But here’s a deeper question.

Can a culture burn out?

And if the answer is yes, any chance that’s happening to America in this moment?

An accurate diagnosis might be helpful right now because, if you’re like me, as you read the news and scroll through your feed it’s hard not to feel despair.

I was speaking to a group of next generation church leaders recently, most in their twenties or early thirties, and as I thought about their future, I was reminded of how pessimistic so many of the outlooks on the future are right now.

That’s when it hit me: it is possible for an entire culture to experience burn out, and is that in fact happening? 

Between a pandemic, a fragile economy, racial injustice, climate instability, and very stressful election and political tone, it’s a very difficult moment.

Then the even bigger question:  in light of all this, how do you minister to an exhausted, cynical culture?

If in fact, a country is showing signs of burnout, that does three things.

First, it provides an accurate diagnosis, which has value in itself. Not knowing what’s wrong makes it very difficult to make things right.

Second, a diagnosis points the way to treatment. And third, it ultimately offers hope of recovery.

Which is my motivation in writing this post. Although I’m a Canadian, I’ve always had a deep affection for America and (until the pandemic impacted travel) spent a great deal of time there.

Many of my deep friendships and partnerships are with Americans, so the connections mean a lot to me. Add to that the fact that America is still such a global influencer, and we realize we all get better when America gets better. And we all suffer when America suffers.

So what’s going on, and what can we do about it?

How do you minister to an exhausted, burned out culture?

We all get better when America gets better. And we all suffer when America suffers. So the question becomes, how do you minister to a burned out culture?

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Some Signs It May Be Burnout

I’m personally familiar with the challenge of burnout. Having burned out personally around the age of 40, I’m all too familiar with the symptoms and challenges associated with it.

I’ve outlined the symptoms to look for here, but let me give you a partial, short list of what people go through when they experience burn out.

Given that a nation is the sum of its people, it’s good to look within to yourself and around to others. And when certain behaviours and characteristics are widespread enough to characterize a people, you could argue the culture is burning out.

So what do you look for? While this is not a medical diagnosis, see if any of this sounds familiar.

Cynicism, a loss of passion, and a pervasive numbness often signify burnout. To say we’ve grown cynical and grown numb as a culture is a bit of an understatement right now. And cynicism never finds a home in a healthy heart.

In addition to numbness, though, burnout can bring out disproportionate emotional responses like anger over things that shouldn’t normally make you angry. The weird combination of numbness to many things and a livid anger about other things is a classic sign of burnout. On that note, that’s exactly what your social media feed is right now—a strange combination of indifference and fury.

The weird combination of numbness and a livid anger about other things is a classic sign of burnout. On that note, that’s exactly what your social media feed is right now—a strange combination of indifference and fury.

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Other symptoms include loss of motivation (this will never get better, so what’s the point?) and the inability to think straight. When I burned out it was as though my mind stopped working…I just couldn’t form many logical thoughts. Taking a look at our culture right now, and it’s easy to see we’re not making great decisions, and the decisions we are making are often fuelled by impulse, emotion and anger (see above).

A final sign worth noting is that people who are burning out often self-medicate. That usually takes the form of addiction.

The addiction can be something as ‘virtuous’ as work or food.  For me, it was both of those things. I worked far too many hours and ate some of my feelings (which of course, just makes you feel worse).  Other times you can get addicted to spending, gaming, binge watching, exercise, or anything else that helps you numb out or escape.

And, of course, people also self-medicate through the use of alcohol, drugs, sex and gambling.

The fact that we’re a deeply addicted culture points to an inability to cope with the current reality. Which opens the door wide for healing and ministry.

So what can you do to point toward a solution, rather than be part of the problem?

Cynicism never finds a home in a healthy heart.

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1. Drink from a deeper well

It’s not your imagination, your social media feed and news feed are hard to take right now.

While it’s important to stay connected and in touch as a leader, the main thing your social media and news feed do these days is feed your anxiety. What’s used to feed your mind and heart now just feeds your despair.

The main thing your social media and news feed do these days is feed your anxiety. What’s used to feed your mind and heart now just feeds your despair.

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Which is why you need to drink from a deeper well.

Obviously, for Christians, that starts with scripture.

