Everyone’s life is filled with many challenges. Life has a way of coming at us day after day. Some people handle these daily challenges well, and others cannot or will not.
The result is what we call burn out. People get tired and just worn out at times, and have no energy or get-up-and-go. Here are some professional definitions of burn-out.
Burn out is when one’s attitude becomes “a job is a job is a job.”
Burn out is a depletion of energy and a feeling of being overwhelmed by other’s problems; a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishments that can occur among individuals who do “people work” of some kind.
Burn out is a state of fatigue or frustration resulting from disappointment or excess exposure to stress over a period of time. Also people with burn out are always unhappy, because it affects them
mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually.
The truth is that many people today are suffering from burn out and don’t realize it. They think it is
normal, but it is not. Our lives should produce happiness and fulfillment.
How does all of this happen to so many people? It could be caused by many things. Some we have already mentioned. One of the main causes of burn-out is no margin in our lives. Burn out also comes to many because of bad decisions that produce bad consequences. Every decision has consequences either good or bad.
Our lives need balance. We need a good mental balance. That is our attitude. Our attitude controls so much of our everyday activities. We are social beings and we need people in our lives. We need family and friends to share our lives with. Our health has a lot to do with burn out. If we don’t feel good we don’t produce well at our jobs or with our families. Eating right and exercise are very important to our well being.
The one area of our lives that is so important is our spiritual lives. People who have a good relationship with God are more fulfilled and happy. They live longer because they do not abuse their bodies with drugs and alcohol. They put great value in their families and their friends. They have learned to deal with tragedy and success better. The spiritual side of our lives keeps us on track better because of God’s Word and His teachings.
Everyone should beware of burn out. It is very subtle and very serious. It is preventable and curable. So, don’t give up. Think about these things.
Have a good day and be safe.
Chaplain Bud
How many people have you noticed lately that are really stressed out? Maybe you haven’t noticed. However, we are having an epidemic in America with stress. There are many reasons for people today living with high stress.
This past week I was away at a chaplain’s conference. We covered many subjects in training, but stress came up again and again in many other topics. It is not only affecting Law Enforcement people but their families also. Stress can be a real killer of morale and just take the joy out of everyday living.
There are two kinds of stress. They are positive and negative. We usually define stress as negative. We do know, however, that it motivates us to complete our daily tasks. Eustress is good stress that is positive. It puts just enough pressure on individuals to perform. Eustress motivates and focuses energy.
Examples of eustress could be a promotion or a raise, starting a new job, marriage, new home or car, having a child, moving, vacations or retirement. These are good stresses and get us excited.
Distress is negative stress. It causes anxiety or worry. It can be short lived or long term. It is outside our coping abilities. It feels unpleasant, decreases performance, and leads to mental or physical problems or burn out.
Examples that cause distress are death of a spouse or friend, filing for divorce, money problems, children’s problems in school, low morale on the job and inability to cope with fellow workers.
The consequences of distress in Law Enforcement are very high because of the nature of the career. Some of the consequences are low productivity, lawsuits, excessive force, alcoholism, drug abuse, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and chronic headaches. To make matters worse, this all leads to ulcers, depression, aggression, and even sometimes suicide.
Some signs of distress are poor attention, poor decisions, memory problems, disturbed thinking, nightmares, fatigue, high blood pressure, fear or depression.
Stress filters down into every aspect of the police officers’ life and the life of the police organization. Stress affects the officers morale and performance and even the safety of co-workers or civilians.
So, how do we cope with stress? People need a life outside of their career. That may be with family, with hobbies, with a church, with your neighborhood, etc. A positive attitude is the number one defense against negative stress. Eat right and exercise. Don’t spend all your off-duty time with fellow officers.
Your job does not need to destroy your health or your family. It is just a job. Do it well, take it seriously, but also take seriously your off-duty time. We all want to have our families long after our careers are ended and we retire. Here is a little jingle I learned years ago. “He who lives with too much tension, doesn’t live to enjoy his pension.”
