When You Are Pushing Too Hard

I can remember when I was working on my Ph.D. Was it ever a life-consuming effort! I had to read hundreds of pages from books each week. I had to attend two seminars each week that were packed with intensive information. I took copious notes as fast as I could. I had to write 2 major and 2 minor papers each semester. The minimum number of pages for a major paper was 70 and for a minor paper, 35. I lived in the seminary library.

At that same time I was serving full-time as a pastor of a great church. I prepared weekly sermons, made hospital visits, attended church functions and events, conducted staff meetings, and sat in on church committee meetings.

I also served as a doctoral fellow for a professor. This meant I had hundreds of exams, projects, and papers to read and grade almost every week. I am not even going to mention that I had a family and a personal life too. Let's just say that I never had a free moment.

It may seem impressive that I carried such a heavy load during that time. I was relatively young (mid 30s) and thought I could do even more. But I was tired all the time. I was trying to show the people of my world that I could meet and exceed their expectations. I felt drained and on edge much of the time. I was not on a good road.

Then the day came when I was literally running across the campus to get a paper to my professor. I never turned in anything late and I was in a mad dash to get this one in. After I turned in the paper I walked out of his office, walked down the stairs, and collapsed in the foyer of the building. I never felt myself fall. An hour later I was laying on a exam table at my doctor's office.

After a thorough exam he told me that nothing was wrong with me physically. He said that what had happened was that my body decided to send me a message since I was mistreating it so badly. He said, "Your body decided it needed to stop. So it did. And if you don't receive the message it is sending you, it may decide to stop permanently." Message delivered, message received. Remember, I was only in my mid 30s.

Sometimes we can feel invencible even if we are well beyond mid-life. The level of energy possession varies from person to person and age to age. Some people are amazingly energetic and strong into their 80s. Some act as though they can barely move in their mid 20s.

My point is that you need to know your body and become familiar with the messages it sends. I have always been hyperactive. I loathe laying around. I have never been a couch potato. If you have ever been around me you know that I move constantly. This does not mean, however, that I am not susceptible to over-doing it. I did. In a big way.

I want to provide a few thoughts for staying healthy when you push too hard. There may be times when you have to have a full plate ... but this does not mean your body has to pay such a heavy price to carry it. Remember, your body may decide to not take it any more. We have all heard stories of people (some quite young) who left this world with a heart attack or stroke because they didn't do the things I am suggesting below:

Keep Things in Perspective

My doctor asked me what my rush was all about. I told him I wanted to get the PhD by a certain time. He chuckled and said, "Enjoy the ride. What difference does it make if you get it this year or next?" He told me to sit down and consider everything I was doing. He advised me to live by the Pareto Principle (learn about it here), slow down, and keep everything in proper perspective. He said that I would enjoy earning the degree much more as a healthy man than I would as a sick one. He was right.

Hit the Gym

Whether it's the gym on the corner or in your spare bedroom ... hit it. Now, I am not necessarily talking about pumping iron and body-building. Really all you need to do is some stretching, cardio exercises to get your heart rate up for 30 minutes, and a few resistence excercises. In 30 to 45 minutes you can be done and on your way to feeling healthier and stronger. You will have more energy and stamina.

It is so interesting that people avoid exercise because it makes them tired and gets them sore at the moment. But it is just for the moment. If getting tired or sore for the moment keeps you from exercising then you are a whimp and deserve to feel the way you do. Just sayin'.

Consider Your Eating Habits

Of course this is obvious. But eating on the run is rarely healthy. All the fat and sugar just sort of find a place to dwell in your body. It welcomes more fat and junk to join it every day and over time it gets stronger. All the fat and junk sit idle for a while but all the while it is planning its attack. Like a fault hundreds of feet below the surface it can remain calm for decades (even centuries). But we all know that one day the earth will quake with devastating results.

This is what WILL happen once your body has stored enough junk. It will one day quake and the results may be so severe that you cannot recover.

Eat healthy 6 days a week. Take one day to eat A meal that would kill you if you ate it every day.

Read the Funnies

What I mean is laugh and laugh a lot. I don't know or understand all the science behind it but I do know that laughter causes the brain to release endorphins. This natural chemical helps to alleviate stress, pain, and even provides a feeling of happiness and good health. (Read about endorphins here).

What makes you laugh? Find it. Do it. If you do, the pressure of pushing will not seem so severe.

Get Medical Advice

If you feel stressed, tense, on-edge, and under the gun you may want to go see the white coat guy or gal. She may give you some simple advice that makes sense OR she may want to test you for something more severe. There's just something about that white coat. If a person is wearing one we just seem to take their advice more readily. I think we should.

The only thing I tend to disagree with when it comes to our white-coated friends is their readiness to prescribe anti-depressants. Drugging ourselves into being able to face life just doesn't seem to make sense to me. I am sure there are some people who actually need these drugs. But I believe most don't. I believe God has placed within us the ability, and even the desire, to possess energy and face the day.

Let me leave you with this from God's word:

Isaiah 40:31New American Standard Bible (NASB)

31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

I hope this has been a blessing to you.

Tony Guthrie