What a year. What a Sunday. What an event. Today, many of you are waking up and wondering what hit you. Adrenalin has a way of masking exhaustion. The excitement of getting things done before a deadline tends to feed us.

Then it’s over. And the creative communicator discovers a chasm that they easily fall into. If the event is a mountaintop, you tumble into the valley. Or perhaps the mountain you envisioned was barely a hill. The valley probably feels even deeper.

You’re totally tired.

Scripture has many characters who struggled after the “big deal.” David, Elijah, Jonah, Job, Moses, and Jeremiah all seemed to deal with self-doubt, exhaustion, and feeling down afterwards. They are human just like we are.

Here are five tips for dealing with the tired spirit, because the work must go on.

1. Take a breath. Treat yourself.

We know God uses all things for good. And He allowed everything to happen as it did. So breathe. Relax in what happened, be thankful, and recognize if you dropped the ball. You can’t fix the past.

Treat yourself to something you know you need. A date with your wife. A sundae. A Netflix binge. Something your schedule hasn’t allowed you to do for a while.

2. Remember they’re tired, too.

As a leader, you’re often tempted to believe you’re alone in your feelings. Consider your audience and what they’re experiencing too. Many people are exhausted. Your volunteers just came through the flurry of activity too. The best way to get over your “down” time? Think of others. Reach out to them and listen. Be the person you need.

3. Look back at the engagement.

Take a 10,000-foot view of the event. Details don’t make as much difference, do they? Look at social media engagement and see what connected. Use their interactions to help you understand your audience more.

Congratulate yourself for the wins that happened. Reach out to a trusted person and ask them to tell you about their vantage point. Use it as a mini focus group — listening for ways to improve and connect to others.

4. Look forward with them in mind.

Slowly, start focusing on the next upcoming event. Use the things you’ve heard from others and lessons learned. Start to envision what the “next” could look like. Stay at 10,000 feet and consider what you want to feel after it. Maybe you need more prep time. Perhaps more volunteers to help. Start to plan. Take steps forward.

5. Ask for help.

Start with asking God to use you again. And understand that you’re a willing participant in His plan: you can only do what you can do.

Finally, if you find yourself beyond the usual valley or falling deeper into an emotional rut that lasts longer than you know it should, please seek professional help. Especially if your loved ones are concern for you and start to ask if you’re OK. You’re not in this alone. Don’t do it alone.