The Burnout Bible: How to tackle fatigue and emotional overwhelm naturally

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To prevent spiritual burnout, see the importance of God’s work and depend on the continual supply of His Spirit.

The Burnout Bible | Peoples Book Prize

Moses would have burned out, but for the wise counsel of his father-in-law, Jethro. The story is found in Exodus 18:14-23. Moses thought he was doing the will of God by sitting as judge and hearing the people’s cases. However, Jethro rightly recognized that this was not a job for one man to handle alone. Eventually, Moses would burn out, and the people would be left unsatisfied. To avoid burnout, Moses had to accept that not every need was meant to be filled by him. God charged Moses with leadership, not with performing every duty. Jethro advised Moses to delegate the task of judging the nation to other trustworthy men. That way, the people were provided justice, others had an opportunity to participate in God’s plan, and Moses’ need for personal care was met. By God’s grace alone, here I am 26 years later, still with some anxiety and an overwhelming sense of personal inadequacy, hanging on! I am not exaggerating or being modest when I say that if God pulled the plug on me tomorrow, I wouldn’t last a month in this ministry. I have often felt like Peter, walking on the water, thinking to myself, “What am I doing out here? Why did I ever get out of that boat?” and at the same time praying, “Lord, if You don’t hold me up, I’m going under!”This vital truth is seen both in the symbolism of the olive trees and in the direct word of the Lord to Zerubbabel (4:6), “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” Jesus Christ (pictured by the two anointed ones, 4:14) mediates His Spirit to His people so that they will burn brightly for Him. Three observations: A. We must ask God to open us to the supply of His Spirit. We can divide our duties into two general categories: mandatory and voluntary. Mandatory duties are those bestowed on us directly by the hand of our good and gracious God. Childbearing and childrearing certainly fall in this category. If God has given you a quiver full of children, then you are called to do the good work of bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The work and worth of homemaking and home keeping, childbearing and childrearing are grievously underestimated by most of us. It is work (lots of it), and it is good work. But there are other kinds of work in this category as well. If you are called to work outside the home to provide for yourself or your family, this is also in the mandatory category. You can’t just decide it’s too hard and fail to show up for work. How can we know when to say no to opportunities to serve the Lord? What principles help us to draw the line? Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die.‘It's too much, Lord,’he prayed.‘Take away my life; I might as well be dead!’He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. This book is a must-read for those experiencing or at risk of burnout, as well as those who generally feel that they have too much stress in their lives. All in all, a lot of us would benefit from reading this book and it could not come at a better time given the mental health crisis of today. This book is a well-written, well-referenced, accessible navigation of how stress impacts the body and how this can tip into burnout, and the promise of functional medicine for helping to protect ourselves from and better manage burnout. Rachel’s accessible explanation of the microbiome-gut-brain axis is especially worth a read. I truly hope this book helps to break the stigma surrounding burnout and I have no doubt that it will contribute to the gathering momentum about the importance of nutrition and lifestyle for improving mental health and wellbeing alongside conventional strategies. Well done, Rachel, for bringing your clinical expertise, deep knowledge, and personal insight about this important subject to the masses. Emily Blake, Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner & Clinical Educator, Invivo HealthCare

Struggling With Burn-Out? | Jacky Francis Walker The Burnout Struggling With Burn-Out? | Jacky Francis Walker The Burnout

Pflugeisen, B., Drummond, D., Ebersole, D., Mundell, K., & Chen, D. (2016). Brief video-module administered mindfulness program for physicians: A pilot study. Explore, 12(1), 50–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2015.10.005. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.’ Reid, R. J., Coleman, K., Johnson, E., Fishman, P., Hsu, C., Soman, M., & … Larson, E. (2010). The group health medical home at year two: Cost savings, higher patient satisfaction, and less burnout for providers. Health Affairs, 29(5), 835–843. https://doi.org/10.1377/hithaff.2010.0158. Before reading The Burnout Bible I thought that feeling tired or drained most of the time was an inevitable part of being successful. After reading the wealth of knowledge within this book, I identified some immediate changes that I could make to strike a better balance. Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be an extra chore. The Burnout Bible will give you simple and achievable ideas that flow into your existing environment. Truly grateful that Rachel took the time to share so much wisdom, this book is going to be life changing for so many people. Clare Bowers, Co-founder, Leading Ladies in Business Segal, Z., Williams, M., & Teasdale, J. (2013). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression. New York: Guilford Press.

