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The Joy of Burnout: How the End of the World Can Be a New Beginning
Filled with advice designed to help people overcome this very real problem, the author--founding director of Skyros Holistic Holidays--shows readers how to transform this potentially damaging psychological condition into a positive experience for the individual and their friends, family members, and co-workers. Original.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
146 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
About the author
Dina Glouberman
12 books5 followersDr Dina Glouberman is the visionary co-founder of Skyros Holidays, author of the classic books 'Life Choices, Life Changes', 'The Joy of Burnout', 'You Are What You Imagine' and 'Into The Woods and Out Again'. She is an international psychotherapist, coach, and world renowned expert in transformational imagery.
Her new book for practitioners, 'ImageWork: the complete guide to working with transformational imagery', is available for pre-order now.
Formerly a Senior Lecturer at Kingston University, she has been a pioneer for over thirty years in creating, teaching and practising the use of ImageWork to tap into the imagination that guides our lives, and make creative life choices and profound life changes (dinaglouberman.com, skyros.com).
More recently, she founded and directs the Aurora Centre in southern Italy, where she offers trainings in ImageWork to therapists, counsellors, coaches, consultants and health professionals. She also facilitates ImageWork retreats. She is a course leader on the Faculty of the MA (Clinical) in Psychotherapy of the Tivoli Institute in Dublin, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Humanistic Psychology (Britain).
Her new book for practitioners, 'ImageWork: the complete guide to working with transformational imagery', is available for pre-order now.
Formerly a Senior Lecturer at Kingston University, she has been a pioneer for over thirty years in creating, teaching and practising the use of ImageWork to tap into the imagination that guides our lives, and make creative life choices and profound life changes (dinaglouberman.com, skyros.com).
More recently, she founded and directs the Aurora Centre in southern Italy, where she offers trainings in ImageWork to therapists, counsellors, coaches, consultants and health professionals. She also facilitates ImageWork retreats. She is a course leader on the Faculty of the MA (Clinical) in Psychotherapy of the Tivoli Institute in Dublin, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Humanistic Psychology (Britain).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 17, 2021
Today I sat at a picnic table and watched the snow melt. Individual ice crystals becoming transparent and dissolving into wetness. It took half an hour for my chosen patch to disappear. How incredibly boring my life must be, you might wonder. Nay. The spectacle was so transfixing I could've cried.
The rhythm of my life has been flipped upside down.
I stopped working in November. In reading this book, I am tracing the path of long squealing tire tracks that reach back through the past year or so, and contemplating the present.
Burnout is a hell of a thing, it really is. I don't wish it upon you or anyone. But I have been given the gift of Time. That thing I always sensed was missing, yet couldn't capture, couldn't get enough of. I am learning to bask in its holy unstructured glory. I am putting this magical abundance of Time to good use. I am psychoanalyzing the shit out of myself. I have upped my initial 3-star rating to 4 stars, because Dina Glouberman really has helped me mine the joy of burnout. I have flipped through this book many times since finishing, to land on a page and see what insight might guide me today.
The early chapters describe the process of burning out, with frequent examples of "burnout people" Glouberman has met. This reliance on detailed real-life examples was sometimes tiring, but the relatable bits were nice to find. A recurring theme is that of... Death. She subtitles her own story Transform or Die. Do you think that's a bit much?
Flashback to last summer, fall. Nights I would lie awake, head spinning, heart pounding, seething. 4 am once found me on a friend's balcony, crying, my nerves strung to cracking. Mornings I would hit snooze ad infinitum, and my body felt like lead in the bed, heavy and foreboding. I had the distinct sense that if I continued going in to work, I would die. I would die. What horrid skin to wake up in.
Then I would get up and go to work.
Because I had no choice.
...
Until I stopped going in to work.
Because there was a choice. And since I was so unable or unwilling to make the right decision for my own health and well-being, my body made it for me.
I did see it coming, though, and thought I knew the solution in advance. If work is making me sick, then logically speaking, once I stop working, I will feel better. Right?
Jagged pieces of the sky fell on me and my brain was wrapped in fog. The logistical process of burning out is a shitstorm of stress in itself. And when the worst had passed, I lay on the shore and just lay, and lay, and lay. I felt sadness. Anger. I felt desperately alone. I felt scared for the future, and unable to face whatever came next. Oh, how I felt things.
And I remembered. My mind worked back over years, people, experiences I had all but forgotten. I never had the time to remember, you see. But I am building a narrative of my life, a way to understand who I am, whither I shall go. I did love my job. I used to sing as I worked, buoyed by love, and climb the walls in a most literal sense. How can I bring that joy forward into new adventures, better equipped to identify and deal with toxic dynamics?
