God's Rest (eBook)

Dale Hardy (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
232 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-7382-2 (ISBN)

Infos

God has given humanity a rest percept that battles stress. The Biblical percept supports managing stressors and other mental issues such as anxiety, depression, and burnout. All these mental conditions are connected to prolonged stress, connecting mental challenges. These challenges hinder our lives thus precautions should be taken to prevent them. The book is an instrument to teach God's plan that can furnish life with stability. These skills have been proven by empirical studies which makes the book worthy of the read, thus God's Rest is essential.

Apostle Dale, AKA Dr. DJ, recent graduate from Regent University DMin program. He loves family and is married to one female. They share three sons, Lamont, Travis, and Mishael. Dr. DJ challenges his family in fishing, sports, and developing healthy relationships. He also loves reading, preaching, counseling, conversing, and meeting people. As a result, Apostle Dale has invested many years in church planting by helping people see important perspectives and choices available through a healthy relationship with God.

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The book is a project of the author's doctoral dissertation from Regent University. The research was done seeking answers to why burnout has crucial effects on those who do people work. Dale seeks those answers for he is a preacher, an Apostle, and, now a Doctor of Ministry aligning those seeking God's percepts within rest and work theology. The book aims to open the eyes of the reader to promote better self-care and other coping skills but also to accept God's attributes supplying man's spiritual rest. The project design is to help healthy relationships. This method creates communities that are worthy of notice due it's built on Biblical precepts. The reader is allowed to re-think their current thoughts or re-consider a new path appropriate for this world's time and age. The book talks about the different stressors and ways to combat each with the hidden treasure of God. Please take your time to read as the book has been carefully written to help with life's complications. By applying these precepts, we re-arrange our lives by returning to what grounds humanity. Thus returning to the counseling of our Creator, making the book worthy of the read.

Textauszug

CHAPTER 2:
SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE

Overview

This chapter presents the source material and rationale for the direction of the ministry project and dissertation. It discusses how pastors may experience burnout within ministry without healthy coping skills and identify its causes. It considers the vital role Sabbath rest plays in the life of the believer and the need for informed pastoral leaders.

Providing an understanding of burnout is an effort for the rural Black male pastors to deal with inner struggles; unresolved stress, prioritizing unrealistic tasks, reconsidering spiritual formation practices, rest-taking practices, self-care, self-compassion, balance, courage, prevention, and ministerial burnout prognosis. Other considerations include gaining knowledge of God’s order and rhythm, God’s rest, the community, the Perceived Stress Questionnaire, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. This information will be utilized to establish a curriculum to support leaders and encourage communities, families, and ministers.

Stress and Burnout

The line between stress and burnout is blurred, and it is often difficult to see where one ends and the other begins.63 Stress is brought on by over-engagement, while burnout is characterized by under-engagement.64 Stress is a normal body reaction when changes occur resulting in physical, emotional, and intellectual responses.”65 Its responses help the body adjust to new situations. Stress has benefits even though most people label it harmful. There is positive stress and negative stress. Positive stress is labeled as eustress, and it motivates and helps to support functioning. Negative stress is called distress and refers to overwhelming stress that impairs functioning.66 Negative stress is complex, and many people struggle to cope with it. Since stress is a daily factor in life and ministry, it becomes crucial to manage it. Negative stress will be the focus of this study.

Ignoring stress cause health problems; prolonged (chronic) stress triggers heart-related problems, diabetes, depression, and addictions (prescription or illegal substance abuse). Stress causes many symptoms. The physical symptoms include aches and pains, chest pain, exhaustion, headaches, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, heartburn, rapid breathing, heart attack, muscle tension, stomach or digestive problems, insomnia, sexual impotence, and weak immune systems. Emotional and mental symptoms include frustration, anger, depression, panic attacks, and sadness67. Stress involves changes that affect nearly every system in the body, influencing how people feel and behave. It contributes directly to psychological and physiological disorders and diseases and affects mental and physical health, reducing the quality of life.68

A lecture at Regent University by Dr. Eric Scalise titled, Burnout, Stress, and Compassion Fatigue, Managing Yourself offers the following point, “American Institute on Stress finds that 80-90% of all doctor’s visits are stressed-related.”69 Similarly, Suzzanne Price states, “Some reports show that 75% of all doctors’ visits are stress related, at least half of all suspected heart attacks turn out to be a panic attack, and one in every five people are taking some sort of anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medication.”70 In many ways, stress is a symbol of our times. More people are reporting stress within all occupations.

