Credit cards operate on the following basic principle: Buy now—pay later. See a pair of shoes you like, but not enough cash on hand or in your debit account? No problem… charge it. A new set of golf clubs catches your eye, but not enough money in your wallet? No problem… cha-ching! The dopamine surge in our brains after buying something acts like a momentary fuel injector. We get a shopper’s high, but it doesn’t take long for that surge to subside. And for 50% of United States credit card holders, we end up paying interest on our impulse purchases. We pay more down the road.

I wonder how many leaders use emotional credit cards? We buy into things we don’t have time, expertise, or energy for. We commit to events that leave no margin in our schedules. We say yes when we should say no. We run on emotional fumes and yet keep adding responsibilities God hasn’t asked us to add. We write checks our emotions cannot cash.

When it comes to emotional health, you can pay now or pay later. It’s much smarter to pay now. Leaders can take preventive action now, or curative action later. Here’s what I know: It’s easier and much less expensive to prevent an emotional crisis than to cure one. You can pay now… or you can pay later. Here are 3 ways to pay now so you won’t have to overpay in the future:

Learn to say no

No is not a curse word. Saying no is easy to conceptualize. But in the day-to-day grind of leadership, it’s often harder to do. Learning to say no gets easier when we realize we cannot possibly say yes to every opportunity that presents itself to us. Saying no means not only saying no to bad things… sometimes it includes saying no to good things. Several years ago I was invited to help lead a training session for teachers at our local church. A good thing. But my schedule wouldn’t allow it. And instead of simply saying no and moving on, out of a false sense of guilt I recited a long list of reasons why I couldn’t attend. It would have been healthier to just say “I won’t be able to attend,” or “It won’t work with my schedule.”  If you have trouble saying no, why is that? What’s broken on the inside of you that compels you to say yes to every request for help? If you struggle with no, it won’t be long before you max out your emotional credit card.

Learn to let go

Pastors suffer a rate of depression 4x higher than the general population. Many contributors to pastoral depression exist. One is an unwillingness to share the ministry load. Ever catch yourself saying or thinking: “If I want it done right, I have to do it myself.” If you refuse to let go and feel compelled to have your hands in everything going on at your organization, you’re probably maxing out your emotional credit card. And headed for trouble.

Learn to be pro

Proactive I mean. Paying now means adopting today a game plan for your emotional well-being tomorrow. Here’s a few proactive ideas:

Laugh: Proverbs 17:22 tells us: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”  Laughter is a strategic part of emotional maintenance. Ever felt better after a good belly laugh? Laughter releases chemicals in our brain that reduce stress hormone levels and lift our mood.

Love: Eccl. 4:9 says: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.”   Leadership can set you up for isolation. And isolation is good only in small doses. Extended isolation leads to emotional trouble. Paying now means blocking off time in your calendar to spend with healthy, replenishing people.

Lull:  Inject a bit of boring into your life. God doesn’t expect leaders to be on high alert at all times. He didn’t wire you or any other human being that way. We’re made in His image. And He rested on the 7th day. Find a hobby or recreational activities that refresh you and schedule them into your calendar.

If you fail to be proactive, you’ll end up maxing out your emotional credit card.

I suggest we go Dave Ramsey on the use of emotional credit. Let’s learn to pay now—to be intentional now—to behave properly now—so we don’t have to struggle for years paying off our emotional debt.