This book. It picked at the right scabs, though I did wish it would probe deeper. It is not a very intellectual book, but it is not trying to be. Not beautifully written, either, but then I am spoiled.
Why do we persist in doing what's bad for us? Is it fear of change, the unknown? Fear of financial insecurity? A feeling that I am indispensable, that people need me? Burnout is, essentially, provoked by a dawning awareness of choice, however difficult it may be. Among the lessons I will take with me are: the importance of making space for creativity in my daily work; the idea that I do not need permission to "do nothing", nor do I need to feel guilty; the connections between my mental and physical heath - caring for my body is an essential component of healing; and the desire to foster relationships with people who are also committed to their own personal development, and watching how old friendships can grow and change with time (or not).
There are thought exercises to try throughout, which were hit and miss for me, as some of them went a bit too far into frou-frou territory.
The rhythm of my life has been flipped upside down.
I stopped working in November. In reading this book, I am tracing the path of long squealing tire tracks that reach back through the past year or so, and contemplating the present.
Burnout is a hell of a thing, it really is. I don't wish it upon you or anyone. But I have been given the gift of Time. That thing I always sensed was missing, yet couldn't capture, couldn't get enough of. I am learning to bask in its holy unstructured glory. I am putting this magical abundance of Time to good use. I am psychoanalyzing the shit out of myself. I have upped my initial 3-star rating to 4 stars, because Dina Glouberman really has helped me mine the joy of burnout. I have flipped through this book many times since finishing, to land on a page and see what insight might guide me today.
The early chapters describe the process of burning out, with frequent examples of "burnout people" Glouberman has met. This reliance on detailed real-life examples was sometimes tiring, but the relatable bits were nice to find. A recurring theme is that of... Death. She subtitles her own story Transform or Die. Do you think that's a bit much?
Flashback to last summer, fall. Nights I would lie awake, head spinning, heart pounding, seething. 4 am once found me on a friend's balcony, crying, my nerves strung to cracking. Mornings I would hit snooze ad infinitum, and my body felt like lead in the bed, heavy and foreboding. I had the distinct sense that if I continued going in to work, I would die. I would die. What horrid skin to wake up in.
Then I would get up and go to work.
Because I had no choice.
...
Until I stopped going in to work.
Because there was a choice. And since I was so unable or unwilling to make the right decision for my own health and well-being, my body made it for me.
I did see it coming, though, and thought I knew the solution in advance. If work is making me sick, then logically speaking, once I stop working, I will feel better. Right?
Jagged pieces of the sky fell on me and my brain was wrapped in fog. The logistical process of burning out is a shitstorm of stress in itself. And when the worst had passed, I lay on the shore and just lay, and lay, and lay. I felt sadness. Anger. I felt desperately alone. I felt scared for the future, and unable to face whatever came next. Oh, how I felt things.
And I remembered. My mind worked back over years, people, experiences I had all but forgotten. I never had the time to remember, you see. But I am building a narrative of my life, a way to understand who I am, whither I shall go. I did love my job. I used to sing as I worked, buoyed by love, and climb the walls in a most literal sense. How can I bring that joy forward into new adventures, better equipped to identify and deal with toxic dynamics?
This book. It picked at the right scabs, though I did wish it would probe deeper. It is not a very intellectual book, but it is not trying to be. Not beautifully written, either, but then I am spoiled.
Why do we persist in doing what's bad for us? Is it fear of change, the unknown? Fear of financial insecurity? A feeling that I am indispensable, that people need me? Burnout is, essentially, provoked by a dawning awareness of choice, however difficult it may be. Among the lessons I will take with me are: the importance of making space for creativity in my daily work; the idea that I do not need permission to "do nothing", nor do I need to feel guilty; the connections between my mental and physical heath - caring for my body is an essential component of healing; and the desire to foster relationships with people who are also committed to their own personal development, and watching how old friendships can grow and change with time (or not).
There are thought exercises to try throughout, which were hit and miss for me, as some of them went a bit too far into frou-frou territory.
Now imagine that right there in front of you is your House of Truth. Let it arise and emerge before you. What does it look like? As you stand on the doorstep, tell the House of Truth why you are here, and reveal anything that frightens you.I am new to self-help-type books, and this is the kind of content that has always scared me away. I can see how a stronger book could be written on the topic, but in its absence, I was glad to have this guide as a companion on my journey.
