How to Fulfill Your Calling and Fight Pandemic Fatigue

“Any other pastors out there feeling weary?” a minister in England asks. “I’ve had two weeks leave and feel as knackered [worn out] as I did before.”

“I am emotionally drained,” another writes. “Any other pastors feeling like this?”

“These days I feel less like a pastor and more like a video producer and social media manager,” a third observes. “Any other pastors feel exhausted?”

To answer their questions: Yes! Nearly every pastor I’ve talked with the last six months feels like this.

What we suffer from has been dubbed Pandemic Fatigue. And it’s especially devastating for two kinds of people—those in positions of leadership and those who care for others.

That’s you, my friend.

About a month into the pandemic, I realized I needed to make some changes.

I had just started a new role training emerging leaders in our city. The work was intense and rewarding (still is!), but after a mere five weeks on the job we had to shift from in-person to all-digital at the drop of a hat.

Additionally I had some other projects I was working on. And my wife’s employer furloughed her. And our five kids shifted to remote learning.

All on the same week.

It didn’t take long for the fatigue to set in. Not just tiredness, That could’ve been fixed with a nice long nap.

Fatigue.

Weariness. Collapsing into bed at night. Waking up with a spinning mind. Wondering when this would all stop and we could go back to normal.

We’re still waiting.

---

So what can you do about it?

Here are five steps you can take today to relieve your pandemic fatigue.

1. Establish a no-phone margin

You know what margins are—the blank space around the edges of a page.

You need to establish a margin for your phone, that is, a set amount of time at the beginning and end of each day when your phone is off limits.

Call it the No-Phone Zone.

I suggest 30 minutes minimum. No phone for the first 30 minutes after you wake up. No phone for the last 30 minutes before you close your eyes to sleep.

Honestly 60 minutes would be even better.

That blank space in the morning allows your own thoughts to develop unfettered, and in the evening lets your mind and body wind down.

“But what about my Bible app? or the Weather app? or the Transit app?”

You may have legit exceptions to the rule. But there are two categories that you need to force out of these margins.

Social Media and the News.

Shut them down for the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes, every day.

Better yet, make it 60.

And turn off those notifications.

2. Revisit your goals

You are trying to do too much.

That’s hard for a pastor to hear. You’re doing good things.

Discipleship. Missional outreach. Sermon prep. Worship. Leadership development. Conflict management. Counseling.

Cutting any of these things from your weekly goals is painful.

But it is necessary.

You can’t do it all.

Or, as John the Baptist memorably puts it, “I am not the Christ.”

As I teach in my e-course on Building a Game Plan for Pastoring at Home, you should plan to accomplish three things each week.

Three, and only three.

And if you’re preaching this weekend, that’s one.

Trying to do everything makes you effective at nothing. You’ve got to narrow your focus.

What three projects are most important to your calling this week?

Then give your best working hours to them, and don’t sweat the rest.

3. Ask for a sabbatical

How you do this depends on whether your church already has a sabbatical policy.

If the answer is No, then some day you should talk to your church leaders about establishing one.

But not today. You don’t have time to write a policy and get it approved by all the necessary committees and boards.

For now, just reach out to the appropriate people and ask for a few weeks’ leave.

Let them know what you (and your family, if applicable) are going through. Tell them how exhausted you are. Share with them what’s made this season particularly difficult for you as a leader and pastor. Let them know that your body and soul need a break.

Then ask them if you can take a specific set of dates for a leave, perhaps the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February.

That’s not nearly enough time. Three months would be ideal. But given the short window between Christmas and Easter, you may have to settle for four to six weeks.

But go ahead and ask.

If your church does have a sabbatical policy, you may have to ask to take it early if you don’t yet qualify for it.

Still it is worth asking.

4. Sweat more, consume less

I recently heard Laura van Dernoot Lipsky share a fresh take on some old advice:

“Get your heart rate up and break a sweat six times a week.”

It doesn’t take an hour to do that; you can get there in as little as 10 minutes.

It’s a doable action. And you’ll feel better for it.

While you’re at it, keep a record of what you’re actually eating. Literally write it down, along with the calorie count (if you dare!).

Your diet and exercise routines are critical to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Don’t take them lightly.

5. Go to bed

Ah, Netflix.

How devious of you to play the next episode without the push of a button!

How many hours of sleep we’ve lost because we just couldn’t turn you off!

You need your sleep.

Sleep is a gift from God to refresh and renew us, and to remind us that we are not God.

Sleep is an act of humility.

So be real: how many hours do you need to sleep each night in order to be a happy, engaging, well-functioning person? Probably eight hours. Maybe seven.

Any less than that and you’re probably kidding yourself.

Maybe you should ask your best friend or spouse or coworker instead. They know when you’re happy, engaging, and well-functioning, and when your sleep deprivation makes you a bear to deal with.

Once you’ve got a realistic answer to that question, determine a bedtime. And stick to it.

You need your sleep.

---

No one of these is a panacea. As noted above, even a two-week leave doesn’t solve everything. But these steps will take you in the right direction—towards health, towards wholeness, towards the restored image of God in you.

Because these steps admit our frailty, accept our humanness, and cry out for Someone to help.

And that is where healing will come.

---

Discussion question

What have you done to fight pandemic fatigue? What has worked? What hasn’t?

Leave a comment below to add to this list and help out a fellow pastor.