The book debunks myths
...and confronts them with truths:
- It is not the constant crises of the outside world that exhaust us, but the consequences of wrong decisions and self-deception
- Exhaustion does not come from exertion, but rather from external determination and loss of meaning are the deeper causes
- It is not only our fast-paced times that exhaust us, but the type of exhausted and anxiety-ridden person has been around for much longer
Andreas Salcher makes it clear: exhaustion is the result of the decisions we make. We decide for ourselves whether we are exhausted or not.
What to do? There is a pattern that distinguishes fulfilled from exhausted people. The combined insights of Viktor Frankl, the seeker of meaning, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the happiness researcher, and the Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast show how we can cope better with a changed world.
What is new about it? These insights are not isolated, but rather brought together as a whole as possible solutions for the external and internal consequences of exhaustion. These are universal messages that can help us all to lead a happier, more meaningful and ultimately happier life.
Reading samples
The supporting leg and the free leg of life
We walk through life on two legs. Our movement sequence consists of alternating between the supporting leg and the free leg. The supporting leg remains connected to the ground, while the free leg leaves the ground, bends slightly at the knee joint and lifts the leg to take the step. Let's imagine that the supporting leg stands for the material, visible things in life and the free leg for the soul, the invisible, the spiritual. If we let the free leg atrophy because we are always trying to hop through life on the supporting leg, then we will soon collapse exhausted. If we keep doing the wrong thing against our better judgment, our soul will eventually fall ill. Doing nothing at all is almost always the wrong thing to do. Every attempt, however small, to seize an opportunity can turn into an amazing experience.
When we do something for ourselves and our community, we feel better. That's what it's all about in these turbulent times.
Of light and darkness
At the end of the day, it is about trying to approach our own light. Light and darkness do not stand for good and evil, but for clear-sighted recognition in contrast to dark not-knowing. For me, working on a book is always a very intimate time. The more I recognize, understand and feel, the closer I can get to my light. It was surprising to me how much my own mood changed positively the more I wrote about the optimistic world view of Viktor Frankl, Brother David and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. By listening to their voices from the recordings and reading their texts, I saw more light and less darkness in my life and in the world again.
"Stop. Look. Go."
Irritability in the sense of the ability to surprise is a synonym for liveliness. Liveliness is the antithesis of exhaustion. Irritated people pause for a brief moment.
"Stop. Look. Go." is what Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast calls this principle of pausing. Originally, this mnemonic was used to teach children how to cross a road safely. But we can apply it to many challenges in our lives. Especially when we feel totally exhausted, we should stop, take a deep breath, take our time and look at what we can be grateful for - healthy children, colorful flowers, clear water, the bright blue sky, a walk in the forest - and enjoy it. The "go" is then the joy of moving on. This doesn't work for everyone. If we are already deep in the hole, of course we can't go on. However, we can stop digging for a moment. Jean Piaget put it like this: "Intelligence is what you use when you don't know what to do."