However, experiencing chronic stress does not always mean one is suffering from burnout. When chronic stress leads to more intense and severe symptoms, and it impairs one ability to function, it is burnout.71 Burnout is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.72 Burnout can also be described as chronic stress and frustration that leads to physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, detachment, and a sense of ineffectiveness (a lack of accomplishment).73 When suffering from burnout, leaders experience emotional fatigue, feelings of depression, hopelessness, and helplessness, usually with a loss of coping skills. Feelings of happiness are replaced by loneliness and discouragement. Mental exhaustion leads to negative attitudes toward work, life, and self. This, in turn, leads to negative attitudes toward others and feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and incompetence.74 People who suffer from burnout cannot function on a personal or a professional level successfully. The syndrome robs human caregivers of wholesomeness, including professionals such as teachers, judges, lawyers, doctors, children, students, and pastors. Any profession that deals with human care should be aware of the cost of caring, which may be a case of burnout condition according to Hakanen, Kirsi, Mutanen, and Perhoniemi.75

The American Psychiatric Association discovered that 61% of employees suffer from this workplace condition. Burnout costs more than the profits of Apple, Alphabet, and ten of the most profitable American companies. Burnout healthcare cost has climbed to 190 billion dollars annually, but globally the damages reach 322 billion dollars. And this trend shows no indications of slowing down.76 Crossway shares that “We live in a burnout culture.”77 The norm is to be burnout. Books and articles promise to help us attack it by developing more efficient routes to avoid it or practicing mindfulness or medication to cope.78 “For humans, however, the biggest source of stress is often a psychological stress that we simply conjure up in our own minds.”79 Suzanne Price advises, “By arming yourself with the right information, you have a much greater chance of preventing something like this from ever happening to you. Awareness is the key to prevention, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.”80

Burnout – Causes, Effects, Signs

There are two theories within research concerning the causes of burnout.81 Christina Maslach represents the systemic theme which indicates that work habits such as overwork, little support, inflexible work schedules, and constant seven days with a twenty-four on-call approach. The problem is external; people burn out because the work system burns them out. The added bureaucracy within the denominational structure nourishes and situates the roots of burnout.82 On the other hand, original research reveals that those likely to burn out have inward roots since lifestyle and personality traits may add to burnout. These individuals suffered narcissistic disturbance, low self-esteem, childhood difficulties in development, high idealism, and Type-A. personality.”83 Considering activity in downtime and worldview plays a significant role in causing overwhelming stress, whether at work or home. This does not allow the necessary breakage that the mind needs and does not develop nor enhance coping skills to manage these worldviews, creating problems concerning stress and anxiety.84

Ciampa states, “When we experience stress for an extended period without being able to alter, change, or ameliorate it, we can begin to feel empty, numb, devoid of motivation, hopeless, and beyond caring.”85 The inability to experience pleasure in normally pleasurable acts is anhedonia86 which has long-lasting effects. The embedded condition entails a loss of pleasure, depression symptoms, fatigue, extreme energy loss, blocked concentration, increased worthlessness, appetite changes, insomnia, and suicidal ideation.87

Fear contributes to burnout. Many ministers may be in fear and frustration suffering alone—with no avenues to consider.88 Fear can emerge when attempting to be everything to all people. For example, if a preacher converses with twenty-five people, twenty-five topics will likely be discussed, unlike other professions. The issue becomes being Jesus to everyone, even though many leaders may be fearful disciples. Of course, there are brave moments for the leader, but fear is a reality.89

Fear is the root of many issues. Fear that the church is not big enough, the salary is not enough, or fear of losing their job. To work out of fear is a setup for anxiety, burnout, and other mental issues. The point is that fear becomes a harsh taskmaster. 90 It takes courage and humility to rest from one’s daunting tasks. This concept supports the idea that many leaders are afraid to rest. Yet, there are many hidden causes of stress that may not be discuss. Therefore, the question arises, is fear the number one cause of stress? Here are few causes of stress such as personality, perceived socioeconomic status, childhood trauma, lack of sleep, and a perceived lack of control. These mentioned causes of stress were to identify hidden issues that may promote distress. So, fear is not the number one cause of...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 16.11.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie ► Esoterik / Spiritualität
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-7382-2 / 9798350973822