Through the years I have studied, researched, and shared many times on the subject of burnout. In this article, I want to use my story and some examples from others who have both experienced burnout and written about it.

Burnout is a word borrowed from rocket science and refers to the point at which the fuel of a missile is completely expended. At this point the rocket falls back to the earth and crashes. With people, burnout occurs when the expectation level of the person is dramatically unrealistic, and the person persists in trying to reach his expectations. The end result is that he uses up all his emotional physical resources until there is nothing left to give.

Herbert J. Freudenberger (1926–1999) was a Jewish, German-born American psychologist. Though Freudenberger had many jobs during his life, including practitioner, editor, theoretician, and author, his most significant contribution is in the understanding and treatment of stress, chronic fatigue and substance abuse. Freudenberger was one of the first to describe the symptoms of exhaustion professionally and perform a comprehensive study of "burnout". During 1980, he published a book dealing with chronic fatigue, which became a standard reference for the phenomenon.

Christina Maslach and Susan E. Jackson broadened the scope of burnout and refined the definition as a psychological syndrome involving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment. More simply, burnout emerges when the demands of a job outstrip a person’s ability to cope with the stress.

The following article was adapted from material by Joe Solanto, Ph.D. and made available by permission through Le Rucher Ministries.

People with burnout usually have several of the following factors operating in their life:

• They pushed themselves too hard for too long without adequate time for recuperation.

• They started out with great expectation and refused to compromise along the way.

• They have been exposed to a lot of failure and misery because of the work they do (e.g., pastoral care).

• Goals have often been externally imposed.

• They are over-committed.

• They are high achievers.

• A standard may have been set early, perhaps during childhood by parents, which has been automatically accepted.

• Choices made may not have been “owned” by the individual.

• Demands on the person become excessive and have less and less to do with the individual’s desires.

• The individual depends on his job for self-worth, few outside interests.

Burnout starts slowly, yet it may seem to suddenly erupt. According to Dr. Solanto, there are four stages. Energy Shortage, Chronic Symptoms, Crisis, and Crash. Our purpose in the Member Care Division is to catch a potential problem in its early stages before it gets to the point of chronic symptoms. 

Examples

In the stories that follow, I have used examples from missionaries in two very different parts of the world: East Asia and Honduras, as well as my own.

Janet’s example:

When we were on our first missionary journey in a remote area in Ethiopia, at one point I was feeling deep frustration, a pre-cursor to burnout. Although we didn’t know it then, it came to our attention later that symptoms of burnout very often occur in the second year of field ministry, which was the case for me.

I used the example that when I put my hand in a bucket of water my hand got wet, but when I took it out, there was no evidence that it had made a difference in the pail of water. I compared that to my thinking that even though we were suffering deprivation by being thousands of miles from our family in the States and hundreds of miles from our children at boarding school, we were not making a positive difference in anything. It was a lie from the enemy, but it was what I thought when I was in that depressed state. 

Burnout is a well-recognized occupational hazard for missionaries, but what to do about it…That is the question. For many years, I have been teaching whoever would listen, to remember to take a weekly Sabbath rest, which was modeled by our Creator for our benefit. As missionaries, we are subject to burnout physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually when we don’t take time to rest.

Of all the Ten Commandments, observing the Sabbath is the least understood and most disobeyed by humankind. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.” Exodus 20:8-9. 

Most of the following excerpts came from my friend, Jefferson McKenny, M.D. at Hospital Loma de Luz in Honduras. He shared his own burnout experience in articles he wrote in August and October 2018 in the newsletter, the Cornerstone Foundation, and are used by permission. I have made some adaptations. 

1. We are not made to work constantly. There is a reason God ordained a routine time of rest. And, even the Master needed time off duty, time to rest and regroup.
2. Recognize burnout (preferably proactively) and do something about it. Jesus recognized the overwhelming nature of what He and His disciples were involved in, and He took steps to do something about it. What He frequently did was to go to a quiet place, “But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray: Luke 5: 15,16
3. Do something other than ministry. Take a break. Get away from the routine. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28
4. Share in another person’s burdens. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
5. Express your thankfulness to the Father and to your teammates. Oftentimes the nationals are quicker to show gratitude than we are. Maintain an attitude of gratitude.
6. Practice generosity. But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? I John 3:17
7. Remember who you serve. But Jesus said to him, No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
8. Burnout results from giving out more than you take in. My late husband, Dr. George Meyers, would encourage missionary colleagues to regularly study the Word of God and pray to keep spiritually filled. He would sometimes draw a picture of a barrel on the chalkboard and admonish them to minister out of the overflow and not to drain the barrel.
9. Maintain a relationship with at least one good friend and be willing to be transparent with your needs and challenges. Let trusted partners and associates know that you need their prayers and what to pray for.
10. Remember the Name. Sometimes you have to be still and trust our Father…that His arm is not too short, that His hearing has not grown dull, and that He cares for you. Call upon The Name…for He will never leave you nor forsake you.

 Another Missionary’s Story

This story came from Deb Wyss, a missionary with TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission):

“I had been on the mission field for ten months. I was holed up in one of the few less-than-desirable guesthouses in a remote East Asian mountain town. I was relentlessly vomiting from food poisoning, and there was only one public outhouse for all of the guests’ bathroom needs. There was no running water. And I could hear the rats scurrying in the walls. I was miserable.

