We know that for clergy, as well as laity, burnout is a real threat today. Clergy are often working with less resources, less people resources/volunteers, while having greater expectations placed on them. The decisions and changes that would normally have happened slowly over the last five years have all been pushed because of covid and each can feel urgent. Following covid, it can be challenging to find enough volunteers to help carry the load. The tension of our ongoing dichotomous political climate spills into the church as people are looking for a place where they can exert some control, where they can stop the changes they feel all around them or maybe they are empowered to unleash unhealthy theology on your congregation.
All of this together, along with the constant changing ground of culture on our own lives, can lead to burn out. It can feel hard to find space to come up for air. So, while you don’t need our permission, this is your permission slip to find ways that work for you to care for yourself. We are in these changing times for the long haul now. Those who study culture say that we will be in a season of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) for at least the next decade. It we are going to make it through this season, we will need to create some patterns to help us. Here are some questions to guide you in finding your own patterns. We cannot wait for things to settle down or to feel stable. We cannot push through, giving all that we have, thinking someone will make things feel more certain for our congregations and our families. You have permission to do what you need to do to be a healthy leader and person.
- Often our “days off” become filled with the adult things we have to do. Clean the house, do laundry, buy the groceries, run the errands. When you look at your weekly schedule, are there little pockets of time throughout the week where you could tackle these things so that you have longer periods of time to do what you would choose, what is nourishing for you, on your days off? If you are working in the evening, could you take hours in the morning or afternoon to run those errands, get the groceries? If you can work from home for a few hours, can you put that laundry in while you get other things done?
- Speaking of work and taking time off….You should only be working two blocks of time a day. If you have meetings in the evening, take time in the morning or afternoon. If you are working on your day off, take some of that time back during the week. We cannot sacrifice ourselves on the altar of our congregations. It is not healthy for them and definitely not healthy for us.
- Realize that we are not working in normal circumstances and adapt accordingly. For instance, maybe in normal times with normal resources, you could go and buy all of the supplies for an event, searching for the lowest prices to save the church money. These are not normal times and so it is ok to spend a little more to make it easier for you. Whether that is ordering the items for delivery or just shopping in one location. We don’t have the resources that our predecessors had and so sometimes you need to create your own resources. Is there a way to make your work easier? Do it. Nothing about right now is normal so make a new normal.
- What can you pass off? This is an old question but still worth repeating. What are the things that are on your to do list that you could pass to someone else? You do not have to do it all. It may be that you have a list of things that suck your time. If so, petition to hire someone or have an official volunteer position to help with those things. We have to think differently about our work. Often we just keep adding and adding without making any changes to what we are already doing. Keep track of all of your responsibilities over the course of the month, the things you do and the things that take up space in your brain to remember. Share those with your personnel team and staff. Examine together what you could outsource. What can you outsource in your own life? Can you place the grocery order for pick up or delivery? Can you hire someone to help deliver the kids to sports or after school programming? Outsource and pass off what you can so that you can thrive at what you do.
- Give yourself permission to say no. If you say yes to everything, you won’t thrive at anything. Saying yes is sometimes that kindest thing we can do for ourselves and for others.
Let us know in the comments how you have given yourself permission to thrive!