Ever run out of gas? Had to hike to the service station, grab a rusty gallon can and then hike back to your disabled car? Or the yellow warning light on your gas gauge lights up and you start praying you’ll have enough fuel to get to a gas pump? Running on empty is a stressful way to drive your car.

In the 1970s Jackson Browne released a hit song… Running on Empty. It included the following lyrics: “Looking out at the road rushing beneath my wheels, I don’t know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels. I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through. Looking into their eyes, I see them running too.”

The 1980s gave us a new corporate work ethic summarized by two phrases: “churn ‘em and burn ‘em.” Software companies would hire programmers upon their graduation from college and work them 70 hours per week until they burned out. Then the companies would fire them and hire a new group of graduates to abuse.

Unfortunately, the 21^st century hasn’t brought much relief in terms of how fast Americans run. A 2014 Gallup poll revealed that 40% of U.S. full-time workers are working between 50-70 hours per week. What are we doing to ourselves? We are addicted to adrenaline.  And as a result… we are running on empty.

In Matthew 11:28-30 – Jesus said: “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.”

The answer to our busy-ness is multifaceted. I’d like to focus on one key facet… learning to refuel emotionally. Refueling emotionally requires a plan. We have maintenance plans for our cars, our appliances, our lawnmowers… why not have a maintenance plan for our emotions?

Let me suggest the following maintenance plan for your emotions:

Reasonable pace

I hate to tell you this (not really), but once you reach eight hours of work in any given day, your best work is behind you. Beyond 8 hours, you produce only a small fraction of your normal output. The problem is… many of us work 10-12 hour days every day. And we fool ourselves into thinking that longer hours equal more productivity.

Laughter

Proverbs 17:22 says “A cheerful heart is good medicine… ” Ever felt better after a good belly laugh? Laughter releases chemicals in our brain that reduce stress hormone levels and lift our mood.  A regular dose of good clean fun replenishes our emotional reserves.

Exercise

The majority of research reveals that exercise helps us burn off nervous energy and reduce stress. For me personally, I find that when I’ve had a stressful day, lifting weights or going for a walk brings relief.

Boredom

Refueling emotionally requires you to occasionally inject some “boring” into your world. For our 25^th wedding anniversary, I surprised my wife (and myself actually) with ballroom dancing lessons. I discovered that when you’re learning how to cha-cha, you’re not thinking about anything serious. And when you’re not thinking about anything serious for an hour… it can be refreshing. Inject a little boring into your life on a weekly basis… plant some flowers… take a walk on the beach… visit a museum… play 18 holes… or if you’re really brave… check out an Arthur Murray studio and put on your dancing shoes.

It’s time to stop living on emotional fumes… to decide we won’t allow the frantic pace of our culture to squeeze us into its mold. It’s time to quit running on empty.