Description: It's Not Your Fault You're Stressed
Do you ever feel it's all got a bit too much? No matter how hard you work, you feel you haven't done enough and it's your fault?Anyone in a position of leadership is likely to have felt like this at some time. If the feelings persist and become worse, pressure can lead to stress, breakdown and burnout, an illness every bit as real as physical illness, only more hidden and more difficult to admit to.
Speaking from his experience of leadership in the church, John Cox tackles the subject of stress - related depression in this guide to basic principles about how to stay healthy as a leader and how to offer healthy leadership. Drawing on some of the acknowledged and researched ideas of the experts, he puts those ideas into the context of the Christian faith and of people we meet in the Bible.
Contents
About the author
Introduction
Chapter 1: How are you feeling?
What kind of illness?
Physical self
Emotional, thinking self
Spiritual self
Social self
Chapter 2: A matter of time
Great if you are feeling fine
But what if you are not?
Pressures of time
Time is elastic
Blame
Working harder and harder
Love yourself and have a break
How do you spend your time?
Chapter 3: A little help from your friends
Receiving the call
Excuses
The stressed leader and his work consultant
The game of 'But'
Handing over and letting go
Chapter 4: Getting personal
Relationship
Not everyone loves you
I, It, You and Thou
Tricky things, relationships
Longing to be loved
Having favourites can still be fair
The relationship with yourself
Peter
Three strenghs, three vulnerabilities
Undermining fear
Failure
Inflated fear
On your feet
Chapter 5: But I tell you...
Be good at receiving
Guilty is good
Be not perfect
Thank God for a crisis
Chapter 6: I am a worm and no man
Sophie's tale
Charlie's story
The search for approval
The fear of blame
Compensatory ploys
Change of heart
Recovering the 'old' you
A proper self-love
We all need GOBs
Chapter 7: The good leader - the good shepherd
Old fashioned
The sheherd in the Bible
Leaders as sheperds
God as shepherd
The Good Shepherd
Six points to think about:
Openness
Recognition
Guide
Catalyst
Self-giving
Vision
Chapter 8: The ABC for healthy leader
Healthy letters
Letters to avoid
Conclusion
