After taking the survey, take a minute to fully absorb the meaning of your total score. If you have a score of forty or less, burnout is not really a factor in your life and ministry. If your stress and strain scores are of concern to you, you may want to focus more on the self-care strategies that deal with stress.
If you have a score of fifty or more, I recommend that you take seriously the impact that burnout is having on your ministry and primary relationships. The following reflection questions may help you focus:
- Because burnout usually creeps up on us unaware, recall the times when you were not experiencing this condition. What changes took place in your life and/or work to help bring this about?
- What are some options that could help to alleviate the symptoms of burnout?
- Who are the individuals or resources you can turn to help you reverse the burn-out trends in your life?
This material is from the Alban institute and was adapted from the Clergy burnout Inventory developed by Roy M. Oswald.