But in a fractious time, even reading the Bible can be one more way to find ammunition to attack the other side or prove your point. That’s just a bad use of the bible.

Don’t let your news feed filter your reading of scripture. Let your reading of scripture filter your news feed. The former fuels anxiety. The latter diffuses it.

Another great practice right now is to anchor yourself in timeless truth. Go back to a favourite devotional book, spiritual classic or something that wasn’t written in the last 20 years.

Sages have made it through crises in the past. If you keep yourself anchored, so will you.

Don’t let your news feed filter your reading of scripture. Let your reading of scripture filter your news feed. The former fuels anxiety. The latter diffuses it.

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2. Bind wounds, don’t aggravate them

When a culture is wounded, ask yourself whether your chief goal is to bind the wound or aggravate it. Right now, it feels like many have gone beyond poking and into aggravation.

What if you just decided that your approach in life and online was going to be to bind wounds, not aggravate them?

To try to heal your enemies rather than harm them?

A simple way to begin is to ask this question: how can I help?

If what you’re about to say or do doesn’t help your neighbour, don’t say it and don’t do it.

If what you’re about to say or do doesn’t help your neighbour, don’t say it and don’t do it.

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3. Offer a real alternative to hype and hate

Our world is looking for an alternative right now.

Deciding what you want to be known for is the first step in the right direction.

As my friend Jeff Henderson points out, most churches (and many church leaders) have been known for what they’re against. It’s much better to be known what you’re for.

Being against something take almost no work. I personally find it easy to come up with almost instant criticism of almost anything.

So many people eating Doritos who have never once stepped foot on a field know how to manage an NFL team better than a head coach. Criticism is easy and often inaccurate.

It’s much harder to decide what you’re for. But that’s where all the value is.

Being for something will actually require something of you. Some effort, some principles, some sacrifice and perhaps some misunderstanding.

Church leaders make a mistake when they imagine that the scripture is mostly about things we’re against. It’s not.

It’s about things we’re for. The alternative community that emerged in the first century that was characterized by love, equality, generosity, sacrifice, caring for the marginalized and least important and the outward thrust of the Gospel reshaped the world and reshaped history.

The next generation today is looking for an alternative to hype and hate. They’re looking for hope.

The church is their best hope for finding that. If we focus on the things the early church focused on, they will.

The next generation today is looking for an alternative to hype and hate. They’re looking for hope.

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4. Take care of yourself

This is a long, tiring journey we’re on.

The crisis everyone thought would last for a few months is dragging on with no end in sight. Which chronic instability on the indefinite horizon, healthy leaders are the only leaders who are going to make it long term.

So take care of yourself.

For years I ran on no reserves. You just can’t do that.  And your vacation won’t save you.

Here’s why: time off won’t heal you when the problem is how you spend time on. Most of us run at unsustainable pace, limping into our weekends and vacation hoping they’ll restore us. They won’t. A vacation can’t solve an unattainable pace. A sustainable pace can solve an unattainable pace.

Time off won’t heal you when the problem is how you spend your time on.

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The mantra I’ve lived by for the almost 15 years since my burnout is live in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. I’ve adjusted everything in my life to try to make sure that happens: my sleep, diet, exercise, time off, the kind of work I do and so much more.

So think about that: what do you need to do today so you can thrive tomorrow?

Cancel some meetings? Delegate a little more? Say no to some new opportunities? Go for a run? Get to bed early tonight? Stop drinking every night to relieve the stress? Take a nap? Get that workout in?

It’s probably a combination of all of that (and more).

If you don’t put some margin in your life today, you won’t have much of a tomorrow.

If you don’t put some margin in your life today, you won’t have much of a tomorrow.

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5. Unfollow 

One of my personal values is ‘err on the side of generosity’. I like being generous, not just financially, but in spirit, trying to give people the benefit of the doubt and including rather than excluding.

I’m also deeply concerned about confirmation bias and the echo chamber than social media algorithms create (I wrote about that here).

That said, I’ve unfollowed more people in the last year than in the last five years combined largely because they are fuelling the anger rather than diffusing it. And no, I’m not talking about the racial justice discussion (I’ve actually followed that conversation more closely).

