I am currently working on my editorial for the Presbyterian Outlook’s October issue on sports and religion. I’ve given myself a self-imposed early deadline for this article so it will be done before the Outlook shuts down our week of sabbath from August 5-9. My focus is, aptly, Simone Biles, who practiced radical self-care when she dropped out of the 2020 Olympic Games.
The six-time Olympic medalist made this decision when she got a severe case of the “twisties,” losing her sense of her body’s location while performing high-level skills. When she left the competition, she told reporters and fans that she needed to focus on her mental health. This decision to withdraw came with a lot of criticism — people said she wasn’t tough enough or patriotic enough to push through her disorienting struggle. Yet, she prioritized her body’s physical and mental needs over the pressure to win. This profound decision inspired many to reconsider our culture’s pressure to push beyond what is healthy and prioritize the rest we all need.
Burnout does not have to be our cultural norm.
The Outlook staff is small, and our work is intricately connected. If one person takes time off, others must step up to cover. We have an amazing team who happily support each other in taking vacation time. But this week of sabbath is one way of making the Outlook’s staffing structure more sustainable, ensuring our employees get the time away from work that each needs and deserves.
This is the second year we have shut the Outlook down so our employees can observe a week of rest. It is not easy to implement. Deadlines need to be moved earlier, worship resources edited and designed weeks ahead of time, website and social media posts curated and scheduled. But we are committed to this ritual of rest because we can all get a case of the twisties, losing our connection between body, mind, and spirit, if we work ourselves to exhaustion.
Burnout does not have to be our cultural norm. As the Outlook takes this necessary step to sustain our staff, we pray that you can find ways to rest and reorient yourself through sabbath as well.
