The Overload Syndrome: Learning to Live Within Your Limits (Paperback)

~ Richard Swenson (Author), Richard A. Swenson M.D. (Author)
Key Phrases: activity overload, The Overload Syndrome, Live Within Your Limits, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This insightful book provides, from a Christian perspective, tools to combat the tendency toward too much, whether it's overactivity, overcommitment, or too many material possessions. Swenson offers more than 175 prescriptions for lifestyle changes. This book's solutions are timely, useful, and well-presented. Pastors, lay leaders, managers, and other people with a tendency toward overloaded lives will welcome Swenson's helpful message. And they'll be eager to share their new knowledge with others. (Karl Bakkum, CBA Marketplace, September 1998)

Jesus went to sleep every night without trying to heal everyone. God created every individual with limits. For those who, like one woman in the book, feel that a trip to the dentist is a mini-vacation, respite is offered here. -- Des Moines Register, April 17, 1999

Product Description

DO YOU DREAD GOING TO WORK? ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS STRAINED FROM STRESS? DO YOU WISH YOU COULD CHECK INTO A HOSPITAL JUST TO GET SOME SLEEP?

Busyness. Stress. Overload. Anyone living in today's society knows the struggle of trying to handle the load of life at the turn of the millennium. You don't have enough time to do the things you have to-let alone those things you'd like to do. You feel tired, worn out, and burned out.

You're not alone. These symptoms are not a figment of your imagination. They're signs that you're suffering from a virulent new disease that affects millions of people-The Overload Syndrome.

Where does overload come from? What does it look like? What will it lead to? Most importantly, what can you do about it? The Overload Syndrome examines these questions and offers prescriptions to counteract its effects and restore time to rest and space to heal.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: NavPress (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576831310
• ISBN-13: 978-1576831311
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,345 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read! Better Than "Margin"., March 2, 2003

By	Michael Taylor "Michael Taylor" (Indian Trail NC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In my humble opinion, "Overload Syndrome" is better than Swenson's first book, "Margin", mainly because the author gets to the prescription sooner and spends less time defining the problem.

For example, in "Margin", you are over 1/3 into the book before Swenson gives a clear and comprehensive definition of the term "margin". In "Overload Syndrome", Swenson spends the first 50 pages describing overload syndrome and the last 150 giving prescriptions for the problems. Therefore, more text in "Overload Syndrome" is spent giving solutions. Granted, in our time and age we want a quick fix to our problems without delving deeply into the problem. However, Swenson's prescriptions are not the quick fixes we may have grown accustomed to and are profound in their simplicity.

For example, some of Swenson's excellent prescriptions include how to:

1. Make solitude a priority for resting and thinking.
2. Deal correctly with possesions so they do not
possess you.
3. Combat media overload.
4. Deal with information overload.
5. Make wise choices.
6. Lower expectations.
7. Slow down and enjoy life.

Practically everyone who reads the book struggles with one or more of the above areas and will greatly benefit from reading "Overload Syndrome"!

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A life-changing book that should be required reading, June 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Overload Syndrome: Learning to Live Within Your Limits (Hardcover)

Dr. Swenson hits it square on - our society worships overload.... overloaded schedules, overloaded homes with no place to put all of the "stuff" we acquire and no TIME to use it, and overloaded spirits, where there is no room to hear our creator, as we cry out from weariness. This book was a life-changer for me, and it will be my gift of choice for all of my family and friends for some time to come. What a welcome message...that we don't need to do it all, and in fact, we HURT ourselves, our families, and our communities, by stuffing our lives so full that we have no breathing room to see the beautiful sunset, to hear the sound of the hummingbirds outside the window, to experience the joy of watching our growing children, to be a friend, to respond to our God who seeks us. If everyone read this book, and took it seriously, I can only being to imagine what a wonderful place we'd create.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What the world needs to hear today, February 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Overload Syndrome: Learning to Live Within Your Limits (Hardcover)

I started reading Dr. Swenson's books because I heard they were chosen for our large group study at our church. I am a small group leader, and people in our group asked what "Margin" and "Overload" were all about. I thought I'd better get the books and find out. They both really spoke to me where I live...at the edge! I think I got more out of overload because Dr. Swenson takes less time explaining the phenomenon, and more giving his "prescriptions." I'm looking forward to building more margin into my life with the help Dr. Swenson gives as well as helping others to see how they can as well. I was privileged to meet Dr. Swenson when he came to talk to our church. The turnout was amazing! You can tell that this is an important issue for our times. I highly recommend the books.