258: When You’re a Human “Doing” Instead of a Human Being

Last Updated on August 29, 2024 by Alicia Michelle

Make sure to join me over the next four weeks to help you slow down, listen to God, and set the re-set a more restful pace for your life!

Stuck in a season of overwhelm and want more life balance? Whether or not you struggle with workaholism, we can easily forget that we are human beings rather than human doings. In this episode, you will learn how overcoming burnout is crucial if we want to follow God’s plan for our lives and ways that we can receive replenishment in this season.

Make sure to join me over the next four weeks to help you slow down, listen to God, and set the re-set a more restful pace for your life!

 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• [04:13] Are You Slipping into Burnout? Learn to Notice Your Burnout Signs 
• [08:12] Is Making Everyone Happy Keeping You Stuck in Overwhelm + Burnout?
• [11:28] We Need to Stop, Be Still, and Sit at The Feet of Jesus
• [15:30] Training Our Souls to Notice Beauty + Abundances Within Our Boundary Lines
• [19:29] Two Ways I’m Receiving Replenishment in a Burnout Season
• [25:12] Where Do We Go From Here? Using The Goal Setting Workshop + Christian Mindset Makeover

 

[04:13] Are You Slipping into Burnout? Learn to Notice Your Burnout Signs   

If you are struggling with burnout or overwhelm, I want you to know that this is common and normal. But if we do not address it, it will take a toll on our well-being and ongoing health. The idea of the stress hormone cortisol pumping through our veins day after day, keeping us in survival, is very dangerous. This is not how our bodies were designed to exist. I am a walking testament to this because it was one of the reasons I had a near-death experience in 2017, which you can learn more about in episode 125, How the Hustle Culture + Need to Achieve Nearly Took My Life.

Although this is not how we are designed, it is normal and we all deal with it. We are now halfway through the year and it is a great time to take stock of where we are and get some real replenishment. I personally felt myself slipping into overwhelm around six weeks ago. As a motivated person, I can tell that I am burnt out when I do not care to show up and do things. I could have kept the mask on and kept going but God has done enough work within me to recognize that I cannot live like that anymore. I took some time to reflect on what was causing this burnout and I realized that when I am putting things out I need to make sure that I am filling myself back up. Within each season of life, rest and replenishment looks different. Sometimes we need more intense versions of it, like in this most recent season of my life.

This is often challenging because we have to pull back from responsibilities, slow down, and simplify our lives. This does not mean that we get to cancel everything. If we have made commitments to certain things, we need to pray for the strength to see those through.

[08:12] Is Making Everyone Happy Keeping You Stuck in Overwhelm + Burnout?

When you begin to recognize that you are a human being, not a human doing, you will have to say no to things – and not everyone is going to like that. I had to deal with people being disappointed in me because of the decisions I had made and the expectations that they had for me. God has been working on the idea of needing to make everyone happy within me for years. This was His first test to see what decision I would make. 

I started to create times that I set aside for me to be with God. I had previously committed to something on Thursday mornings but I decided that I was not showing up the way that God intended. I felt Him saying that if I did not step down, I would not be able to be used in the way that He wanted me to be. I stepped down and started to spend Thursday mornings with God in the park. 

God has been digging through why I have been exhausted and is repairing me in these areas. It has been life-changing to have a journal and my notes app, Evernote. Being able to speak everything out has been so helpful. We have to be intentional and notice when we are approaching burnout or overwhelm. We need to be bold, take a stand, and remind ourselves that this is not how God has called us to live. Our mental health is important, how we show up is important, and God wants us to have more of a life than just doing, He wants us to have a life within Him. 

[11:28] We Need to Stop, Be Still, and Sit at The Feet of Jesus

One of my favorite scriptures around this topic is Psalm 46:10 which says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Meditate on that and reflect on how many times God has changed the direction of your life and you thought “I could not have even planned for this to work out any better.” This is the power of our God. 

When we are in a cycle of doing, we just want to keep going, yet what we often need is to just stop and be still. We often think that our actions are important but what is most important is sitting at the feet of Jesus. This needs to be an active, not passive, part of our lives. 

When we are stuck in a season of doing, we instead need to be with God to get centered on the truth. He will illuminate the truth and show us what we need to deal with to be revitalized. I recently felt my creative spark start to fizzle out but I chose to get this replenishment that I needed. 

Many of us are approaching a slower season of life when the kids are out of school, yet we have to be careful with how we use this time. If we just spend our time lounging, watching Netflix, working, and looking at our phones, nothing is going to change. We need to spend time with God, replenish our souls, and allow Him to fill us back up. 

[15:30] Training Our Souls to Notice Beauty + Abundances Within Our Boundary Lines

In episode 257, we talked with Sara Hagerty about what it means to live in abundance with God within our boundaries. She shared with us about how we are given these limitations in life, burnout and overwhelm included, and we can think of these as difficult things we do not want to step into. If we learn to accept what is there, then we can find the abundance within these limitations. We often think of abundance as God giving us an upgrade at a hotel or getting a free coffee, but the true expression of God’s abundance is all around us. If you have not bought Sara’s book “The Gift of Limitations”, make sure to get it!

