“Burn out is basically activity without faith, wanting to prove something, wanting to show something.”
As Los Angeles county is seeing a possible end to the stay at home order, I am finding my soul nervous to get back to the busyness & burn out that I experienced prior to the need to quarantine.
I didn't give myself space to pause, and I have learned the last 3 months the importance of it.
I have been reading a lot of Henri Nouwen's work, and he has such a refreshing perspective of what is solitude & why its vital for a healthy spirit.
Here is some of his wisdom about solitude:
"In many ways solitude is a way of dealing with your aloneness" (5).
"So if you start embracing your loneliness, which means your broken-heartedness or your feeling of pain, You can only embrace it safely if somehow you trust that it will not lead you to despair. It will lead you to an in-touch-ness with the One who calls you to give all your heart, all your mind, all your soul to God and in that, give you the love that you want, give you the satisfaction you want" (5).
When life begins to take off where it left off prior to quarantine, don't resort to burn out; choose solitude.
Find a quiet place where you can pause and get present with yourself.
We can't pour out if we don't allow ourselves to get poured back into.