When you’re feeling burnt out
words from a recovering "yes girl"
The following essay is the first reflection for our July focus on the spiritual practice of Simplicity. Read more here about our exploration of the spiritual disciplines in 2025 through creative and reflective writing.
By Taiko Bennett
I’m a “yes girl” in recovery.
I love work, but perhaps even more, I love being recognized for it.
On my best days, this gives me the drive to set goals and achieve them. *cue applause*
On my worst ones, though?
Knowing that I’m going above and beyond what is expected and that people see me, appreciate me, and admire me? That’s my kryptonite.
I’m the girl who commits to doing a million things at the expense of my health and my family.
I’m a frantic mom trying to look like my favorite “momfluencers” (social media influencers who create motherhood content) in order to give off the appearance that I’m thriving when in actuality, I’m barely surviving.
I’m scrolling on social media for hours because in the moment I feel like that’s the only way I can give myself a mental break. (Ironically, this activity exacerbates my feeling of being overwhelmed).
I increase my mental load to bursting and overfill my schedule.
My inner dialogue is chanting, “Do more. Get more. See more. Be more.”
In my pride, I place myself in the position reserved for the One who knows all things and can do all things.
And I’m burnt out.
It’s mind-blowingly easy for us to subconsciously use the desire for excellence to disguise sins in our lives. After all, how can you knock someone for wanting to create a good life for themselves and their family? How can you criticize someone for working harder, smarter, faster?
In so many social circles, there’s this not-so-subtle race to see who is the busiest, most dedicated, most driven, most successful… and for good reason. That lifestyle usually leads to external success.
But when we take things too far, when striving becomes a higher priority than the God who created work in the beginning, what is the cost?
Has God really called us to a life overflowing with worries, commitments, and more stuff? Is His good, perfect will for us to be anxious and drained?
Or, when we follow him, is he inviting us into something simpler?
A well-known example of when busyness distracted someone from what’s most important is the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible.
Jesus was visiting two sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary was eager to hear from Jesus and to be in a close relationship with Him. Meanwhile, Martha was so anxious and distracted that she was missing out on the best thing: time with and closeness to God.
Jesus says in Luke 10:41-42 (NLT), “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I relate to Martha in that story on a deep, deep level. Because, honestly, Martha was doing what was culturally expected for her to do—literally all. The. Things.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve prayed, “God, my life is too much. Don’t you see me being overwhelmed? Anxious? Sleep-deprived? Weary in my very soul?? Don’t you care??”
And thank God He, in His kindness, meets us in those places. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV).
The spiritual discipline of simplicity can be practiced in many different ways.
We can practice simplicity in finances and possessions.
Examples of this are:
Avoiding debt and living within our means
Fighting against materialism and our consumer culture
Reducing clutter in our home
Being generous with your belongings and finances
Or perhaps the discipline of simplicity applies more to our time and energy, reducing distractions in our lives.
A few examples of this are:
Simplicity puts its phone down to be fully present in real life.
Simplicity will, when necessary, say, “No.”
Simplicity slows down and enjoys creation and creativity, simply for the joy of it.
Simplicity helps us focus on the best things instead of desperately grasping at all the things.
Most importantly, when I am practicing simplicity, it changes my prayer life and shifts my heart’s focus. My prayers often involve these words:
God, please illuminate which things are the best things.
Remind me of who You are and all the ways You’ve been faithful to provide for me so that I remember to give all my worries and cares to You (1 Peter 5:7 (NLT).
I praise You for Your grace. Thank you for loving me for who I am and not for what I do.
I confess that I often put other things in Your place and forget that You are greater than anything this world offers. Help me to seek the kingdom of God above all else (Matthew 6:33 NIV).
At its heart, simplicity is simply about the pursuit of God and who he is. He is the best thing. He is the source of abundant life, not the byproduct. He is the end goal.
And when God is the end goal, we can become who He created us to be.
I pray that when God calls us to simplify or let go of things, when we say “yes” to Christ, we realize that we are making space for the bigness of God and the abundance He has for us.
We’ll never regret pursuing simplicity so long as our focus in that pursuit is Christ.
We can live, work, and play with the peace that doesn’t come from us. “Being confident of this . . . he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:6 (NIV).
What a humbling, glorious thing.
“Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer us. So let us cultivate simplicity; let us walk in the Spirit.” -A.W. Tozer
Taiko Bennett is a Japanese-American author, artist, social media manager, virtual assistant, designer, and hobby baker / Great British Baking Show enthusiast. She writes fiction for adults and young people under a pen name, and loves writing about characters who go on adventures, experience healing in community, fall in love, and find hope in dark places. She lives in central California with her two children and engineer husband. You can contact her at taikobennettwrites @ gmail [dot] com.
WOMEN OF COLOR MENTORSHIP
Applications are officially open all month!
Are you a Christian woman of color called to write, speak, or communicate your faith?
At Redbud Writers Guild, one of our values is to equip and amplify the voices of women of color in writing and publishing. Now in its third year, our Women of Color Mentoring Program offers a unique space for growth, connection, and professional development within a safe and supportive community.
Applications close July 31.
Mentorship runs August 29, 2025—June 30, 2026.
P.S. Know someone who might be encouraged by this post or would be a good fit for our WOC mentorship program? Forward this to them today!
Great post! One of the wisest pieces of advice my husband gave me years ago was this: Consider every ask carefully and prayerfully. If you say Yes when it's not your mission, you will deprive someone else of theirs.
Thanks for this thoughtful post, Taiko!