Running on Fumes
Please welcome my friend Andrea Giordano as today’s guest writer. I met Andrea when she was Executive Director of TESOL and ESL Programs at Campbellsville University. Andrea is the founder of StudyWithAndrea.com and has taught more than 1,000,000 students from 180 countries. She is a proven leader in online English teaching and is driven by her passion to help you speak English clearly. You can study with Andrea at the following places:
– English with Andrea podcast
– Clear English Pronunciation course
– The Study With Andrea YouTube channel
I was driving a friend’s truck last summer when, all of a sudden, the gas light came on. I was miles from a gas station and didn’t know if I would make it to a gas station in time. For the next few miles, I was dangerously close to running out of gas. I was running on fumes.
Just like that truck, I’ve had times in my life when I was running on fumes. These were times I had given all my energy away. I found myself with little ability to handle life easily because of how tired I was.
Running on fumes means you are tired or have little emotional energy.
- Tired
- Emotionally tired
- Exhausted
There are many situations where you can be running on fumes. You might be a student who stayed up all night finishing a research paper, but still have to show up for an early morning class.
You might be a mom with a newborn baby, where you never get more than three hours of sleep at a time.
You might be locked down to protect yourself from COVID-19. Even though you are safer at home, you feel lonely and overwhelmed by financial pressures and the constant bad news on TV.
In all of those scenarios, you would be running on fumes.
When I feel like I’m running on fumes, I do a few things to refuel:
- Get some time alone to pray about what is really exhausting me. A lot of times, just identifying an underlying stress or issue helps me feel like I can do something about it.
- I try to go to bed earlier and drink more water.
- I listen to worship music and remember that God is strong enough to help me through whatever I’m facing.
- I read Scripture, especially verses like Matthew 11:28 (NIV), “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened [running on fumes], and I will give you rest.”
What helps you when you are running on fumes? Please comment below.
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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
5 thoughts on “Running on Fumes”
There are some days when I feel like I am “running on fumes”. I am thankful God gives me energy to keep going. 🙂
I hear you, Melissa. Some days are tough, but God gives what we need when we need it. I pray you have an energy-filled, productive day.
Emotions drain me. I like to be outside for awhile or stop to realize things work out.
A few minutes outside works wonders on my emotions too, Nancy, especially early mornings with the birds singing. Slowing down, not an easy thing for me to do, also reminds me of God’s ultimate control. Take care and enjoy your moments of respite.