Holiday Burnout and Other Terrifying Tales
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As the world gathers to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Salvation Army officers, employees, and volunteers are mobilizing to meet the needs of their communities and to raise money to support their mission year-round. Regardless of season, the mission of the Army demands that we are continuously busy meeting the needs of the least and the lost. Though deeply important and often extremely fulfilling, the demands of this work can instill a deep exhaustion only exacerbated by the busyness of the Christmas season. Burnout is always knocking on the door, seeking to drain us of the joy that should be associated with the good news of the birth of our Savior.
The term “burnout” is often thrown around in Army circles, typically referring to the exhaustion that comes with long work weeks and the emotional demands of our mission. Most do not realize that burnout is actually a clinical term that goes much deeper than simply being tired. Burnout is a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion, often accompanied by a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. Burnout is a lot scarier than it sounds. Research has found that when people burn out, they can never again perform at the same level in the same position. It is greatly saddening that people can lose their capacity to execute their calling because of a completely preventable phenomenon.
The frightening reality is that burnout can happen to any of us. It happens to people who love their work, have a good self-care routine, take a Sabbath every week, and take all their vacation every year. Each of those strategies can help mitigate emotional exhaustion, but that is only one facet that contributes to burnout. Research has found that burnout consists of three parts: emotional exhaustion, lack of personal accomplishment, and depersonalization.
Emotional Exhaustion
Across the Army, we are all aligned in our mission of serving suffering humanity. That mission is emotionally demanding and places a lot of pressure on us to serve even when we would prefer to rest. From research I have conducted with officers across the country, pretty much every officer struggles with exhaustion on some level. Emotional exhaustion is a result of excessive demands and continuous stress over an extended period of time. To be an effective officer, you are likely to face excessive demands and continuous stress, so some level of emotional exhaustion is a given. This by itself is not particularly worrying, but the risk of burnout rises as we add in the compounding factors of personal accomplishment and depersonalization.
Lack of Personal Accomplishment
During the busy Christmas season, it is easy to lose sight of the purpose of our work. During long work weeks, it can be difficult to remember that every dollar raised in the kettle is symbolic of the amazing work we will do to help people throughout the year. It is easy to lose sight of our mission and feel that the work we are doing does little to further the Kingdom of God. It is during these times that we are at the highest risk of burnout. We need to shift our mindset to augment our feelings of personal accomplishment, taking appropriate credit for the work we are doing to advance the Kingdom.
Depersonalization
When we do not feel that we are accomplishing God’s call on our lives and are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, it is easy to become cynical and push back on the work we are being asked to do. Depersonalization is this negative, callous, or detached response to the demands of our work. It is a defense mechanism we deploy when our work feels overwhelming, but it can ultimately undermine the quality of support we are able to provide.
Causes of Burnout
At its core, burnout is caused when our expectations of our work do not align with the reality of what we are doing daily. Many of us are involved in the Army because we love the Army’s mission. We want to serve people, actively give back to our communities, and bring people to Christ. Many come into the Army with the expectation that directly fulfilling the Army’s mission will be their fulltime job, without realizing that most of their work will occur behind the scenes. This background work is critical to the fulfillment of the Army’s mission, but because it is not direct service, it can fail to meet our expectations.
When our expectations are not met, we start to question the calling that God has placed upon our lives. We are emotionally exhausted, don’t feel that our work is making a difference, and start to become cynical that our work even matters. We become burned out. This is particularly easy during busy seasons like Christmas where the demands are high and we are often committed to doing behind-the-scenes work, insulated from the true effects of our work furthering the mission to which God has called us.
Fixing Burnout
If burnout is rooted in our expectations, the first step in fixing burnout is in managing our expectations. Take a few minutes to reflect on these questions:
- What are my expectations?
- How are my expectations being met or not being met?
- Are my expectations realistic? Are there any expectations I need to abandon?
- What can I do to make my reality match my expectations?
During busy seasons like Christmas, it is easy to lose sight of important parts of self-care like practicing spiritual disciplines, exercising, participating in hobbies, and socializing. Taking time for yourself to rest and recharge is an important part of mitigating emotional exhaustion. If you do not take care of yourself, it is hard to take care of other people. Make self-care a priority over your work and volunteer tasks. Research shows that taking time for self-care can actually improve your work performance beyond what you would achieve if you simply spent that time working. You may have less time to work, but your work will likely be more effective.
One key self-care practice is taking time every day to show our gratitude to God for the amazing gifts He has given us. Thankfulness is the solution to unrealistic expectations. When we acknowledge that we are powerless to control our reality, we can either try to take control— which leads to burnout—or we can surrender to God and become thankful for everything. Whenever your mind is straying into negativity, take time to dwell on things you are thankful for, and you will likely see a significant shift in your attitude.
Christmas is an incredibly busy season for all of us in The Salvation Army. It is easy for burnout to set in as we become emotionally exhausted, don’t feel our work is making an impact, and begin to become cynical about the work we are doing. The best thing we can do at these times is to address our expectations, shift our reality, and be thankful for all the amazing blessings God has given us. Particularly for sending His Son to be born into the world to save us all.
Dr. Ian Mudge is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over a decade of experience who earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from Grand Canyon University. Specializing in pastor well-being, he does extensive work with The Salvation Army to help improve the lives of officers through counseling and consulting.