Book Review: Like a Phoenix from the Ashes March 02 2021

Burnout is a global phenomenon, particularly during this pandemic. There are reports of illnesses related to burnout from almost every country around the world. During this time of fear about illness and death, and lock-down that curtails events that give our hearts contact with others — celebrations, artistic opportunities, and chances to rejoice — burnout becomes a particularly timely issue to discuss.
Like a Phoenix from the Ashes - Waldorf Publications

Annajet Rümke is a Dutch writer and her insightful book, Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: Exercises for Recovering from and Preventing Burnout, is universal in describing all the symptoms of burnout each one of us can identify with. It turns out that burnout, according to this wise psychologist, is connected to the heart’s inability to feel good, ethical, and understood. When the heart is left without these important qualities, burnout is likely to be the result.

Teachers of late, not only Waldorf teachers, but all teachers, are at risk of burnout in these days. Parents with full time jobs and children that now need to be educated at home are at risk for burnout. Stress comes in many complicated and subtle forms. It can be sneaky. We can think we are doing fine and then discover suddenly that we are not.

These circumstances make Like a Phoenix an important book with important insights and important antidotes to burnout for everyone, most especially for parents and teachers. Exercises to re-build heart strength and joy in this book are impressive — they are simple and effective against chronic stress and chronic exhaustion.

In America, where heart disease (heart dis-ease) is still one of the top causes of death, the identification of heartbreak as a main cause of burnout, burnout that can lead to despair, that can even prove fatal, underscores the urgent need to fend against burnout. By identifying the work that fulfills the mission of being human in a way that builds resilience, Like a Phoenix is an essential book for all.

Annajet Rümke’s insights for our current situation provide tools that can be incorporated into one’s life, to aid in protecting against anxiety, stress, and center oneself against all invasions of equilibrium. Like a Phoenix is a book for all of us!

Burnout is a crisis in the relationship between soul and body. Listening to the body is necessary for recovery.

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