Happy Easter Monday! I pray you had a great time celebrated the resurrected Jesus. That’s what youth ministry is all about! But let’s be real, you’re probably exhausted. Your church may have had a few more services than normal, a few more responsibilities got put on your plate, and you may have been asked to be Jesus in the Easter pageant because you’re the only one on staff who can grow a beard.
So, how do you recover from a really busy and hectic Easter season?
You can do a few things TODAY to help you reset, recharge, and avoid burnout.
Go Home!
No seriously. Get out of the office. Go home. You may have worked more than many hours at the office this last week. And if you attended a lot more services than normal, you have banked more than enough for a personal day. Take it. You’ll never be totally ready for a day off and never “get that time back”, so go home. Right now.
Turn Off Your Phone
Don’t just put it on “do not disturb,” but turn it off for an hour—just one hour free of notifications, dings, and emergencies. Take that time to pray, listen to music, read scripture, and reconnect with God. We use most of Easter to encourage and teach others. It’s possible we didn’t quite take anything in ourselves, so use this chance to reconnect.
Touch Grass
Easter services are a blast. We get to celebrate the Risen Savior and rejoice! We also probably did a lot of that under fluorescent lights and under the roof of our buildings. So get outside. Go for a walk. Maybe even take off your shoes and touch the ground. There’s something about nature that helps me reconnect with God. Being outside reminds me of how big God is, whether under a canopy of trees or looking at the expanse of the sky.
Reconnect with Students
Recharging can also mean reconnecting with people! Easter may have meant seeing some students you haven’t connected with in a while. After you turn your phone back on, send three texts just to say you were glad to see these students around! Let them know how much seeing them made you smile.
Ok! Now, you might be ready to dive back into the race and work of student ministry. Just remember to take moments to pause and see who God is. Let’s not miss Easter because we were so busy showing Easter to others.
Blessings to you all!
Are you feeling a little burnt out and not sure what to do next for youth group after a crazy busy season? Consider giving Coleader a look! Lessons planned, games already chosen, songs selected. It’s a ton of helpful tools for you, the youth pastor, to get back to ministering to students!
