The NY Times reports today that clergy are burning themselves out. Duh, you’re not exactly breaking a story there.
The findings have surfaced with ominous regularity over the last few years, and with little notice: Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could.
Public health experts who have led the studies caution that there is no simple explanation of why so many members of a profession once associated with rosy-cheeked longevity have become so unhealthy and unhappy.
Hmmm..this story lacks some contrast. After all, the burnout rate in other occupations are just as bad:
– One-third of Americans feel they are living with extreme stress.
– About half of Americans (48%) feel that their stress has increased over the past five years.
– Money and work are the leading causes of stress (mentioned by three quarters of Americans).
Source: American Psychological Association study, 2007.
And furthermore,
More than 30 percent of workers say they are “always” or “often” under stress at work. A quarter of those surveyed in 2002 said there often were not enough co-workers to get the job done
National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
Seeing these statistics we might be surprised to find that clergy aren’t MORE stressed than the article would suggest.
But as someone who works in ministry and secondly someone who worked in sports radio for years there’s an important factor here that the article doesn’t cover. In both fields that I’ve worked in one overlapping element is present:
My work was and is related to people’s down-time.
People want to be ministered TO and that is why it is hard for us to get commitments from people in the pews to serve as retreat leaders, council members, even lectors. It’s their time to be renewed, their sabbath and making it “feel” like work is something that is a deal-breaker for many and even causes many to stay home.
Working in sports was similar in that my job was everyone else’s hobby. So when people wanted to talk about sports, it was on their downtime. My downtime consisted often of anything but. I’d quickly change the subject to something other than sports at dinner parties but sports fans (mostly men) couldn’t let it go. They clung to their downtime and roped me into their conversation, often against my will. My friend Sean’s wife Gretchen, in my single days once took me aside at a party when she saw my level of stress
rising.
Gretchen: “I know exactly how you feel.”
Me: “What do you mean?”
G: “Well, you’d like to talk about something other than sports and probably want to chat up the other women at this party but the guys won’t leave you alone, right?”
Me: “Why that’s exactly right! How did you know?”
G: “Hi I’m Gretchen and I work for a make-up company.”
Now that I have left the sports field I have regained my quiet downtime of watching baseball, football and hockey (with occasional outbursts of profanity). But almost never tell people that I worked in that field unless I’m in the mood. Surprisingly though, people seem less interested in sports these days anyway, especially younger people.
What are you stressing these days? If you’re a ministry person, how do you spend the sabbath? What causes you to burnout and what helps you recognize it when you do?
Important ways to stay refreshed await us all. As for me, I’m off on Friday to watch 4 baseball games in 4 different cities. And unless you’re my wife or my parents…I won’t be taking your call.
After all, the game is on.