Seasons & Burnout: 3 Reasons To Take A Break

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Someone once said there is a time for everything in life. A time to live, a time to die. A time to work, and a time for rest.

Life is lived in seasons. And this is reflected in the life cycle of the world we all live in.

We see it through the year, from the death, cold and snow of winter to the greenery, light and life of summer. We were designed to live in seasons.

And in life, when a season comes to an end, we lament, we grieve, but then we take what we learned, and move into the next.

Right now, in my life and work, I sense a season ending. And it’s time to lay it down and begin again.

Intertwined with the concept of seasons, is the idea of work and rest. And rest is equally important as work. Whatever culture might say, being busy is not something to be proud of.

 Believe it or not, science has actually shown the human body is finite. It has limitations. It needs good sustenance, and healthy rest, to reach it’s optimal potential.

 

The irony at the core of our culture is that to achieve our potential we need to be busy – when what science (and indeed scripture, if you’re the religious type) tells us is we actually need to have healthy balance if we’re ever going to be the people we were designed to be.

 

Bottom line, if you don’t take care of something, it won’t work properly. And being busy isn’t taking care of ourselves. It’s a fast ticket to burnout. I’ve experienced it several times, and now it’s happened yet again. I’m drained. Creatively, mentally, emotionally and physically.

 

I need, yet again, to take a break, but life seems too busy.

 

Does this sound familiar to you?

 

Is burnout a regular part of your life?

 

Which brings us back to seasons. Because as you can see, my burnout (for once) actually coincides with a season ending in my life, and another aching to begin. It realised it’s an opportunity to end this rhythm of burnout and get a healthy rhythm, right at the time I am laying down one season and beginning another. So I can begin my next season well.

 

 

 

The Solution

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So what do I do about this? Simple. Take a break. Disconnect and refresh. As I did in 2014, I’m taking a break from public blogging. I’ll still be working. I’ll still be writing. But I’m going away from the public sphere for a month or two.

 

Which raises the questions of what does it mean for my work, and much more importantly, what lessons come out of these circumstances for you and me?

 

1) Healthy endings & beginnings: I have exciting new projects, ideas and mediums I want to explore, and it makes sense have a break, and begin fresh in the autumn, a good time for new beginnings. My core calling, my biggest passions – identity, creativity, calling, spirituality – remain as strong as ever, but like all of us, I’m on a journey. I’m growing, my perspectives are expanding and shifting.

And taking a period of time away to grieve the old season and prepare properly for the new is important, and necessary.

 

Lesson 1: We should always consider what season of life we’re in, where we are in that season, and whether we’re moving to a new one – and when we do move, we need to grieve the old and prepare well for the new.

 

2) Laying work down / Priorities: If I can’t lay down my work for a period, then it’s become my idol, my security, my identity. My value and worth will becoming from what I do. One healthy way to avoid that is to lay it down for a season regularly. It allows me to back to the root of everything, the fundamentals of what I’m doing and why. And it allows me to focus on other things which demand my time and attention – for example, a close family member is having a brain operation – and I need to be around to support them. I can’t allow my work to take over my life so I ignore the needs of those I love.

Lesson 2: If we can’t lay down our work for a season, it’s no longer our work, it’s our life, our identity, our security, our idol, and our god. And this isn’t healthy for our life or relationships.

 

3) Killing Burnout – I want to avoid burning out again. I need to figure out and invest in a more healthy rhythm to my life which allows me to do my job, my work, and invest time in what’s important to me. Which ensures I take care of my whole self well, and get good rest on a regular basis, so I don’t keep getting burned out.

 

Lesson 3: To be the healthiest we can be, to be able to use our gifts to serve others most effectively, we need to take care of ourselves.

 

I hope I achieve what I want to achieve in this period. I may, I may not. But I do know this break is important.

I’m fast coming to the conclusion we could all benefit from this kind of thing on a regular basis. And maybe as I go through this process and see the effects, learn the lessons, I might be able to share more on why and how we can do this well.