August 20, 2017
In my social environment 'burnout' seems to have taken on epidemic proportions. I see many gifted and mature people succumb to the stress of trying to be everything to everyone: exceptional professionals, parents, daughters or sons, self-developers, creators and consumers. In most cases, you could see it coming a long way. They expressed their distress; we talked about it. The dreaded word fell, but they didn't want to hear about it or were sceptical at the least.
I read this book because I wanted to understand better what they were living, and to be able to support them more effectively. Mind you, as a 'high achiever' I'm not immune to the predicament myself. Taking care of my energy balance and attention budget is a challenge also for me.
Dina Glouberman's book was very helpful. It is written in a very sympathetic voice, authoritative and wise. The messages it imparts are surprising and noteworthy. There is the paradoxical title, for a start. Can there be joy in burnout? Yes, because it is the end of the line, the end of a path that had never been the potential to be sustaining and sustainable. It creates the space to rebuild "one's true self".
Another striking insight is that the area in which people burnout is precisely where they invest their creativity and passion, where they want to be of service. In a professional context, it's not the work (and a high work load) per se, but a loss of trust in the work relationships that sets people on a path to burnout. Overwork can be the effect, not the cause, of the burnout. I can confirm this from several cases in my circle of friends and acquaintances. For instance, at the time I was surprised to learn how a successful academic crashed halfway a fellowship in which she was free to pursue her research interests. Likely I heard only one part of the story; I assume there must have been another part, about a loss of meaning or about a personal need and ambition, that never came to the surface in my conversations with her.
Most revealing is the connection between physical complaints and the mounting risk for burnout. Often there's more than a sense of fatigue. One may develop all kinds of afflictions that seem to be in no way correlated to their feelings of stress. People may be unable or unwilling to see the link between these two areas of concern. Medical science isn't helpful in this respect either. The book features the rather harrowing testimonial of Sue Townsend, a celebrated author (of the 'Adrian Mole' series, amongst other works), who for a good part of her life cascaded down a series of burnouts. Each of these episodes was accompanied by significant (and in many cases irreversable) reductions in physical capacities. In that sense the earlier people burnout, the safer it is.
When the burnout hits, there is no other way than to surrender to it. What's beyond? Here Glouberman presents her Radical Healing approach. Essentially this is a way to "train our flabby 'living truthfully' muscle". It's a strength-based approach that helps to concentrate energy sources in the now to navigate a series of 'paradoxes' ('from hopelessness to giving up hope", "from humiliation to humility", "from disillusionment to de-illusionment", "from the burnout of what we know to the light of what we don't yet know"). From what I read it has a lot of mindfulness in it; it's about slowing down, relearning to listen to ourselves and rekindling our capacity for visualisation. There is no quick fix and no fixed destination. Failure is part of the new game. The pitfall is to swap one obsessive mode of achievement for another one: " ... if we think of living truthfully as something we can achieve once and for all and do perfectly, we have just added a new 'should' to the pile of 'shoulds' that are burning us already." As Glouberman says: "It's just a matter of time. And time doesn't matter".
One may have several gripes with this book: it could have been shorter, and particularly in the 'radical healing' part there is a certain amount esoteric lingo that may not appeal. Also, philosophically, one might object against the litany of "finding your true self". Still, I recommended this book to several of my friends struggling with the unwelcome new reality of burnout. Most seemed to welcome the positive message that is at the core of this book. I think this reframing - presenting the condition not as a failure but as an opportunity - is the book greatest contribution.
I read this book because I wanted to understand better what they were living, and to be able to support them more effectively. Mind you, as a 'high achiever' I'm not immune to the predicament myself. Taking care of my energy balance and attention budget is a challenge also for me.
Dina Glouberman's book was very helpful. It is written in a very sympathetic voice, authoritative and wise. The messages it imparts are surprising and noteworthy. There is the paradoxical title, for a start. Can there be joy in burnout? Yes, because it is the end of the line, the end of a path that had never been the potential to be sustaining and sustainable. It creates the space to rebuild "one's true self".
Another striking insight is that the area in which people burnout is precisely where they invest their creativity and passion, where they want to be of service. In a professional context, it's not the work (and a high work load) per se, but a loss of trust in the work relationships that sets people on a path to burnout. Overwork can be the effect, not the cause, of the burnout. I can confirm this from several cases in my circle of friends and acquaintances. For instance, at the time I was surprised to learn how a successful academic crashed halfway a fellowship in which she was free to pursue her research interests. Likely I heard only one part of the story; I assume there must have been another part, about a loss of meaning or about a personal need and ambition, that never came to the surface in my conversations with her.
