Life Beyond Burnout: Recovering Joy in Your Work

Do you dread going to work? Have you become so weary and depleted you can't wait until the end of your shift? Have expanded regulations and limited resources dashed your dreams of caring for the people you serve? Have you lost the joy you once experienced in your job? If so, you are not alone. Burnout is an enormous problem for those in the helping professions. Author Dr. Alan Shelton knows the pain of burnout. He's struggled through those dark feelings himself. As Clinical Director of the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, Shelton now oversees a large ambulatory clinic which offers multiple services while seeing his own patients. Not long ago, however, burnout nearly sidelined him. Then a remarkable meeting with a Native Healer gave him surprising insight into his situation. Instead of resigning or changing professions, Shelton found a way to recover his passion for his work and use his new creative energy to address issues. Life Beyond Burnout traces Dr. Shelton's journey from a depressed, hopeless, and encumbered physician to an energetic, creative, and enthusiastic caregiver. In this self-help book, Shelton shares the secrets he discovered while finding his way back. Whatever you do, if it involves helping people, you know how difficult it is to keep giving, day after day. But by rediscovering and growing your inner life, you can recover the joy and excitement you felt when you first began your career.