That is to say, you can utilize your human talent and be as determined as a bulldog and you will see some results. But when you stand before Christ, it will be as wood, hay, and stubble (1 Cor. 3:12), because it came from the flesh. When you work in the power of the flesh, you get the credit because the results were due to your ability and your hard work. God may get a tip of the hat, but He was not at the center and so He is robbed of glory. Grabovac, A. D., Lau, M. A., & Willett, B. R. (2011). Mechanisms of mindfulness: A Buddhist psychological model. Mindfulness, 2, 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-011-0054-5. Research confirms that chronic stress can cause physical illness too. Sheldon Cohen, a professor of psychology at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University says, “We are just beginning to understand the ways that stress influences a wide range of diseases of aging, including heart disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and certain types of disability, even early death.” The work that God gives us is to be His lampstand, both corporately and individually. The only way that we can fulfill that task is by depending on the continual supply of the oil of God’s Spirit. In that way, we will burn for God without burning out. The final spiritual exercise is the prayer of consideration (Ignatian Spirituality n.d.). The heart of Ignatian spirituality is “seeing God in all things,” which prompts us to be actively engaged in finding where God is working in the world and partnering with God to accomplish divine purposes (Tetlow 2008). In the prayer of consideration, one thoughtfully and imaginatively reflects on the world and experiences. This active attention enlivens one’s spiritual connection to God. Four categories to consider could be: (1) creation, by finding in God in the beauty of nature, (2) people, by reflecting on encounters experienced throughout one’s day, (3) work, by focusing on colleagues, tasks, and projects as well as skills as reflecting God’s image, and (4) children, by focusing on what they teach us about entering God’s kingdom (Luke 18:15–17) (Ignatian Spirituality n.d.). The prayer of consideration allows one to enter into a text or experience, paying attention or considering where God’s active presence is and what it means for oneself. For example, one may consider the splendor of creation and reflect on the creator. One may begin reflecting on the innocence of childhood and reflect on what that means in relation to being a child of God. Or, as Tetlow ( 2008) suggests, one could reflect on the idea of extravagance, as described in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Who is acting in a prodigal fashion? The younger son? The father? What kinds of people are described in this story? What would it be like to live in their family? How does one experience the prodigal love of God now? In one’s current experiences?

The burnout bible - Linghams Booksellers The burnout bible - Linghams Booksellers

If you’re seeking a comprehensive approach to overcoming burnout and reclaiming your well-being, this book is a worthwhile read.’ – NetGalleyThe word burnout is interesting because that is literally what is happening at a cellular level in the body. There is burning going on. Much of recent research has shown that people with depression or anxiety actually have inflamed cells. Fight or Flight . . . All the Time It’s also very important to keep your perspective. Remember that these deadlines and due dates will pass. My husband and I have called times like this “hunker down” times. We just hunker down and plow through. Sooner or later we will get through this tunnel and come out on the other side. When we have bigger commitments and responsibilities than we have strength, then this is a perfect time to call out to God for help. Newall, J. M., Nelson-Gardell, D., & MacNeil, G. (2016). Clinician responses to client traumas: A chronological review of constructs and terminology. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 17, 306–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838015584365. Do you feel guilty that you are not spending enough time with your friends, family or even yourself? That is no insignificant task, because it involves displaying the light of God’s glory to a world that loves darkness rather than light! The apostle Paul said that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). The only way that such blind people can see is if, as Paul goes on to say, God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness” shines into their hearts “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” God does that by putting His treasure in earthen vessels, “that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:6-7). Our task, as God’s people, is to be His lampstand, shining forth with His glory to this sin-darkened world.