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Description

Today's question: “I used to be someone people could count on, but lately, I just don't have it in me. Am I failing if I pull back?”

Your messy adviser, Johan, tackles this real (and slightly crispy) dilemma in a way only he can— with snack references, biblical throwbacks, and gentle reminders that hitting the wall doesn’t mean you’re not caring enough. Get ready for a short but meaningful conversation about what burnout really looks like, why boundaries matter, and how stepping back might actually honour your heart to serve. Perfect for those late-night Google searches about burnout—or anyone who secretly wishes for a nap and a rotisserie chicken.

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This one's for anyone who's ever told someone, I'm good, while quietly

googling burnout symptoms at 2AM. Burnout doesn't always

look like a breakdown, sometimes it looks like crying in a Costco

parking lot because they're at a rotisserie chicken and that was your

one win for the day. You sign the volunteer form. By week three,

you're running the entire Sunday team you weren't even part of and hiding

behind a potted plant to avoid being asked again. Welcome to Messy Advice

for People Who Care, a summer series from Journey with Care for people

who care deeply, try their best, and sometimes wonder if

burnout is just their personality now. We're talking about

caregiving, boundaries, burnout, and the not so clear moments of loving

others well, minus the formulas. This is Johan on

the edge of helpful, slightly crispy around the edges, but

still showing up. Sometimes the

hardest thing to admit is that we've hit a wall, especially when

people count on us to keep showing up. Today's question gets

into that exact tension. I used to be someone

people can count on, but lately, I just don't

have it in me. Am I failing if I pull back?

That's not just a fair question. It's one I think more people are

quietly carrying than we realize. It hits on that deep

unspoken fear. What if I'm not okay and people still need me to

be? According to a 2022 Indeed Canada

report, 53 of Canadian workers said they were burned

out, up from forty percent just two years earlier.

So if you're feeling emotionally spent, you're not dramatic.

You're trending, which is probably the least comforting way of saying

you're not alone. But stats don't tell you what it feels like at

30AM, checking your messages with a pit in your stomach

and nothing left in the tank. Let's talk about that.

Now I love the heart behind showing up, but

somewhere along the line, we turned it into a competitive sport, and the

gold medal goes whoever cancels rest the fastest in the name of being

available. Imagine this. You're two hours into your

workday, three tabs deep into unread emails, and someone texts,

hey. Can you help me out with something small? You're exhausted.

But you type, sure. I'm happy to help because the

guilt hits faster than the boundary. And suddenly, you're in full

triage mode, overfunctioning like your spiritual worth depends on

it. Not because you want to, but because saying no

feels like a betrayal. Consider this. Let's

get biblical. Biblical. In first

Kings 19, Elijah has just come off a massive spiritual

wind. Fire from heaven, the prophets of Baal

exposed, people falling on their knees in worship.

By all accounts, it's a career defining moment for a prophet.

And then he crashes, and he crashes

hard. He runs into the wilderness, lies down under a

bush, and basically tells God, I've had enough.

I'm done. He's not dramatic. He's depleted.

And what does God do? Not a lecture. Not a

motivational speech. No. Let's talk about your lack

in faith. Instead, God sends an angel,

and God sends an angel of snacks. And he says,

get up and eat. And then Elijah falls asleep again,

so the angel comes back with more food. It's like divine

DoorDash with a side of try again later. God

doesn't rush Elijah. He doesn't push him past his limits.

He gives him space, silence, rest,

and then, only then, he whispers. Not in fire,

not in wind, not in earthquakes, but in

stillness. This isn't just about burnout. It's about how

god responds to our breaking point with care,

with gentleness, with a kind of kindness that doesn't require

us to prove we're still useful. Sometimes the most

spiritual thing you can do is take a nap and eat something

warm. So maybe the most faithful thing you could do this

week is nap. Not out of laziness, but a way

of saying, I trust that everything doesn't depend on me.

Burnout doesn't mean that you've failed. It means that you've been carrying more than you

were meant to. Maybe it's time to set something down, not

everything, just something. Start there. And, hey,

if that landed somewhere in your chest, you're not alone. A lot of us are

trying to serve from empty wells and we don't have to.

And if you wanna join a conversation with like minded people, join us on the

Care Impact podcast group on Facebook. And until next time,

keep loving, keep laughing, and if your search history includes

burnout symptoms or how to fake a sabbatical, take

that as your sign not to fake it, actually rest,

and always remember to stay curious.