I want to share this journal entry/prayer back to God that I did the other day around this topic of abundance:

“Thank you for showing me today that abundance inside the boundary lines doesn't have to look like abundance in the way that I see it. In this season of replenishment, You are my abundance, God, You are showing up and directing me and wow, it is so beautiful to experience. I am so grateful to show up each day for my life and know that You abundantly blessed me and that You're overflowing my cup. I know that abundance is present, even if I am not accomplishing or doing things. Even if I don't see abundance, it is present. Your abundance that You give to me is based solely on my pre-established worth in Christ. I don't have to strive for abundance, I don't have to try to seek it, I just need to be still and receive it. It is a bigger and better version of abundance than the silly pithy abundance ways that I look for it. It is a mystery. It is a daily unraveling, and a surprise that I get to discover with you each day God. Seeing your tiny, miraculous gifts of abundance has brought new life and strength to my soul, as I trust and receive this daily manna.”

As you slow down, this idea of seeing God everywhere begins to pop up in different ways. There is so much to be explored in this Christian life and you & I have the responsibility to decide that we are going to be different. We need to put up boundaries in our lives while taking time to let God fill us instead of being stuck in the cycle of “doing”.

[19:29] Two Ways I’m Receiving Replenishment in a Burnout Season

Although it is important to spend time with the Lord, it is also important to make sure that we are replenishing ourselves in other ways. Are we using our bodies to the fullest capacity by feeding them what they need, by exercising, or by stimulating our brains? 

Before I began this downtime, I committed to something called “75 Hard” with my husband. We have been following a diet that eliminated alcohol and sugar, we work out twice a day, we read 10 pages of a nonfiction book a day, drink a gallon of water, and then take a picture of ourselves each day. This all started around the same time that God was saying that I needed to get replenished. I think that by investing in my body and taking care of it to its fullest extent, I have been able to expedite the replenishment process. We do not have to change everything or do 75 Hard to get the replenishment we need but if there is something in your life that you know would help you, it might be something to consider. 

Another thing that can replenish us is breaking away from everyday life to take an extended vacation to let God speak. I am not talking about a vacation where you plan everything, I am talking about a trip where you put everything away, turn your phone off for most of the day, and spend time with the Lord. 

In a couple of weeks, I am going to Italy. You may have heard me talk about my trip to Italy in Episode 231: Italy Trip Recap! When A Dream Comes True (All the Feels + Surprising Challenges) but this time I am going with a friend to a different part of Italy. We will be exploring Lake Como and going to Germany and Austria. This is a way for us to get replenishment and create more space to hear from the Lord. I am so excited because I will be able to put everything down and enjoy His creation. I also want to remind you that I am hosting my own retreat in Italy in the fall of 2025. Learn more or join me here!  

You also do not need to take a big trip to connect deeper with God. You can take an extended weekend somewhere near you or even to a friend's house. Sometimes we make excuses saying “That would be nice but it will never happen”, but we can still creatively think of an extended rest period that will help our minds and give us space for the Lord to speak to us. Make sure to be open because we never know the opportunities He might present to us.

[25:12] Where Do We Go From Here? Using The Goal Setting Workshop + Christian Mindset Makeover

I have two resources that will help you sit with the Lord and then move forward from a more replenished space. One of them is the Goal Setting Workshop. I offer this resource all year long and you can do it over and over again. It is an hour-and-a-half, pre-recorded workshop with a worksheet. You will walk away from this having celebrated the victories, difficulties, and dreams of everything in your life right now. You will also identify the one thing that will help you to move forward in the season of life that you are in. 

Another great resource is the Christian Mindset Makeover. Within this program, you will address the patterns inside of you and the soundtracks that have been programmed in your subconscious. We then use a tool called brain priming which is a proven brain science tool that has been used for 30-40 years. Once we figure out what soundtracks are running, we can change the neural patterns in the subconscious mind to align with the identity that God wants us to have. The mindset makeover is a nine-part course that also includes live check-in calls with me twice a month. Summer is a great time to start addressing these underlying issues and I encourage you to check out the Christian Mindset Makeover

It is time for you to address the underlying issues that have been keeping you stuck. I tried hacking my way out of everything in 2017 and God put me flat on my back for nine months. It took me almost losing my life to address the deeper issues I had underneath. It is time to uncover the underlying issues that are keeping you as a human “doing” and not a human being. If this episode was helpful for you, make sure to share it with a friend who could use this encouragement. And if you haven’t already, please remember to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts. Then take a screenshot of the review and send it to hello@vibrantchristianliving.com and we will send you 50 “I am” statements that you can listen to or read that are about your identity in Christ – for free!

 

RESOURCES:

If you’re tired of living day-to-day in exhaustion and overwhelm, I want to show you how to recenter your life on what matters and find new purpose. You're invited to step out of the chaos + join me for a fresh touch from God at this Goal Planning Workshop!

Ready to refresh your mind, body, and spirit as you explore one of the world's most beloved regions? Join us for an unforgettable 10 days of rejuvenation, exploration, and fun in beautiful Tuscany, Italy! Learn more about this incredible retreat here.

Ready for a step-by-step plan based on the Bible + brain science to identify + rewire subconscious thoughts so they line up with your true identity in Christ? Join us in the Christian Mindset Makeover!

 

RELATED EPISODES:

125: How the Hustle Culture + Need to Achieve Nearly Took My Life

246: Join Me Italy in 2025 for a Rest-Filled, Christ-Centered Travel Retreat for Women!

247: Avoiding Burnout: Finding Emotional + Mental Rest Despite Life’s Everyday Chaos

253: What Does Realistic Rest Look Like When You’re Tired of Being Tired? with Jess Connolly

257: Can Boundaries + Limitations Be a Gift? with Sara Hagerty