Most revealing is the connection between physical complaints and the mounting risk for burnout. Often there's more than a sense of fatigue. One may develop all kinds of afflictions that seem to be in no way correlated to their feelings of stress. People may be unable or unwilling to see the link between these two areas of concern. Medical science isn't helpful in this respect either. The book features the rather harrowing testimonial of Sue Townsend, a celebrated author (of the 'Adrian Mole' series, amongst other works), who for a good part of her life cascaded down a series of burnouts. Each of these episodes was accompanied by significant (and in many cases irreversable) reductions in physical capacities. In that sense the earlier people burnout, the safer it is.
When the burnout hits, there is no other way than to surrender to it. What's beyond? Here Glouberman presents her Radical Healing approach. Essentially this is a way to "train our flabby 'living truthfully' muscle". It's a strength-based approach that helps to concentrate energy sources in the now to navigate a series of 'paradoxes' ('from hopelessness to giving up hope", "from humiliation to humility", "from disillusionment to de-illusionment", "from the burnout of what we know to the light of what we don't yet know"). From what I read it has a lot of mindfulness in it; it's about slowing down, relearning to listen to ourselves and rekindling our capacity for visualisation. There is no quick fix and no fixed destination. Failure is part of the new game. The pitfall is to swap one obsessive mode of achievement for another one: " ... if we think of living truthfully as something we can achieve once and for all and do perfectly, we have just added a new 'should' to the pile of 'shoulds' that are burning us already." As Glouberman says: "It's just a matter of time. And time doesn't matter".
One may have several gripes with this book: it could have been shorter, and particularly in the 'radical healing' part there is a certain amount esoteric lingo that may not appeal. Also, philosophically, one might object against the litany of "finding your true self". Still, I recommended this book to several of my friends struggling with the unwelcome new reality of burnout. Most seemed to welcome the positive message that is at the core of this book. I think this reframing - presenting the condition not as a failure but as an opportunity - is the book greatest contribution.
February 17, 2013
I started reading this, and then stopped because the author spends way too much time defining what burnout is. I was already burnt out, so I did not need to read 100+ pages just defining the terms. However, I went back and picked up the book again, and I'm glad I did. Starting with chapter 9 and forward, there are some great nuggets and exercises for those in the midst of burnout. I wouldn't say I've quite found the "joy" in burnout just yet, but I am definitely in a better place mentally and emotionally than I was.
As a technical aside, this book could have really used an editor. There are many typos and punctuation errors, and the writing could have been tightened up and polished considerably. However, if you can overlook some of these shortcomings, there are some good techniques and strategies for overcoming burnout in this book.
As a technical aside, this book could have really used an editor. There are many typos and punctuation errors, and the writing could have been tightened up and polished considerably. However, if you can overlook some of these shortcomings, there are some good techniques and strategies for overcoming burnout in this book.
August 16, 2014
Tried and True
I read this book again, 6 years after the first reading. It definitely helped after the first time, but life goes on and circumstances change, so I realized after some months into the new state of affairs that I needed a refresher. The book was as meaningful second time through. A most important feature for me is that Glouberman knows the burn out experience from the inside. She also respects the danger of the condition and the profundity of the experience. There's no pushing the reader to "recover" and return to being "productive." The tone is sensible, kind, but not maternalistic. I never had the feeling I was being talked down to; rather I found just good old support for my own experience here. It's certainly a keeper in my library.
I read this book again, 6 years after the first reading. It definitely helped after the first time, but life goes on and circumstances change, so I realized after some months into the new state of affairs that I needed a refresher. The book was as meaningful second time through. A most important feature for me is that Glouberman knows the burn out experience from the inside. She also respects the danger of the condition and the profundity of the experience. There's no pushing the reader to "recover" and return to being "productive." The tone is sensible, kind, but not maternalistic. I never had the feeling I was being talked down to; rather I found just good old support for my own experience here. It's certainly a keeper in my library.
September 29, 2017
If you are experiencing burnout, I cannot more highly recommend this book. It resonated deeply with me and was exactly what I needed at this time. I am still returning to sections and exercises and expect I will continue to do so for awhile (since recovery is not necessarily a linear process).
The "joy" of burnout is that it forces you to discover a new way of functioning that is more aligned with your internal sense of who you are and what you want/need. This book will take you all the way down the path that you followed to burnout, and then lead you back out. You have to be ready and willing to go deep and truly hit rock bottom (but if you are burned out, you probably already have, and this book is there with a guiding light to show that you are not alone). You will be facing things deep inside that you've hidden away because you've been too scared to face them.