Is it time for you to do this too?

Have a great summer – I’ll see you soon.

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Question for Reflection:
What’s the rhythm of your life…and is it healthy?
Let me know in the comments below.
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(Picture Sources: anotherpartofme.com / omnilink.com)

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17 Comments

  1. Elyse Salpeter on July 20, 2015 at 2:16 pm

    Taking a break is SO IMPORTANT. We get so self involved that we must be so rigid doing the same thing over and over, and we really don’t need to. The world does move on when we opt out for a bit. Nice post.

    • James Prescott on July 20, 2015 at 7:38 pm

      Thanks Elyse, and totally agree with your comment – breaks are really really important.

  2. Scott Bury on July 20, 2015 at 2:40 pm

    It’s true – our society tries to make us feel guilty about taking a break, as if we’re being lazy. But when it comes to being productive, achieving goals, taking breaks regularly is part of accomplishing more.

  3. Bob Nailor on July 20, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    It is important to be able to step back at times and take a breather – if you don’t, another power will force you to step back. Perhaps my illness during June was a reaction to my ignoring the call to step back. Society can make a person’s life hectic – it is up to the person to realize this and know when to step back. Take a breather, James. Trust me, the world will still be here when you come back, ready as always, to take you on.

    • James Prescott on July 20, 2015 at 7:38 pm

      Thanks for the wisdom and encouragement Bob, so so appreciate it, as ever.

  4. Diane Rapp on July 20, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    I remember a change in my life’s focus. I owned a copy and office supply business that really dragged me down. I felt trapped. Making the decision to sell the business and “retire” let me breathe fresh air again. One day I sat alone at a picnic table absorbing the calm of the Rocky Mountains and felt like a new life was going to open for me–and it did. Decide what is best for you and don’t let “obligations” keep you trapped.

    • James Prescott on July 20, 2015 at 7:37 pm

      Thanks for sharing your story Diane, and thanks for the words of wisdom and encouragement too, appreciate it!

  5. Lisa M. Collins on July 20, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    It is my season to write longer works. I have focused on short stories and blogging for a while now. I finally have the Desire-Drive-Focus to get my 3rd novel done. It is time.

  6. kenna44cat on July 20, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    James, I think you’re smart to take a break to avoid burnout. I’ve been reading and reviewing two books on “relaxing and getting more done” recently and they make a lot of sense.

    • James Prescott on July 21, 2015 at 5:53 am

      Thanks for the encouragement Kenna – yep, really want to make the most of this time and get real rest. Thanks.

  7. Monica Bruno on July 20, 2015 at 8:51 pm

    Hi James, Well, I can definitely relate. Burnout is inevitable when we’re burning the candle at both ends. It’s good to take some time to recharge. Meditation has helped me emensly with living in the presnet moment and letting go of the things, that at teh end of the day, really don’t matter. I wish you well and look forward to your return!

    • James Prescott on July 21, 2015 at 5:53 am

      Thanks Monica, appreciate you advice and your encouragement – exciting things planned for when I return, so keep your eyes peeled!

  8. Dean Aaron Roberts on July 21, 2015 at 12:31 pm

    Honestly – I think we should all be taught time management in school. Like that will happen though, because we’re now on the process to full on 7 day trading… no time to put the breaks on! I’m also wondering how long it will be before retirement age completely disappears… hmmmm…

  9. Rahela on October 3, 2015 at 10:41 am

    Hi, James, it looks like I get stuck. As I only started to write a month ago I feel If I stop that all would go apart. Even I did a great job! I made a lot in a short time. Only, I don’t know how to get rest. If I get some rest I can not stop thinking I could do some work. 🙂 Great article! xxx Rahela – http://www.raheladrusko.com

  10. […] lost, I bumped up to James Prescott’s article that makes me reconsider my work and choices I made. I realized that connection to myself had been […]

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