I’m tired…

“I’m tired” …How many times have you said that to yourself?

Humping call to call or running a pod with no break, relief, and no reassurance of support. There are times when life can be overwhelming and leave you feeling tired. The feeling of just being drained, yet fueling yourself through caffeine and sheer determination not to quit. But at some point, you hit that wall, that impasse when people start to notice you are worn down and ask how you are holding up. You simply reply… “I’m tired…I’m just tired.”

We have all been there, whether it is in our personal life or work. We tired of always working short staffed, tired of dealing with the politics, tired of dealing with financial stress, tired of dealing with relational stress, tired of people. We have all known that feeling. I’m just tired…

How do we address it? How do we change the meaning behind the statement? Simply stated, yet it carries the weight of future decisions, past regrets, and the unknown. First, we need to understand that we are not simply stating we are physically tired, while that may be true it is much more. We need to establish the context and be specific on why we are tired. This undoubtedly requires us to be honest with ourselves and take a deeper look at the current structure of life and be willing to make the necessary adjustments.

When I find myself in this place, where I am just tired I stop and reflect on where I am currently at. What has changed? Is there something underlying that I am not seeing or addressing? Is it merely physical or is it deeper? Once I am able to identify the presenting concern I can actively put a plan in place. Often, for me, it is becoming emotionally drained and fatigued which then has the potential to impact other areas of my life, such as family and friends.

Knowing this, it is crucial for me to hit the pause button, step away, rest, recharge, and reengage. Take time to rest, it is vital. Yes, there is always work to be done. But that work will still be there after you take a much-needed break. However, you have to be intentional about this. We can create excuse after excuse why we cannot be intentional about it, “I don’t have time,” “There is too much to do,” “I will rest when I’m dead,” “People are depending on me.” The list can go on and on and some of the “excuses” may be true. You may not have time, there may be too much to do, people may be depending on you, but if you are not in a good space yourself, you cannot effectively be of use to anyone.

You need to slow down. Make use of your days off. Schedule a day to do nothing but invest back in yourself and rest and recharge. No one will do it for you, you have to prioritize your own wellbeing. If you are tired…rest.

God took time to rest, so can we.