishments rather than on meaningful experiences.

I dealt with a very severe case of burnout my junior year of high school (much worse than right now). I hated that I dealt with such exhaustion, but now, I’m thankful for it. I’m thankful, because I can now identify the early symptoms of it and redirect myself.

Here’s are the benefits:

1. You learn so much about yourself. My Dad told me junior year that burnout is a good thing, because it’s your body signaling to you that something is off, and it’s a great time to reset. You realize where your priorities are and learn to revise them. You learn to identify your inner checks and balances system.
2. You have the opportunity to become more sensitive and graceful towards not just yourself but others. I’ve learned that the most powerful lesson in all life’s hardships is the beautiful gift of sympathy and compassion that follows.
3. Burnout forces you to find encouragement and to seek after support from your family/friends, which I believe is the best demonstration of the Body of Christ.
4. You get to turn what feels like a failure into spiritual maturity. The Book of James says that you should let your trials teach you perseverance, so that you may be “mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4) Burnout is a perfect time to grow in your faith and mature.
5. You begin shifting your focus back to the Father, who offers you rest and peace. I know that we shouldn’t only turn to God when things are going south in our lives, but it is our natural tendency to seek his comfort in times of need. This is something He finds beautiful, and this is how you truly heal.
6. You get a chance to reset not just your life but also your relationships. It’s a perfect time to ask yourself, “What can I do to improve my relationships with people? How can this attitude reset affect how I treat those in my life?” I’ve learned that not only do I need to be more trusting and patient with my life, but I also need to be more trusting and patient with my relationships. Personal reflections, if done right, will always show you the bigger picture and often point out the areas you need to work on, even those that seem totally unrelated to the problem you’re facing.
7. Burnout is a great time to adopt the paradoxical Kingdom principle of “It is in giving that we receive.” When it feels like you don’t have the energy to listen to people vent or be there for a struggling friend, do it anyways. You will realize that you actually have more to give than you think, and God will honor your love and care for His children. He will fill your cup in return. Take advantage of burnout by seeing this wonderful principle put into practice.

I’m sure I could go on, but I think these seven things are a pretty solid list to help encourage anyone who is struggling with burnout like me. It is a normal and almost unavoidable thing, but it is overcome-able, and it is capable of teaching you soooo many valuable lessons.

And, it’s okay to treat yourself in these seasons. It’s okay to splurge on Trader Joe’s snacks, get another iced coffee even if you don’t need it, eat a second serving of icecream, go on a drive just because you want to, take a break from studying or working and go on a walk. It’s okay to let yourself have fun, even when it feels like you have so much to do. Go to that basketball game, watch that show, see that friend, go to Target. I don’t care what you do – whatever fun looks like for you, go do it. You don’t have to earn your fun.

May you recognize the beauty that lurks behind that exhausting season of burnout. May you turn to the Father, whose yoke is easy and burden is light. May you learn to have fun again and understand that life doesn’t have to be that serious. May you discover new things about yourself, grow in faith and maturity, and use a difficult season to love more intensely than before. May you lean even deeper into Christ’s wonderful plan for your life. May you tackle life’s hardships head-on and overcome them with boldness. May your attitude towards life be transformed. May you continue to be the light of the world.

I hope this helps.

Happy Groundhog day, and thank God for and early spring!!

*this verse might not seem quite fitting to treat burnout, but somehow I’ve found it to be the most encouraging ❤