When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. (Matt. 8:18)

Merriam Webster’s defines burnout as “exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.” In January 2022, the American Psychological Association (APA) reported that burnout and stress were at all-time highs across all professions, and statistics show that just 51 percent of small businesses make it past five years.

None of these statistics are in my favor as a small business owner coming out of the pandemic. I’ve run Prestige Prose for almost eight years now. The good news is, my business has survived the pandemic while many others have not.

But for some time now, I’ve noticed a lack of motivation, not just when it comes to work but in other areas of my life as well. I still get my work done, but projects that could be classified as “extra” (like my own writing) have been easy to push aside. Things I’d been doing on a regular basis for years, such as social media posts and interaction, became a chore I dreaded.

Don’t get me wrong—I love what I do. Which is why I’m determined to find ways to counter this burnout. In fact, I’m so determined to flourish (my word for the year) that I’ve enlisted professional help (more on that in a future post when I’m farther into the process).

Burnout has even impacted my friendships. I used to be the one to contact those I hadn’t heard from in a while. Now I’m the one who occasionally withdraws, but thankfully, when I do, I have friends who now return the favor and reach out to me.

Perhaps one of the most important things I can do is take frequent breaks and rest. I’m so bad at this. I’ve written about my struggle with this before and how from time to time I feel as if I’m getting a better handle on it. But my default mode of operation is to push through, which leaves me feeling depleted on a regular basis.

In our culture, we pride ourselves on our productivity—the busier we are, the better. But this is counter to Jesus’s example in the Bible. He took breaks from the crowds: “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him” (Matt. 5:1). He went away by himself to pray: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). He encouraged the disciples to rest after they had worked hard: “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place” (Mark 6:30–32).

Jesus developed the perfect rhythm of rest versus work, and if I lean into him and his example, I can learn to do the same.

Dear Jesus, thank you for setting the example of how to take breaks and spend time alone with the Father. Help me through this season of burnout so that I will come out on the other side renewed. Amen.