Burnout. We all face it as worship leaders. Some times there comes a point where you are tired of chord charts, playlists, arrangements, themes, and people. If the thought of putting together a worship set makes you sigh and want to run far away, you may be getting a little crispy. Here are some ideas to prevent burnout.
- Make a list of things that fill your tank. What do you love to do? Go crazy with the list. Dream. Dream some more. Pick something selfish off the list, take an afternoon (or day, or more) off and DO IT. Don’t feel guilty about it. Do it.
- Stop listening to music. Sometimes I just have to get away from music. Maybe God will be best found in the silence. Go find out.
- Get to another church for a Sunday and be totally anonymous. Tell them you are Hank from Montana and just passing through on the way to your summer job on an oil rig. Oh, and don’t critique the worship gathering. You are not a worship leader, you are an oil rig worker (have you forgotten already?).
- Play your instrument for no other reason than just to play.
- Write a new song (unless that stresses you). Write the song just between you and God. Don’t write it to be the next song that your congregation sings.
- Take a real sabbatical day and just relax. Give yourself permission to rest.
- Connect with a friend that builds into you.
- Fast from media. That includes internet, cell phone, iPod, and crackberry.
If your burnout runs deep, you may need to take some extended time off. Don’t feel guilty about this. Your congregation needs you healthy.
The difference between song leaders and worship leaders is that worship leaders lead from the overflow. A good worship leader will make it seem like you are eavesdropping on their deep personal worship. You owe it to God, your family, and yourself to get some refreshment to gain some depth.
For a look at how I combat burnout before it starts, check out this post.
What do you do to de-stress?
picture from Library of Congress Photostream