Handling Change Fatigue: 8 Practices for Leaders

If you’re like me, you tend to be a fan of evaluation that leads to changing and morphing into something new. But sometimes that change can also be too much.

Recently, I found myself very rigid in a meeting when an unexpected change was happening. It was really inconsequential: a small adjustment to a plan, nothing more. But my resistance to even contemplating the change left me perplexed. My mind and body were reacting in a way that didn’t feel characteristic or desirable of myself. It was in scanning my body’s reaction that I realized something was off.

If you lead in children’s ministry, you know this feeling has a hundred faces. A volunteer cancels an hour before service. Curriculum gets revised mid-quarter. A staffing restructure changes who you report to for the third time this year. None of these are catastrophic on their own. But there had been so much change in the previous six months that this one small thing was too much for me to handle with the grace, flexibility, and excellence I value. I hit a tipping point. I had had one change too many. Change fatigue hit me hard because it was “too much too fast.” It can also creep in when we’re not given good guidance, aren’t properly trained, or find ourselves moving from one small crisis to the next in a seemingly constant state of alert.

“Mental flexibility is a sign of mental health.”

A mentor told me that once. I took it to mean we needed to be flexible people but I didn’t see that my moments of lacking flexibility were actually signs I wasn’t well. That stopped me. It made me take a step back and evaluate.

We all move through seasons where change lurks around every corner. It can become wearisome, exhausting, overwhelming, even debilitating… and this is true even though we know change is inevitable and often needed, whether it feels positive or negative. For our ministries, our teams, our lives to stay vibrant, relevant, and effective, change has to happen. Think of it like a building: routine maintenance keeps things running. Ignore it too long, and what could’ve been a small fix becomes a full renovation. The same is true of us. Small, regular resets prevent the kind of depletion that takes months to recover from.

Change fatigue or burnout? They’re not the same thing.

It’s important to be in tune with what your body is telling you. Just like I saw a rigidity that was uncommon for me, there are signs in all of us that can signal change fatigue specifically, not just general burnout.

Burnout tends to come from the work itself: the volume, the demands, the pace, sustained over time, even when the work stays the same. Change fatigue is different. It comes from how much has shifted underneath you: new supervisors, new structures, new expectations, even in work you still love and are good at. You can be energized by your calling and still be depleted by how much has moved around it lately.

Change fatigue can look like:

• Apathy toward work or exploring solutions
• Resistance to any deviation from the anticipated schedule
• Rigidity in how you’re functioning
• Low output, even on tasks you normally handle easily
• Physical or emotional exhaustion
• Negativity that feels unlike you

If that list is landing a little too close to home, you’re not failing. You’re depleted. And depletion is information, not indictment.

Handling change with excellence when you’re not in control

Here’s a hard truth: we are not in control of everything. And yet that doesn’t stop us from craving control, from striving to take hold of situations just to feel a sense of order, a false peace we manufacture because the real thing feels out of reach.

Excellence in the middle of change you didn’t choose doesn’t mean having the answer immediately. It looks smaller than that: naming what you’re feeling instead of pushing through it, asking for a pause before reacting, and trusting that you don’t have to solve it all in the moment it lands on you.

As we move toward sanctification, we have great hope. We get to rest and release our burdens to God every single day. To counter our striving for control, we must “be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2b, NIV).

8 practices to increase mental flexibility and reduce resistance to change

These aren’t steps to complete in order… they’re tools to reach for as you need them, in whatever combination your season calls for. Start with turning to God and the way He designed us to reset. We are His temple and need to take care of it in order to glorify Him. “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, CSB)

1. Pray. Spend time praying and letting God hear your weariness, frustration, desire for something new, even your anger or delight. He can take all of it. Yes, He knows what we’re thinking and feeling but it’s crucial to talk to Him, just like you would your closest friend, “casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7, CSB).

2. Move. Movement exerts some of the energy pent up inside you while you’re trying to handle all the change. It gives your brain a break so you can concentrate more. Try a brisk walk in the middle of your workday or before a meeting where you’ll need extra flexibility. Do anything that will get your blood flowing.

3. Switch your brain. Activating a different part of your brain can help regulate and “de-stress” the overtaxed section.

• Splash cold water on your face, or place a cold, wet cloth on your neck.
• Do 10–15 jumping jacks to reset your perspective and bring refreshment.
• If you’ve been analyzing and evaluating all day, do something creative instead. Design a new social media post, build a handout for a class, or rework the stage set.
• If you’re stuck on an unending project, do something precise with a clear end point. I’ll often work in a spreadsheet because it is exact, calculating, productive, but not mentally taxing.

4. Breathe. Yes, we all breathe… but are you taking deep, centering breaths?

• Box breathing: Inhale for a 4-count, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat as needed.
• Physiological sigh: Two quick inhales through your nose, followed by one long, slow exhale through your mouth. Repeat a few times.
• Controlled inhale/exhale: Breathe in as deep as you can, then take one more breath on top of it. Hold, then release it all and when you think you’re empty, breathe out a little more. As you go, think of praises you can offer to God.

5. Eat well. Make sure your body is getting enough protein and whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Did you know kids recovering from trauma are often encouraged to eat every two hours to stay regulated? That’s not license to overeat… but it’s worth asking, “Am I eating in a way that stabilizes my blood sugar and gives me energy?” We already know healthy food matters. Stress just makes it more important to practice on purpose.

6. Hydrate. Drink water. Add electrolytes if needed. Keep sugar intake low.

7. Sleep and rest. There are actually seven types of rest we need for optimal functioning: physical, spiritual, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, and social. These “cups” are different sizes and fill at different rates depending on the season. Evaluate more than just your hours of sleep, dedicate real attention to the other kinds of rest too. The Professional Quality of Life Measure is a helpful tool for this kind of evaluation.

8. Play. Play is good for the soul. If you’re overworking even in work or ministry you love, you’re setting yourself up for burnout. What fills your cup outside of ministry? Where can you simply play?

What do you need right now?

We know change is inevitable, good, and necessary but our bodies can only mold so much. Scanning our lives and bodies and asking, “What do I need right now?” is one of the healthiest steps we can take when change fatigue sets in.

In that meeting where I was so rigid and resistant, I simply acknowledged it out loud. I confessed that I didn’t like how I was showing up, that it confused me too, and I asked if we could revisit the decision in a few days. When we did, we came up with great solutions and I was able to show up with the mental flexibility I actually wanted to bring to the table.

So when you’re not showing up the way you want to, stop and ask: “Could this be change fatigue?” Turn to a friend, process your thoughts, and lean into the moment instead of running past it. Take time to assess what your body is communicating… because routine maintenance is always easier than a renovation. We’re cheering you on, leader.