But the kind of people who are always stirring up controversy, magnifying division and taking entrenched partisan (rather than principled) stands became such a distraction and agitation for me that unfollowing or muting seems to be the best option.

It’s difficult to think (and pray) deeply when you have people constantly yelling in your ear about their take on every issue whether it matters or not.

So, you may want to consider unfollowing or muting a few people. It’s hard to bring something positive if you constantly fill your mind with negatives.

It’s hard to bring peace if you only fill your mind with division.

It’s hard to bring peace if you only fill your mind with division.

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Make a Positive Difference Online: Free Online Engagement Summit

So you’ve got people watching your church online. How do you get them to engage?

The Online Church Engagement Summit is a 90-minute value-packed live event on October 8th that will show you how to turn viewers into engagers.

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You and your team will learn strategies not just to get people to like comment and share, but to move beyond building consumers and start building disciples.

If you’ve thought you don’t know where to begin with online church, or if you’ve had success online but want to reach and engage more people, The Online Church Engagement Summit is perfect for you and your team.

Register for free today.

What Do You See?

I really think this is a great opportunity for us, as leaders, to speak into the culture in fresh ways. But to do that, we have to be healthy.

What are you seeing? Do you think people (and perhaps our culture) are burning out?

What do you need to do to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem?

Scroll down and leave a comment.

The post Is America Burning Out? (How to Minister to an Exhausted, Cynical Culture) appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: Is America Burning Out? (How to Minister to an Exhausted, Cynical Culture)

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by Carey Nieuwhof: If you’re like me, the longer you serve in leadership, the more intentional you have to become at keeping your heart open and fully alive.

Hardness of heart is a condition that people on the wrong side of God and people develop. Biblically, Pharaoh suffered from it. Israel did on occasion. And the Pharisees specialized in it.

Chances are, the boss you couldn’t stand suffered from it as well.

Not exactly great company if you ask me.

So it’s a little bit vulnerable to admit you struggle with it. But I do. I’m on constant guard about keeping my heart open and alive.

One of the greatest casualties in leadership is the human heart. So many leaders see their hearts grow hard over time. How does it happen?

Well, like a physician, police officer or paramedic who sees difficult things every day, you develop a way of dealing with the pain. And some of that’s healthy.

But if you don’t monitor things carefully, you can move into full seasons where you don’t feel much of anything at all. Your heart can grow hard.

How do you know you’re there, or heading there?

Here are 7 early warning signs:

One of the greatest casualties in leadership is the human heart. Which is never good, because hardness of heart is a condition that people on the wrong side of God develop.Click To Tweet

1. You Don’t Really Celebrate…And You Don’t Really Cry

A hard heart is flat heart. Not much gets in.

Joy doesn’t. Sadness doesn’t.

And while you don’t want to be unstable or imbalanced, it’s actually normal and healthy to feel the ups and downs of life and leadership.

You’re supposed to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. But when you’re heart gets hard, you don’t.

A hard heart is flat heart. Not much gets in.Click To Tweet

2. You Fake Your Emotions

Truthfully, we’ve all done this in seasons. And sometimes you need to.

When you’re the leader, you ‘have’ to lead in the public eye, and sometimes that means smiling when you’re not happy, showing empathy when you don’t feel it. As far as I’m concerned, that’s not a lie nor is it inauthentic if it only happens once in a while. When that happens occasionally, you’re simply being a leader, not a liar.

But when faking your emotions become a pattern, it’s a sign something is deeply wrong. And that kind of faking can’t last if you want to lead and live well.

Fake your emotions enough times and your leadership will stop resonating with the people you lead. Why? Because you’ve stopped becoming an authentic leader.

And not only is authenticity is a non-negotiatable leadership quality in our culture, it’s something God deeply values too. God tends to work best through genuine people.

Not only is authenticity is a non-negotiatable leadership quality in our culture, it’s something God deeply values too. God tends to work best through genuine people. Click To Tweet

3. You Say “I Don’t Care” A Lot

Maybe this is more personal than universal, but a sure sign my heart is in trouble is when I hear myself saying “I don’t care” repeatedly.

Naturally, there are things you don’t care about and more than a few you shouldn’t care about.

But there’s a line I can easily cross where I stop caring about things I should care about, and that’s a warning sign.

