If you've felt oddly and eerily tired since the beginning of January, you're not alone. It's not the hours you spent staying up late watching Stranger Things, and it's not all the winter treats you allowed yourself to gorge on over the holidays. That deep inner feeling of exhaustion, overwhelm, and somehow being behind isn't imagined. It's barely January, but you're already asking: How did I start the year like this?
Every January, social media fills our minds with goal-setting templates and ambitions. "New year, New You." "6 Weeks to a Six-Pack." "5 Tips to Losing 50 Pounds." This constant yearly messaging, productivity challenges, and wellness resets sound enticing, but they can only take us so far if we are already operating out of a place of burnout and exhaustion. Why? Because we need to change how we're living day-to-day, not just for a weekend.
According to recent reporting, most Americans set goals or resolutions before the clock strikes midnight on January 1st. These goals typically include productivity, health, or finances. But 80% abandon these goals by mid-February, throwing them out with last year's trash (Forbes). Not a high success rate, right? But this isn't new.
While goal success declines, burnout rates only increase. The American Psychological Association (APA) notes that not only do post-holidays increase stress, but January often brings pressure to optimize, improve, fix, or hustle ourselves into better versions. We are promised peace and fresh starts, but sadly, left more tired than we started.
Why does a season that promises do-overs so often leave us feeling depleted? And what if God never intended January to be about striving, but receiving? From the beginning of time (Genesis 1:1), God's rhythm for humanity included rest before work (not after it).
God rested on the seventh day not because He was tired, but because He knew that we would be. This was a gift and boundary given to protect and bless us (Mark 2:27). Not only does Jesus reframe the Sabbath as mercy instead of a checklist, but He also encourages us to stand apart in a culture that's obsessed with performance and productivity.
Will you rebel in the right way? In a way that says your worth isn't measured by your output, but by who Christ says you are?
Sabbath Pushes Back Against Hustle Culture
While modern hustle culture thrives on urgency, God's command to rest reminds us that we're not God. Everything in this society is "now," "next," and "more," but when we learn to obey the Sabbath, we interrupt that cycle. The world will continue to operate in this fashion, but guess what? It doesn't need our constant effort. Trust is built when we release that control to the one who created it.
In Exodus chapter 20, God doesn't just command rest; He anchors it in our identity. Israel was told to rest because they were no longer slaves. God changed their identity, and yet they wanted to cling to the past. Slaves don't rest, but free people do.
Today, we struggle with the same. When we refuse to rest, we not only disobey God's Word, but we quietly return to slavery. It's hidden in deception and covered by "productivity," "approval," and "checklists," but nothing is restful about being a slave to anything.
Jesus Regularly Withdrew, Even When Needs Were Present
Instead of giving in to the grind, Jesus encourages us to take a bold step of resistance and withdraw. That doesn't mean to ignore our to-dos, but rather to know our limits.
In one of the most overlooked patterns in the Gospel, we see how Jesus consistently stepped away from the noise to press into what really mattered. In Luke 5:16, He withdrew to lonely places to pray. In Mark 6:31, the Disciples were astonished that He rested after a huge ministry success. Even in Mark 4:48, Jesus slept during a huge storm!
If anyone had a reason to stay busy, it was definitely Jesus. And yet, He modeled intentional withdrawal. Because obeying the Sabbath and staying in constant communication with our Father isn't laziness—it's required and necessary obedience to live our best and fullest lives.
Burnout Is Often a Spiritual Warning Light
Instead of giving in to these unhealthy habits and patterns of addiction, we need to reframe burnout for what it is—a warning light that we need to stop or slow down. Burnout isn't just emotional or physical, but it significantly impacts our relationship with God and others.
When we ignore God's invitation to rest, our prayers become rushed, our faith becomes transactional, and our joy quietly fades in the background. Life becomes dull and less about living and more about what we can produce. That's no way to live, right?
In Isaiah 30:15, we're reminded of these words: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength" (NIV). Did you catch it?
Strength, true strength doesn't come from striving, but stillness. Resting in the one who created you and the rest we were created to embrace.
13 Practical Steps to Confront Overwhelm
If you've found yourself overwhelmed and exhausted before the New Year has really even taken off, I want to encourage you to practice one small Sabbath act this week. It's going to take time and obedience. Don't attempt to overhaul everything at once. But be consistent in the little things, and over time, you will develop a healthy and sustainable habit. Not a perfect one. But a faithful one.
Here are 13 practical steps to get you started:
1. Choose one hour a week to unplug.
2. Spend one day a week off of social media.
3. Turn off your email or computer after work.
4. Take a slow walk without music.
5. Say no to one unnecessary obligation.
6.Sit with God without an agenda.
7. Start your day with 5 minutes of meditation.
8. Use a physical Bible when you read.
9. Ask someone to keep you accountable.
10. Read your Bible before you check your phone, email, or socials.
11. Commit to spending time with God every single day.
12. Instead of seeing rest as a chore, learn to enjoy it. Read a book you enjoy and rest in the fruit of God’s blessings that He gives us abundantly.
13. Share the Sabbath with someone you trust. Ask them to practice it with you.
None of these practices is perfect, and none will completely transform your life in an instant. They aren't Instagram-worthy, but they are real. And over time, with faithfulness, learning to rest in the Lord will become easier.
A Prayer for Energy in the New Year
Dear Jesus,
Trading in your way of life seems scary. We live in a world of productivity addiction and avoiding rest altogether. But this is no way to live. When we're tempted to rush into striving, help us to slow down and confess it to you. Today, we confess how often we measure our worth by what we do instead of who you say we are. Teach us to receive rest as a gift, and to trust that you are working even when we stop. Please restore our souls in a way only you can. We love, praise, and thank you, Jesus.
Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Ahtziri Lagarde
