Four Warnings About Burnout from Anne Jackson

We had Anne Jackson come in and speak at our all-staff gathering on the topic of burnout.  She really did a great job!  Anne told her story of growing up in a pastors home and how her father was impacted by the stress of a dysfunctional church.  After leaving the faith and eventually finding her way back to God she joined a church staff.  She jumped in with great passion and enthusiasm only to experience burnout herself.  Her story was the impetus for the big idea of her new book, Mad Church Disease.

Four Warnings About Burnout:

1. Burnout often goes unnoticed.  Often people are afraid of talking about the stress in their life and feeling burned out because it makes them appear weak and not a team player.
2. Burnout effects all areas of health.  Burnout will effect us relationally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
3. Burnout is contagious.  Often times you will not just see one case of burnout.  There are cultures that create burnout and you will see it in multiples.
4. Burnout leads to death.  Burnout can lead to the death of relationships; the death of faith or the death of a dream.

Insights About Burnout

• "Burnout is the accumulation of stress over time" - Archibald Hart
• Type-A personalities burn out from over engagement.
• Type-B personalities burn out from having people walk all over them.

Comments

[KathyJ]

Did she mention what to do to if burnout has taken hold?

[Dave Ferguson]

Her two suggestions were: 1. Talk to others...don't keep it in. 2. Create an environment that allows people to talk about where they are struggling.

[anne jackson]

Thank you guys again so much for having me! You all have a super special thing going on up there!

[Anne]

I think I am a type B personality and I had wondered what was going on because I knew I was NOT a type A so reading the difference explains a lot. Some of this stess has been relieved because I am working at learning that it ok to say no. But given the American way of life and the way we seem to need to run our professional lives it is a constant battle

[Steve Kiefer]

Great practical insight Dave! Thank you

[Graham]

Thanks for having Anne come to CCC! Thank you for the opportunity to meet her! I got some awesome encouragement from her here: http://bit.ly/1aBGeN