When does not caring become an issue? Well, for me it becomes a problem when:

Someone’s upset, and I say I don’t care.

I get disappointed by someone or something, and I say I don’t care.

If something doesn’t work out the way I hoped, I say I don’t care.

When my actions hurt someone, and I say I don’t care.

To me, this is a huge warning sign that there’s a problem, because I should care. Even if I can’t change the outcome, I should care.

If you really don’t care about the people around you, eventually they’ll stop caring about you.

If you really don’t care about the people around you, eventually they’ll stop caring about you.Click To Tweet

4. So Much of What’s Supposed To Be Meaningful Feels Mechanical

Another sure sign of a hard heart is that you feel like a robot.

What’s supposed to be meaningful has become mechanical. You’re doing your job. You’re getting things done, but it’s just mechanical.

From your personal friendships to your family to work, the feeling’s gone.

We all have seasons like that, but be careful when that season starts to feel normal.

Life isn’t supposed to feel mechanical, it’s supposed to have real highs, real lows, meaning, depth, nuance and beauty. None of that is mechanical.

You know your heart is growing hard when what’s supposed to be meaningful has become mechanical.Click To Tweet

5. Passion is Hard to Come By

Remember when you used to be passionate?

Sure. It’s the ‘used to be’ part that’s the problem.

When your heart is growing hard, you lose passion.

For anything. For everything.

It’s pretty normal to lose passion for things that used to matter to you, like say a hobby or activity or even something in your job you used to love but don’t anymore.

It’s a totally different thing when you lose passion for everything.

Your heart and your passion level are deeply connected. Sometimes you’ll try to rekindle your passion when what you really need to do is go deeper, and fix your heart.

Your heart and your passion level are deeply connected. Sometimes you’ll try to rekindle your passion when what you really need to do is go deeper, and fix your heart.Click To Tweet

6. You No Longer Believe The Best About People

You know you’re in danger when you meet someone for the first time and you’re thinking about what’s going to go wrong, not what’s going to go right.

A hard heart is a cynical heart. And cynicism projects past failures onto new situations, a sure-fire way of sabotaging all future joy and possibility.

A hard heart is a cynical heart. And cynicism projects past failures onto new situations, a sure-fire way of sabotaging all future joy and possibility. Click To Tweet

The stakes are high when you stop believing the best and assuming the worst.

Why?

Because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Leaders who stop believing the best about people stop receiving the best from people.

Leaders who stop believing the best about people stop receiving the best from people.Click To Tweet

7. You’re Growing Cynical

Speaking of cynicism, hard-heartedness and cynicism go hand in hand.

There’s little room in a healthy heart for cynicism. And cynicism creeps in slowly over time.

If you find yourself growing cynical, how do you battle back?

Bottom line? Hope again, believe again and trust again. That’s what hopeful people do.

There’s little room in a healthy heart for cynicism.Click To Tweet

What Can You Do? (Two Resources That Can Help You Now)

I address many of the problems with a heart that goes flat in these two resources I’ve poured the best of what I have to offer into.

First, my most recent book, Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the 7 Greatest Challenges Everyone Experiences and No One Expects tackles cynicism, burnout and pride head on, and has helped tens of thousands of leaders reclaim hope. You can learn more, read a free sample chapter, or get your copy here.

Second, so much of the state of your heart has to do with overwhelm.

My High Impact Leader online, on demand course has helped thousands of leaders get out of overwhelm and get their life back and their hearts back. It also has helped them lead better than they’ve ever led.

You can learn more and get instant access to The High Impact Leader Here.

I’d Love To Hear From You In The Comments

I’m in the early stages of working on my next book (release date: September 2020) and it will be about how to combat the numbness, cynicism and defeat about 70% of people report saying is how they feel day to day. Leaders feel it. Teenagers feel it. Almost everyone feels it.

Here’s what I’d love. In the comments, let me know what symptoms you’ve experienced or are experiencing when it comes to your heart growing hard.

I’d love to learn, and grow, together.

The post 7 Early Warning Signs Your Heart Is Growing Hard in Leadership appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 7 Early Warning Signs Your Heart Is Growing Hard in Leadership

The post 7 Early Warning Signs Your Heart Is Growing Hard in Leadership appeared first on Passion for Planting.