Physical Symptoms
- Christy Bass Adams
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
Day 1, Burnout
Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:3 (ESV)
Martha loved teaching. She was one of those kids who always wanted to be in the classroom and when she grew up and finally entered, she never planned to leave. Calm to a fault, Martha’s classroom was one of envy. Every teacher in the school longed to run a class like hers. It seemed unfair at how naturally solutions came to her and how easily students obeyed.
Her twenty-fifth year of teaching came around and Martha filled the summer with times of planning in between family vacation, rest, and household projects. She couldn’t wait until she met her new students. Every year was exciting, but this year felt like an extra special milestone.
Two weeks before school started, Martha went in for her yearly check-up with her primary doctor. Two days later, they called her back in for more bloodwork. That had never happened before, but Martha knew things happened and maybe her samples were disqualified. She didn’t ask questions until she received another call two days later. The doctor told her all her numbers were off, and they were referring her to an oncologist and she needed to follow up immediately.
Martha froze. Oncologist? Numbers off? Cancer?
The next few weeks were not only filled with a brand new school year, but lots of doctor visits, MRI’s, and other tests. Soon she learned it was a rare blood cancer. Treatable, but they had to act fast. The same day she received that information, she learned that her son and daughter in law were divorcing and that her son had gotten another woman pregnant through his cheating. That same week, she also learned that her mother had pneumonia and needed to be in the hospital.
Martha’s world came crashing in around her. Everyday got harder and harder to push through. Her once solid sleep became restless as she constantly bounced between tragedies that were impacting her life and those connected. Even though treatments hadn’t started, her appetite disappeared and nothing tasted good. She survived on Diet coke and granola bars most days and she lost weight every week without trying. Martha, who had always been spunky and full of energy, drug herself into work every day. The fatigue was overwhelming and she didn’t have the energy to keep her kids engaged and having fun. The headaches began once a week and eventually moved to everyday. But when she started getting sick all the time, people really noticed.
What Martha didn’t realize was she was experiencing the classic physical signs of burnout. Fatigue, sleep Issues, headaches/muscle tension, frequent illness, and appetite changes are all physical signs of burnout. (1) She experienced it because of all the outside forces pressing in on her life, and if we are to really look at our lives, we’ll see the same thing. When our lives become more than we can physically handle and we feel out of control for long enough, our body begins yelling at us, trying to make us slow down. These symptoms might seem like an inconvenience at the time, but in reality, it’s our autonomic nervous system trying to get our attention. We are not supposed to function in heightened spurts of adrenaline all the time, but that’s part of what happens during burnout. We need to learn the signs and be aware.
Do the Heart Work
1. Based on the physical symptoms listed above, have you experienced the physical signs of burnout?
2. What are the extras in life that propel people into periods of burnout?
3. When you start feeling those symptoms, do you run to Jesus or turn to other things for “medication”?
Digging Deeper
As mentioned in the story, fatigue, sleep Issues, headaches/muscle tension, frequent illness, and appetite changes are all physical signs of burnout. I think of the 23rd Psalm as being something that would have brought Elijah comfort. Read these words.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23(ESV)
When we are in need, God will be there to provide. He can satisfy our every longing, but only if we choose to run to him instead of cheap substitutes of this world.
If You Get Spare Time
In yesterday’s reading about Elijah, notice God’s solution for his physical exhaustion: eat, drink, and sleep. Sometimes there is no better medication in the world than to slow down, say no, and simply regroup through resting. I’m not talking about binge watching Netflix and eating chocolate and ice cream either. Balanced rest. Restorative rest. Resting with Jesus. As you notice physical symptoms of burnout in your life, ask God to show you how to counteract them through his leadership.
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