Another reviewer criticized the book for spending so much time exploring what led you to burnout in the first place, but I think this is a strength of the book, not a weakness. These chapters and the exercises in them were enlightening and resonated strongly for me. I am returning to them even after having finished reading the entire book. The important point to me is that recovering from burnout is largely about letting go of the past (as well as hopes of the future), and to do that fully you have to understand what about your past behavior and identity led you to this place.
While I think that the parts about how the burnout happened are important, I did feel that the parts about how to recover were a little bit shorter than I would have liked. I was left with a small feeling of "that's it?" when I finished -- but then again, I haven't truly worked through all the exercises yet and that's where a lot of the healing will come from (that said, I find her words themselves sometimes just as helpful/healing as the actual exercises).
Overall, a great book that I highly recommend if you are in a place where it seems relevant.
The "joy" of burnout is that it forces you to discover a new way of functioning that is more aligned with your internal sense of who you are and what you want/need. This book will take you all the way down the path that you followed to burnout, and then lead you back out. You have to be ready and willing to go deep and truly hit rock bottom (but if you are burned out, you probably already have, and this book is there with a guiding light to show that you are not alone). You will be facing things deep inside that you've hidden away because you've been too scared to face them.
Another reviewer criticized the book for spending so much time exploring what led you to burnout in the first place, but I think this is a strength of the book, not a weakness. These chapters and the exercises in them were enlightening and resonated strongly for me. I am returning to them even after having finished reading the entire book. The important point to me is that recovering from burnout is largely about letting go of the past (as well as hopes of the future), and to do that fully you have to understand what about your past behavior and identity led you to this place.
While I think that the parts about how the burnout happened are important, I did feel that the parts about how to recover were a little bit shorter than I would have liked. I was left with a small feeling of "that's it?" when I finished -- but then again, I haven't truly worked through all the exercises yet and that's where a lot of the healing will come from (that said, I find her words themselves sometimes just as helpful/healing as the actual exercises).
Overall, a great book that I highly recommend if you are in a place where it seems relevant.
February 4, 2023
This was the perfect book for me right now. Just the right level of new age spiritualism. I will read it again.
October 5, 2022
This book contains all the right ideas in my opinion, but it's not written very well. I still applaud the correct approach of vulnerability, community, finding your true self, and so on. That's what really works, and not all burnout books touch on these key aspects.
January 6, 2026
This book suffers from the all too common self-help-book-condition of being very wordy without saying very much, nor being particularly helpful. Clumsily written, dealing only with a quite specific kind of burnout, outdated and crammed with filler material consisting of quotes from people who went through burnout. Three stars for good intentions.
April 2, 2019
A soulful and empathetically written journey through Burnout.
August 17, 2022
Highly recommended for anyone going through or having gone through burnout. So much of what I experienced and did not have the language to describe finally made sense.
March 31, 2018
Disclaimer: I couldn't push myself to read it entirely. I forced myself through the first 62 pages, then started reading diagonally. Damn glad I did too.
This book is really not for me. I've recently struggled with exhaustion after months of being overworked while caring for my toddler, and this book did absolutely nothing for me. In my case, burnout was a clear consequence of being overworked, over-stress, suffering from insomnia and ultimately pushing through sickness for too long. The author rather defines burnout as: "the result of having become better able to hear our soul but not yet daring to listen." What's there to listen to when your 18mo is sick and keeps you up at night but you have to work long hours during the days?
It's full of new-age stuff and NLP-like exercises where you're asked to "visualize your situation as a picture, and see yourself outside the picture, now back inside, now move away" and such.
But what better way to warn you about the tone of this book that to cite the author herself:
"When [...] we are unable or unwilling to surrender to our soul's guiding, our soul withdraws its energetic support for what we are doing."
"What's wrong is not that we love or care too much or are too responsible. It is that we abandon our true selves."
"There is nothing wrong with our emotions. [...] No matter how crazy or extreme they seem, our feelings are real and need to be honoured."
"Give up hope for the future."
It goes from magical energies of the "soul" to "you burnt out because you are not true to yourself" (pretty sure it was overwork + no sleep, thank you) to trusting all your emotions to borrowed Buddhist philosophy about wanting nothing and hoping nothing.
I was looking for help on how to cope and get back up from a burnout and possibly how to re-frame the whole experience, but this book was an absolute miss for me. If the quotes sound inspiring to you, then I guess it was written for you, but I couldn't get over the tone and pseudo-mysticism to dig out potential nuggets of good advice if any can be found.
