Enter the ‘Overload Zone’

The sacred time called ‘when things slow down’ always seems out of reach for most men.

So your profession is very demanding and you carry a heavy workload. You pull a couple of all-nighters every now and then, plus give up a few weekends to go to work. What’s the big sweat? Someone’s got to pay the bills, right?

Look at your return: You get that water-cooler reputation and recognition in the workplace as being successful–a real company man.

The other side of your life has its demands, too. Such as your volunteering to serve at church, those once-a-week social events that you obligate yourself to attend, plus those required business meetings to attend. The other day at work, while slamming down a couple of donuts and coffee, you noticed your heart started racing. No big deal, it must be one of those arrhythmia things, you say. No getting away right now for a check up ’cause you have to keep pushing, just take a couple deep breaths and cut back to six cups of coffee a day–starting tomorrow.

Staying on top of your game takes your all but it’s worth it … or is it?

The irony of this scenario is that you can find a man like this in every workplace. Most of us guys today live with so much stress that it can take a major jolt to get our attention.

When this style of living continues we will eventually find ourselves in what I call “The Overload Zone.”

You end up in The Overload Zone when your hectic pace zaps all your energy and you break down emotionally, physically and spiritually. Your time at home becomes more like a second job than a haven from the outside world, and your body verges on breakdown because its occasional symptoms are ignored.

But most sadly, you are losing the true purpose in life: glorifying God.

God has fashioned and designed the human body to be very resilient, but it requires proper maintenance. Our bodies need a balance of exercise, nutrition, work and relaxation. When you violate the natural physical laws, your health gets in a dangerous condition, shortchanging your body’s ability to combat stress.

When this condition is left alone for too long, your emotional life is affected by it, directly affecting the way you interact with others. When the physical body and the mind are out of balance, this also throws your spiritual life out of whack.

Take a personal inventory. Re-evaluate your lifestyle, and weigh the cost of how you are living. Make the adjustments necessary to bring your life into balance. The return is a long and vibrant physical, emotional and spiritual life.