Have a good day, be safe,
Chaplain Yoder
How is your attitude today? Life is all about attitude. How you think will determine how you act. Life is about attitude not circumstance.
Life is what you make it. Life is not fair or easy, but that is life. No one ever said life was easy or fair. For some it is easier than for others, but in general all face the same challenges. And, may I add, it’s not about race or gender. Both must face challenges based on who they are.
Your attitude is your programmer with which you act or react to things and events that happen every day. When you think well, you look for good and find it. When you think negatively and look for it, you find it too.
A good attitude is the first step to success, because success is fulfillment more than just completing something. Successful people may not have all the materialistic things but they have peace. Why? Because of a good attitude!
These are not the best of times as a country, but they are far better than most of the world. We have nice homes and families. Most of our population is working. In Myanmar where I visited this spring, 80% of the people are unemployed. They are surviving on very little with a government that is all about itself and not caring for the people.
We are blessed people to live in America. People all over the world would love to have the opportunities we have and the luxuries we have. But, we forget quickly as soon as things become challenging. Then people begin to listen to negative talk and it kills our attitudes and enthusiasm.
Here are several suggestions to help your attitude. First, start each day with a positive attitude. Look for the good in your career and people around you. Be thankful for what you have.
Secondly, don’t spend time with negative people. It is contagious. Look for influences that build you up not tear you down. Failure is the product of negative people saying and doing the wrong things.
Thirdly, be happy with who you are. Every person in God’s eyes is special and you are special. Don’t waste one day of your life. We can either improve or go backwards. Unhappy people go backwards.
Lastly, but not least, happiness comes to those who make the most out of life. Attitude is the key. You are what you think. You react according to how you think. You reap what you sow. You reap after you sow and you reap more than you sow.
Life may not pay you what you think you are worth but it will only pay you what you earn. If you feel you deserve better, try doing better. If you are unhappy, change things that are influencing your attitude. If you have a good attitude this world needs you. Keep it up!
Chaplain Bud
The book of Proverbs is a great book in the Bible. I call it the how to book. It tells us how to do life. Prov. 22:24-25 has some great advice.
“Do not make friends with a hot tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.”
Many people in life have their character ruined by the people they associate with. Their influence is a bad influence and it is contagious. Some people are easily influenced and others not so easily, however, we are all influenced in one way or another. It is said that we are what we eat, but also we are judged by the friends we keep. Friendships are very important, but you pick your friends, don’t let them pick you. Look at a person’s lifestyle and decide whether or not that lifestyle is for you. We do become like the people we spend time with.
Life is a constant lifetime of learning, but for some reason some people keep making the same mistakes over and over. They just don’t get it. If they would just stop and look at the friends and their influences they would see the light.
On the other hand good people of good character are good influences. We can be encouraged and influenced in the right way. Character is something we are building all the time. Good character must be protected. A good reputation is very important and can be destroyed with one stupid act. At one moment a person can be ruined for life.
What best builds character and integrity? Good moral standards. Good moral convictions. Where do we find these standards and convictions? In the Bible, in God’s Word. in the book of Proverbs, or the Gospels or the Old Testament. Here we find the truth and the consequences of doing wrong.
Most people I have met in life just want to be happy and succeed. But the cold, hard fact is that there are no short cuts to either being happy or being successful. Both take hard work and we must pay attention to situations around us.
It also takes other people to both make us happy and successful. We don’t do it alone. We need people in our lives. Good people of good influence and character. These people are priceless and bring fulfillment that can come in no other way.
Who is it who has influenced you the most over the years? Many of us were influenced first by good parents. Then our young friends as we grew up. Then people in our careers and communities. Along the way, these are the people who have helped shape our lives. Some will never know how much good they have done for us, and others will if we tell them.
Who are you influencing today? Are you helping others to shape their lives and character for good? Or, are you a bad influence? Do you build people up or tear them down? I pray you build them up. We only have one life to live, and one is enough if we do it right.
Chaplain Bud