This book is really not for me. I've recently struggled with exhaustion after months of being overworked while caring for my toddler, and this book did absolutely nothing for me. In my case, burnout was a clear consequence of being overworked, over-stress, suffering from insomnia and ultimately pushing through sickness for too long. The author rather defines burnout as: "the result of having become better able to hear our soul but not yet daring to listen." What's there to listen to when your 18mo is sick and keeps you up at night but you have to work long hours during the days?
It's full of new-age stuff and NLP-like exercises where you're asked to "visualize your situation as a picture, and see yourself outside the picture, now back inside, now move away" and such.
But what better way to warn you about the tone of this book that to cite the author herself:
"When [...] we are unable or unwilling to surrender to our soul's guiding, our soul withdraws its energetic support for what we are doing."
"What's wrong is not that we love or care too much or are too responsible. It is that we abandon our true selves."
"There is nothing wrong with our emotions. [...] No matter how crazy or extreme they seem, our feelings are real and need to be honoured."
"Give up hope for the future."
It goes from magical energies of the "soul" to "you burnt out because you are not true to yourself" (pretty sure it was overwork + no sleep, thank you) to trusting all your emotions to borrowed Buddhist philosophy about wanting nothing and hoping nothing.
I was looking for help on how to cope and get back up from a burnout and possibly how to re-frame the whole experience, but this book was an absolute miss for me. If the quotes sound inspiring to you, then I guess it was written for you, but I couldn't get over the tone and pseudo-mysticism to dig out potential nuggets of good advice if any can be found.
December 28, 2014
First, I need to apologize for a very hash 1-star review back in July 2011 - it took 3 years of exploring every method under the sun before coming back in Oct 2014 to see the beauty of this book and its messaging - it is now my life mantra!
At the time, I was quite judgmental of the visualization exercises and missed her advice to skip the exercises if I need to - this is what helped me finish the book!
here's my review (written completely from scratch) on Amazon:
This required two reads. I first picked this book up in 2009 not hearing the message. In 2011, I hit a wall and renewed my own commitment to my health. When I hit a wall again in 2013, I realized I wasn't giving something up. It is only now in mid-2014 when accepted to take in a new consulting role that I started to see the light of how unsustainable my initiatives are. It is a JOY to review this book in full, not feel pressured to do the imagery exercises & hear the deep down wisdom Dina has to share. She has by far the most balanced view of burnout that is not clinical (but still grounded in research & experience) and doesn't "blame" society for its relationship to "work" - I am someone who has been burnt out by my own life's work - my own agenda. I hit the end of my own journey, one I put myself on! I now realize what there is to do is attend to myself, make Radical Healing my life's work - what there is to attend to & be passionate about. I am very grateful for this piece of work & recommend it to anyone who finds themselves at wit's end simply pursuing their life dream.
At the time, I was quite judgmental of the visualization exercises and missed her advice to skip the exercises if I need to - this is what helped me finish the book!
here's my review (written completely from scratch) on Amazon:
This required two reads. I first picked this book up in 2009 not hearing the message. In 2011, I hit a wall and renewed my own commitment to my health. When I hit a wall again in 2013, I realized I wasn't giving something up. It is only now in mid-2014 when accepted to take in a new consulting role that I started to see the light of how unsustainable my initiatives are. It is a JOY to review this book in full, not feel pressured to do the imagery exercises & hear the deep down wisdom Dina has to share. She has by far the most balanced view of burnout that is not clinical (but still grounded in research & experience) and doesn't "blame" society for its relationship to "work" - I am someone who has been burnt out by my own life's work - my own agenda. I hit the end of my own journey, one I put myself on! I now realize what there is to do is attend to myself, make Radical Healing my life's work - what there is to attend to & be passionate about. I am very grateful for this piece of work & recommend it to anyone who finds themselves at wit's end simply pursuing their life dream.
October 14, 2016
I cannot remember how I found this book, but what a blessing that I did. I won't say I'm burnt out per se, but definitely on the way there this year. Took 11 days away from the office, worked through a bunch of the exercises in this book, and returned to work feeling much more optimistic about being able to stay in my job (though I'm still struggling).
The main reason that I liked it so much was the emphasis on the joy of burnout - the way she writes about it, it feels like this burnout is the start of an adventure, rather than a depressing, aggravating weight that will only lead to quitting my job or health problems. I actually feel really motivated to explore my healing after finishing the book.
