Amy OHana - Beyond Burnout: What to Do When Your Work Isnt Working for You

Table of Contents

Such a rich tapestry of personal stories, clinical research, and Scripture woven into a very readable and insightful work, full of practical steps all of us can take. In Beyond Burnout , Amy OHana manages to handle complex concepts in a way that all of us can understand. Its as if she is in the room with you. Centered on the concept of being, Amy makes you think and explore yourself in whole new ways, challenging you to be. Simple, yet profound when understood. You owe it to yourself to dig in.

Bob Black
personal advisor and author of Unlock Your Life: 5 Steps and a Jump to Living the Adventure God Made You For

For the faith-based professional experiencing vocational burnout in the pursuit of fulfilling their lifes purposeor those who find themselves valiantly working to support their family Beyond Burnout is salve to the soul. Thank you, Amy OHana, for your wisdom, understanding, and humor in this practical, hands-on approach to neutralizing burnout with a call to stillness.

Amy Turner
CEO and business coach, The Courage Tribe

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Studio Gearbox

Cover photo Ronald Sumners / Shutterstock

This book includes stories in which peoples names and some details of their situations have been changed.

Beyond Burnout

Copyright 2020 by Amy OHana, PhD

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97408

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-8097-5 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-8098-2 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: OHana, Amy, author.

Title: Beyond burnout / Amy OHana, PhD.

Description: Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, [2020]

Identifiers: LCCN 2020018961 (print) | LCCN 2020018962 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736980975 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780736980982 (eBook)

Subjects: LCSH: Burn out (Psychology) | Job stress. | WorkPsychological aspects. | Mental healthReligious aspects.

Classification: LCC BF481 .O48 2020 (print) | LCC BF481 (ebook) | DDC 158.7/23dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020018961

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020018962

All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of authors and publishers rights is strictly prohibited.

This book is dedicated to you, friend.
At the end of a long day or during a long season,
may you find rest in these pages.

To the One who breathes within me creativity and fervor, thank you for these words. May this book be your message, and may I be your scribe.

Steve Harper. Despite the demands of your graduate studies, you made space to support this project. Thank you for your research efforts and our green-tea conversations. You are the crown that surrounds this book with authenticity and depth.

Abby Kelley. You said yes to formatting at such a late date, and you did it all Chicago with a smile on your face and joy in your heart. Your light and energy are infectious. Thank you for your help.

To the amazing people at Harvest Houseeditors, designers, marketing, and saleswhat a team you are! Gene Skinner, I love working with you. I so appreciate your suggestions and insights. Heather Green, you are always so upbeat and encouraging. Thank you for investing in me. Hope Lyda, your gift of friendship and wisdom of craft has meant the world to me. I have learned so much from all of you.

To those interviewed and represented throughout the book, thank you. I see your struggle, and it has meant something . Your vulnerability and your stories will encourage many. None of it was in vain.

Chris Cleaver, my dear friend. You held my heart through this entire process, and I will never forget it. Thanks for your critical eye and theological guidance. Solidarity to infinity and beyond!

To Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, my mentor and dissertation advisor at Oregon State Universitythank you for your support those years ago. I will always remember you as one of my best teachers.

To my little Violet, the thought of watching you grow into your calling fueled my energy to finish this book. You can do anything you set your mind to do. But more than anything, I hope you learn to be .

Contents

I will practice stillness so God can restore my soul.

I will seek connection with God, myself, and my work.

I will cultivate awareness of who I am, where I am, and what I want to be.

I will take consistent steps to promote well-being in my work.

I will focus on who I am to be, not what I am to do.

In the years between earning my PhD and writing this book, I felt as if workforce stressors didnt change a lot. Sure, there were the normal fluctuations in the labor market, new jobs generated as a result of changing technology, and the like, but weve been aware of those for some time. However, between the completion of this manuscript and its publication, COVID-19 spun the world of work into a radical and unexpected crisis.

Talk about weird timing! In a short span, everything changed. From the ceasing of morning commutes, to running a business using Zoom or WebEx, to attempting to teach algebra to middle school kidsall from the dining room table! It was the ultimate recipe for burnout.

Four weeks into my self-quarantine, I experienced burnout like never before. I was exhausted from the never-ending crisis management prompted by the constant updates on the coronavirus. I had to workI had to get things done. Except nothing was working.

As it turned out, I became one of the best case studies for my own book.

Through Gods grace, however, staying at home turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Once I found a rhythm, I realized that my new schedule allowed time for deep contemplation about my work. What was important to me? What changes was I now forced to make as a result of a changing workplace? What changes did I need to make in my life vocation?

Admittedly, it was hard to take my own advice. But through the circumscribed stillness of the corona season, God taught me that staying at home is different from returning home. Home is not a place; it is not an address. Home is a state of being. It is a state of familiarity and stability, woven together in peace.

Home is the place to reconnect with the things and people you love, and to experience deep communion with Jesus.