Nine months ago two days ago, I left my 9-5 job in social work.  Leaving that day I left that day broken what felt like a million pieces.  I did not know what was next in life.  There was so much uncertainty about my future.  But there was one thing I had and I knew for sure.  That I had peace.  I knew I was doing what God was asking me to do.  As scary and uncertain my future looked that day, I was resting in this unshakable peace.  I was leaving my job without a plan not knowing what was going to be next.

As I look at these last nine months, I see the lessons that God had for me in this valley:

Listen to yourself and your body – Your body gives you so many clues on where you are at emotionally.  My body was giving so many clues that I was not listening to long before I realized it.  It showed in my eyes and the way I carried myself.  It was not until weeks after I was not working I saw a brightness in my eyes that I had not seen in a long time.  I shared more about it in my last blog post in this series.

Be willing to take care of yourself even when it seems selfish. – This is something we hear so much self-care but most of us are really bad really practicing it.  Self-care looks different from person to person.  There are times I would come home from work and watch TV for the night and then go to bed.  I have learned that this is not self-care this was a way that I used to escape from what I really needed to deal with or to numb what was going on in my life.  But I learned self-care for me looks like going on a drive with my camera and take pictures of things in nature, going for a walk at Longwood Gardens, taking time to connect with God on my own or at a church service, journaling, listening to music, having dinner with a friend, traveling, painting, and spending time with my family.  I needed a season of just being in life and not having thinking about anything else.

God always has a plan even when we can’t see it. – If you had told me on the day that I gave my six-week notice that nine months later, I would not have a 9-5 job, I am not sure I would have been brave enough to make that decision.  I am an extremely logical person who makes decisions out of logic and reasoning and not emotion.  I am grateful that God does not let us look into the future.  Actually, I believe this is a gift.  Because I would have been paralyzed by what these last nine months brought.  Looking back I can see God’s hand through it all.

God is faithful and He keeps his promises. – God has provided for me in the last nine months in all areas of my life.  Relationally, He has brought a great group of friends into my life.  I have been grateful for their friendship through one of the hardest seasons of my life.  Emotionally, He has begun to pick up those million pieces that were broken inside of me and started to repair what was broken.  Financially, He had provided for me every month to meet my financial needs and then some.  Spiritually, I have learned to trust God in a deeper place than I have before.

It is ok to try something but find that it is not what you want in life. – Through this season I have tried several different things and I have learned that some of the things that I have tried are not what I want for my life.  Like I love traveling alone but two weeks is too long for me to travel alone.

Education and mentoring is a great thing! – In the last 9 months, I have taken some time to further my knowledge, especially with business and entrepreneurship.  I have learned so much about myself in the process.  And who I want to be in this world.  What I do and don’t want to do in life.

It is ok to take a season of rest and to take a slower pace in life. – In our world today it is about the hustle and always being on the go.  These last 9 months have truly been a season of rest for me. I am grateful that I have had this opportunity to rejuvenate and rest.  I would hate to see where I would be if I had not done so.

I need to travel several times a year. – I love traveling and going to new places.  Although I hate packing to leave for a trip.  Travel was not something I prioritized in my life.

God has created me with a gift of creativity. – When you suppress a gift that you have been given, you will feel like something is missing.  I was a high functioning burnout, I did not use my gift of creativity often because I did not have the energy to do so.  And I was not feeding part of who I am.

I am a person who loves people and being in relationship with people. – I love to walk beside people on this journey called life.  And it is a gift that God has given me.  And when I don’t do it, there is part of me missing in my life.  It is something that I can do easily.  But just because it is easy for me it does not mean that I do not need to be careful about who I choose to do it with and how many people I choose to do it with at one time.  I am also an introvert so people can drain me and it leads me to a place that I do not want to be.

Taking a moment out of your day to say hi or have a conversation with someone can be life-changing. – I have had countless people who have stopped their day to ask me how I am doing.  Some have even helped me process what I was going through that day.  Many have stopped their day to pray for and with me.

Just because I am independent, it does not mean that I need to do life alone. – For anyone that knows me personally, knows that I am one of the most independent women you will find.  But if I had stayed to myself and not been vulnerable with friends, family, my counselor, and other people in my life, I would not be where I am today.  I would be in a lonely place.  I am in a place and do life with people that love me for me.

Vulnerability is a good thing. – Being vulnerable can be one of the hardest things in life.  You risk getting hurt.  You are letting someone see what you are struggling with or what your weakness is.  I can so easily tell someone I am good when I am not.  I can hide behind a mask of independence.  But this season has taught me that hiding behind a mask does not help me.  It actually hurts me.  There is no one to share my burden.  I have learned that when I choose to be vulnerable it gives others the courage to do the same.

It is ok to take risks even when you are not sure about them. – I generally make decisions on the side of caution.  But sometimes I have to take a risk and see where it takes me.  God is right there with me no matter the decision that I made.

When you are experiencing emotions, take time to process them and don’t ignore them. – I am not the greatest at identifying and processing my emotions.  A large part of this is the culture I grew up in did not encourage you to do this.  Actually, it was an unspoken rule.  Through the years I have learned that I need to allow myself to experience them, process them but also look at the truth.  Sometimes our feelings are the opposite of what the truth is.  My feelings do not negate the truth even when I don’t understand my feelings, the circumstances, or the truth.  This is something that I learned last summer when I was processing a friend’s death.

When I am feeling fear and anxiety, I am usually trying to control something. – Recently I experienced fear and anxiety, I was trying to figure out why as I am not generally a fearful or anxious person.  It occurred to me that I was trying to control something that I was not meant to control.  I was trying to take the control out of God’s hand and put the control in my hands.  Looking back I realize it was a foolish thing to do but it is something that I try to often because I think I know what is best.  Reality is God who created me knows what is best for me because He is sovereign over the whole earth and He sees the whole picture.

***This is part of a series of blog posts of me sharing about burnout and things I have been learning through this.  They are numbered in the order that they are written in and to indicate that they are part of this series.***