Some quotes that resonated:
"I'd rather be healthy than good."
"Burnout has to do with our unwillingness to surrender."
"Don't feel guilty about not contributing, the world is built on a balance of giving and receiving. You have given."
"It is up to us to learn our own lessons only. Others will learn theirs if and when they are ready."
"You need to decide that there is nothing that will make you happy that you don't already have."
"Pull back all the energy you have invested. It is your energy and you need every last bit of it to re-establish that energy flow that has got so out of balance."
"Each time we set better boundaries around ourselves, we decrease our need to manipulate other people. They don't have to be how we want them to be, or feel towards us as we'd like them to."
"The truth may hurt but it doesn't harm."
The main reason that I liked it so much was the emphasis on the joy of burnout - the way she writes about it, it feels like this burnout is the start of an adventure, rather than a depressing, aggravating weight that will only lead to quitting my job or health problems. I actually feel really motivated to explore my healing after finishing the book.
Some quotes that resonated:
"I'd rather be healthy than good."
"Burnout has to do with our unwillingness to surrender."
"Don't feel guilty about not contributing, the world is built on a balance of giving and receiving. You have given."
"It is up to us to learn our own lessons only. Others will learn theirs if and when they are ready."
"You need to decide that there is nothing that will make you happy that you don't already have."
"Pull back all the energy you have invested. It is your energy and you need every last bit of it to re-establish that energy flow that has got so out of balance."
"Each time we set better boundaries around ourselves, we decrease our need to manipulate other people. They don't have to be how we want them to be, or feel towards us as we'd like them to."
"The truth may hurt but it doesn't harm."
October 12, 2017
It was more about people’s stories than techniques for recovering from burnout. The biggest takeaways were think about what you want out of life and form a community with other people who are experiencing burnout.
September 9, 2017
Not my cup of tea
October 31, 2020
This book has a simple but powerful premise: burning out is an opportunity. Experiencing burnout is your body--your soul's--way of telling you you made a wrong turn, or more likely missed a turn and kept following a path that is no longer what you want, and you have continued to but follow because that's what you've been doing and it's hard to change.
The author recounts her experience interleaved with many of her clients'. She also suggests evocative visualization exercises that can be very rewarding. The first half of the book describes burnout and the exercises focus on discovering what you want and what went wrong. The second half describes 'radical healing', the therapeutic program suggested to permanently cure burnout by developing persistent open communication with your actual wishes.
Many of the ideas will be familiar to readers of self help and CBT books. Having recently experienced a burnout experience, I found her interpretation of what burnout means to be very useful, and frankly quite similar to how I had come to view my own experience prior to reading the book. So while some may find the book to be "more of the same" I found the unique application and interpretation of burnout to be well worth my time (also the book is short and easy to read).
The most valuable part of the book to me were the exercises. Using imagination and visualization to uncover subconscious thoughts, they provide an engaging combination of passive meditation and active self-help. I find them to be not only useful but also quite enjoyable. My only complaint is that there are comparatively few exercises in the book. There are perhaps 20 in total, but I would have preferred twice that.
I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks they may be experiencing burnout in their career or other parts of their life. Having recently read Barbara Sher's "I can be anything I want if only I knew what it was" I think that book covers basically the same ground as this plus much more, but the exercise style here is unique and powerful.
The author recounts her experience interleaved with many of her clients'. She also suggests evocative visualization exercises that can be very rewarding. The first half of the book describes burnout and the exercises focus on discovering what you want and what went wrong. The second half describes 'radical healing', the therapeutic program suggested to permanently cure burnout by developing persistent open communication with your actual wishes.
Many of the ideas will be familiar to readers of self help and CBT books. Having recently experienced a burnout experience, I found her interpretation of what burnout means to be very useful, and frankly quite similar to how I had come to view my own experience prior to reading the book. So while some may find the book to be "more of the same" I found the unique application and interpretation of burnout to be well worth my time (also the book is short and easy to read).
The most valuable part of the book to me were the exercises. Using imagination and visualization to uncover subconscious thoughts, they provide an engaging combination of passive meditation and active self-help. I find them to be not only useful but also quite enjoyable. My only complaint is that there are comparatively few exercises in the book. There are perhaps 20 in total, but I would have preferred twice that.
I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks they may be experiencing burnout in their career or other parts of their life. Having recently read Barbara Sher's "I can be anything I want if only I knew what it was" I think that book covers basically the same ground as this plus much more, but the exercise style here is unique and powerful.
