Mentally Burnt Out, Spiritually Numb: When Your Job Isn't Your Calling

Lately, I’ve been asking myself a question I didn’t think I’d need to ask:
“How am I this tired… when I’m not even doing that much?”

I don’t work crazy hours. I’m not juggling five different jobs. And yet… I feel drained.
Not the kind of tired that sleep fixes - but the kind that leaves you mentally foggy, spiritually disconnected, and low-key dreading Mondays (and Tuesdays… and every day, really).

It took me a while to admit it:
I’m experiencing mental burnout.
Not because my job is “too much,” but because it isn’t my calling - and pretending like it is has slowly worn me down.

When Your Work Feels Like a Cage

I don’t hate my job. It pays the bills. It’s stable. Some days, I even find pockets of joy in it.
But deep inside, I know this isn’t what I was created for.

I crave meaning. Creativity. Impact. Freedom.
But instead, I feel like I’m stuck, living on autopilot in a role that doesn’t align with my heart.

It’s not burnout from overwork.
It’s burnout from under-purpose.

The Hidden Exhaustion of “Not Being Where You’re Meant to Be”

There’s a special kind of exhaustion that comes from misalignment.

You wake up every day and suppress your dreams.
You smile through meetings and small talk, while your soul is whispering, “There’s more than this.”
You pray, but it feels quiet on the other end.

And that silence can start to feel like distance.
Is God even listening?
Did I miss my calling?
Am I wasting my life?

God Isn't Silent, You're Just in a Holding Pattern

Here’s the truth I had to learn (and relearn):
Just because it’s not your calling doesn’t mean it’s not your current assignment.

Some jobs are callings. Others are classrooms. And sometimes, the thing you’re doing right now, the role that feels painfully ordinary or wildly off-course, is exactly where God has placed you on purpose. Not to waste your gifts, but to refine them. Not to mock your dreams, but to prepare you for them.

God is still working in the waiting.
Even in the cubicles. Even in the awkward Zoom calls. Even in that spreadsheet you stare blankly at for the sixth time today. There’s no such thing as a spiritual “pause button”, He’s always forming something in us, even when the season feels slow, off-brand, or beneath us.

What if this isn’t punishment for dreaming bigger, but preparation for holding more? What if the very skills, endurance, or humility you’re developing right now are the keys to the doors you’ve been praying would open?

You’re not off track. You’re just in training.

What Helped Me Come Back to Life

1. I got honest with God.

I finally stopped putting on a performance. No more polished prayers. No more pretending I was okay when I wasn’t. I told God the truth, that I felt stuck. Unmotivated. Weirdly numb. A little angry. A little lost. And you know what? He didn’t flinch. He didn’t rebuke. He just stayed. Sat with me in the silence. Held space for my messy honesty. I used to think God only showed up in the polished parts of my life, but I met Him in the raw, the exhausted, the undone, and that changed everything.

2. I created meaning outside my job.

I had to remember who I was before I started measuring my worth by my output. So I went back to the little things: writing in the quiet again. Designing without pressure. Serving someone who needed a kind word. Dreaming without a business plan. I stopped waiting for a big break and just began to build small altars of beauty again. In words, in work, in worship. And slowly, what felt dead in me started to wake up.

3. I asked God to repurpose my perspective.

At some point, I stopped begging for an escape and started asking for insight. Instead of “How do I get out of this?” I started praying, “God, what are You trying to teach me here?” That subtle shift cracked something open. I began to notice things. How He still showed up in the ordinary. How nothing was wasted, not even the waiting. The boring days, the silent seasons, they started to feel a little more sacred when I realized He was using them to stretch me, not to punish me.

4. I stopped equating purpose with productivity.

Maybe the most rebellious thing I did was rest. Real, unapologetic rest. The kind that says, “I am still valuable even when I’m not ‘useful.’” It felt foreign at first. But freeing. I had to learn (and I’m still learning) that my identity isn’t found in what I achieve. It’s found in who I belong to. And in God’s kingdom, being is just as holy as doing.

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FAQs: Mental Burnout, Purpose & Faith

Q: How did Jesus deal with burnout?

A: Jesus didn’t experience burnout the way we do, but He modeled rhythms that prevent it. He regularly withdrew to quiet places to pray, rest, and reconnect with the Father, even when crowds demanded His attention (Luke 5:15–16). He knew when to say no, when to retreat, and when to simply be with God. His pace was purposeful, not frantic.

Beyond that, Jesus wasn’t driven by people-pleasing or hustle. He lived from a place of deep identity: knowing He was the beloved Son of God, not just a miracle worker or teacher. That unshakable security anchored His decisions. If the Son of God prioritized rest, solitude, and boundaries, maybe we should stop seeing burnout as a badge of honour, and start seeing rest as holy obedience.

Q: How to know if a career is a calling?

A: A career becomes a calling when it aligns with how God uniquely wired you: your passions, talents, burdens, and the needs around you. It’s not just about what you’re good at, but what brings you alive and draws you closer to Him. A calling often bears fruit beyond personal success; it points others to God and serves something bigger than yourself.

That said, callings aren’t always glamorous or obvious. Sometimes they unfold slowly, through faithfulness in “ordinary” work. God can use any job, from spreadsheets to storytelling, when it's done with a heart surrendered to Him. If your work brings peace, purpose, and produces eternal impact (even in unseen ways), that might be more calling than career.

Q: Who in the Bible experienced burnout?

A: Elijah is one of the clearest examples of burnout in the Bible. After a major spiritual victory on Mount Carmel, he fled into the wilderness, overwhelmed, afraid, and ready to give up. He literally prayed that he might die (1 Kings 19:4). Even a prophet of God had limits. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

But God didn’t scold Elijah for being tired. Instead, He sent rest, food, and gentle presence. First sleep. Then sustenance. Then a still, small whisper. Elijah didn’t need a motivational speech, he needed to be met in his weakness. Burnout isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a signal to slow down and let God carry what you were never meant to hold alone.

✨ Relevant Reads:

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Final Thoughts:

If you’re feeling mentally burnt out from a job that doesn’t light your soul on fire, I see you. I am you.

And here’s the hope:
This is not the end of your story.
Your calling isn’t cancelled just because your current job feels like a waiting room.
God is still writing, still working, still with you.

So breathe. Dream again. Trust that even now, He’s preparing you for something more.

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