I remembered the romantic visions that filled my head as I prepared to go to the mission field; the excitement that bubbled out of me at the mention of this faraway place with exotic people and gorgeous landscapes. The physical burden my heart and body carried for these lost ones to know the one true God had carried me for a while. But the beauty of it all was fading and fading fast. I was tired. How was I going to make it for the long haul? When I was well enough, I stumbled out to the grasslands to get some fresh air. 

I quickly realized that the mission field of my dreams wasn’t my reality. I had to reframe my thinking and adopt new practices if I was going to thrive overseas. The massive snow mountains exploded out from the lush, rolling green hills, and horses decked in colorful ribbons dotted the pastures filled with wild flowers. I was living my dream. But I wasn’t so sure I wanted to be.

I rested my weary head in my hands and cried. And then, His sweet whisper. ‘For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.’ 

That’s what I needed to hear in that moment because that’s all I was doing at that moment, enduring. And Jesus had moments like that as well. And just a few days after my very low, low, I had some wonderful highs. I joined a group of four villagers herding yaks for the day. I sincerely enjoyed the company. Making real connections for the sake of the Gospel as we cooked over an open flame at the mouth of a cave. Belting out hymns on a plateau that had never had the name of Christ spoken there before. God used an outing with locals to reenergize me when I needed it most.

There was nowhere else in the world I would have rather been at that moment. It was a gift that carried me through that low period. Over the next seven years, I experienced it all. Periods of balance in life. Periods of extreme fatigue, completely worn out and broken. Periods of floundering. And periods of thriving.

So, how do we keep ourselves healthy when serving overseas? What are some practical things we can do to thrive on the mission field? These ideas came from Deb Wyss.

1.  Set goals.

Often on the mission field, there is no boss delegating tasks and no one following up on your work. A specific plan is vital. Set measurable goals, and work toward them. Keep a short list of prayer requests that reflect your goals somewhere you will see daily. Pray until you can cross your goal off the list. (For example: Make five new, local friends.)

2.  Have a routine.

This may sound ridiculous to anyone who has spent time on the mission field. (An enduring joke is the only thing certain in missions is that nothing is certain.) But spending time, day after day coming up with ideas and plans about how to order your day without a concrete schedule is exhausting. For anyone. Ordering your weeks gives rhythm and routine to life, which generally makes people feel like they can manage better and also is almost always more productive.

3.  Reflect. Regularly.

Every six months, sit down and write a list of all of the things you’ve seen God do. In the day-to-day, it’s hard to see progress. But when you take a chunk of time and look back, you will be encouraged. It will bolster your faith. It will push you to keep walking forward.

4.  Have someone in it with you.

Having someone who gets your situation, you enjoy talking to and who cares about the outcome of your ministry as much as you do, is so helpful. Without this, you will wear down more quickly.

For married couples, this often turns out to be your spouse, and that’s great. Be intentional about debriefing the nitty-gritty of ministry life with each other, but don’t vent. For single missionaries, the most important thing to look for is someone who wants to listen to you talk about details. It may be a teammate, but it may be someone back home with whom you have regular Skype calls.

One of my most helpful relationships was with a woman from another country who was 30 years older than I was. Although she had never met a single one of my contacts, she kept a binder with all of their pictures and wrote notes about each one of them on their respective pages.

5.  If you’re tired often, pay attention.

You are probably not in a healthy place. Figure out why and make changes. Fatigue often comes from having too many irons in the fire. Consciously make a decision to decrease your activities for a while. Have a second party help you if you feel like you don’t know how. Inability to make decisions is a big red flag that something is not right.

Often, simple things like eating right, exercising and getting good sleep can make you feel better quickly. Don’t neglect your physical health. If you are dealing with weighty issues, make sure that you have someone outside the situation that you can talk with.

6.  Take up a hobby.

It’s best if this hobby is something you can do in the community with locals. But, more importantly, it must be something you genuinely enjoy. It may be basketball at local university courts, or it may be an art class. Being you rather than the role you are given in ministry is beneficial for not only yourself but also for those you have come to serve.

Pursuing a hobby gives you a moment to let your guard down. It’s a chance for them to just enjoy the person God created you to be, without placing expectations on yourself. A hobby will grow your love for the place and the people. If you find it hard to engage in activities the locals enjoy, daily life can become a drag very quickly.

7.  Remember that you are a foreigner.

As much as you strive to fit in with the local culture, you cannot become them. You are different. They know it. And it’s ok! You’re going to need time to practice familiar traditions. For me, that meant “American” pizza and movie nights. A holiday celebration without locals. Or a cup of coffee and a light novel.

8.  Take time off to rest.

If possible, leave the country to do this. Leaving will refresh you in a deeper way. It will give you perspective. It will fuel you for the long haul. If it’s not possible to leave the country, create a tradition of “getting away” in-country. Make it a yearly practice, something you look forward to. Head to another city where no one knows you. Go exploring, hunker down in your hotel room, eat some yummy food. Whatever sounds relaxing to you.

If traveling can’t happen, block off a week on your calendar to rest as best you can. Don’t do any of your normal activities. Make a plan for how you want to rest, so that you don’t spend your week wondering what to do with yourself!

9.  Practice thankfulness.

Missionaries have an easy slide into complaining. The weather, the dirt, the food, the harsh life. The more you talk about it, the worse it feels. Instead, be thankful. Write down something you’re thankful for every day, or make it a practice to share a grateful thought at dinner. Be conscious about not grumbling.

10.  Remember your job description. 

Your job is to speak truth. Only God can change hearts. Sow seeds. Water. Trust God for the increase in His timing and His way. Relax into His plans and purposes. May the joy of the Lord be your strength as you carry on!”