December 4, 2017
Drop this book and pick up another, if this is going to be your first book on the topic. The author spends almost half the book on what burnout is and how you would feel if you had burnout (or on the path to being burnout), and the remainder on why burnout might have happened to you. While understanding the symptoms of burnout (so you can more readily recognise it in the future to prevent it from happening again) and how you've come to be in the situation, these topics are unlikely what you crave to know more if you were in a burnout state yourself and trying to help yourself through it. There are gems (in the form of checklist and questions) throughout the book but I found some of them to be completely random and more like a stab at everything related to one's mental health. Many symptoms on that list could be signs of burnout as well as deeper mental health issues that warrant more serious attention - burnout symptoms in my view are almost always indicative that one's mental health is operating at sub-par level but the reverse is not necessarily true.
This book is more suitable to those who have read a few books on this topic and is keen to read a book that give you some examples of how others have treated the symptoms of burnout and successfully used it as their "rebirth" and change paths. If you're after a self-help book if you're in the midst of burnout (or close to it), I would recommend that you seek out books on self-care.
This book is more suitable to those who have read a few books on this topic and is keen to read a book that give you some examples of how others have treated the symptoms of burnout and successfully used it as their "rebirth" and change paths. If you're after a self-help book if you're in the midst of burnout (or close to it), I would recommend that you seek out books on self-care.
December 29, 2025
I was given this book during an incredibly demanding period of my life, at a time when my work environment had become unbearably toxic and I felt like I was at a crossroads, forced to make choices I didn’t want to make.
From the very first pages, it truly shifted my perspective on everything I was going through. It’s the only book for which I could say something so "dramatic", but I felt as if every single chapter was speaking directly to me. It helped me find the courage to make the bold decisions I had been putting off, but most importantly: it helped me fully recover from a burnout I had been choosing to ignore.
This book is more than a 5-star read for me; I recommend it wholeheartedly.
From the very first pages, it truly shifted my perspective on everything I was going through. It’s the only book for which I could say something so "dramatic", but I felt as if every single chapter was speaking directly to me. It helped me find the courage to make the bold decisions I had been putting off, but most importantly: it helped me fully recover from a burnout I had been choosing to ignore.
This book is more than a 5-star read for me; I recommend it wholeheartedly.
June 27, 2017
An interesting book about finding a new start and a better way after a burnout.
If you have not burnt out yet but feel yourself on the way, this book gives ideas too to help you get over your problems and see the world from a different point and be ready to change what needs to be changed to heal your body-mind-soul.
It is not a one-time read, it should be used as a manual for regular exercises.
If you have not burnt out yet but feel yourself on the way, this book gives ideas too to help you get over your problems and see the world from a different point and be ready to change what needs to be changed to heal your body-mind-soul.
It is not a one-time read, it should be used as a manual for regular exercises.
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December 11, 2019I’ve heard burnout called a lot of things. Never once have I heard someone say that it was a joyful experience. However, Dina Glouberman’s book, The Joy of Burnout: How the End of the World Can Be a New Beginning, seeks to turn the thinking about burnout around and make it a gift instead of a burden.
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January 5, 2023
What I enjoyed was the stories about others describing what burn out felt like and the chapters on not taking burn out too personally and radical healing. There is alot of guided imagery exercises if your into that. It is not written in a way that seems like the content relied on evidence based research.
November 10, 2017
This book found me when I needed it and it definitely helped me redefine what my burnout looks like. So it was a valuable, helpful and required read for me. I got what I needed from the book within the first 20% though and found the subsequent 80% harder to read.
gaveup
September 14, 2023I had to give up on this one. While I was onboard with the premise of reframing your burnout as life’s way of telling you to do something different, the underlying anti-capitalist messaging seemed to me to cheapen that message.
August 28, 2017
Must read for anyone going through burnout
February 11, 2018
I did like this book - several useful tips for how to deal with burnout.
A few too many "visualizations" for my taste, but otherwise very helpful!
A few too many "visualizations" for my taste, but otherwise very helpful!
December 20, 2018
OK stories, OK problem definition, quite poor and unsystematic path for recovery. 3.5/5
December 31, 2018
Good read for those experiencing a burnout. Full of experiences and advice. Will definitely re-open it from time to time on my way back to normal life ;-)
June 7, 2019
Excellent book that gives yet another angel or perspective on burnout and how to avoid the next time...
July 30, 2019
If you are headed to or experiencing burnout, this book can be a kind and gentle roadmap. It saved my sanity and helped me find a new way to be.
February 27, 2021
I wish I that I would find this book sooner. Life changing.
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