As has been noted in the past, I have mixed results with self help and self improvement type books, but I actually found this really quite helpful. To use an Americanism, it's quite validating in some ways to see things that you have experienced or suspected talked about in a "proper" book. I particularly liked the section on the stress cycle and how dealing with your stress doesn't necessary mean actually solving the problem that is causing you stress per se but actually finishing the cycle and releasing the stress somehow. I've already started implementing some of the ideas from this, although I actually need to sit down with some of the worksheets on other areas.

Very informative, and interesting read, loads of ideas and advice, highly recommend reading! Great read

An interesting book and having had many burnouts myself I found this book helpful especially the feminist slant to it. A book recommended to all those women who are feeling overwhelmed.

I was attracted by the title of this book hoping it would offer some techniques on how to cope with stress at work. However, it soon became obvious that this book was a guide on how to cope with the stress caused by the patriarchy’s expectations of women.
Now I am all for bringing down the patriarchy but my first impression of this book was that the authors seemed to be stuck in some 1950s loop. In the Western world at least while there may not be complete equality between the sexes young women are no longer expected to sublimate their own needs in order to service their man.
There may be a lot of men who still think they are making an equal contribution to the chores if they let their wife manage the household while they ‘help out’ but we are already beyond the stage where pamphlets on ‘ladylike behaviour’ instruct to get us to put our hair in rollers only after our husband is asleep to ensure he never has to encounter such an unpleasing image of his wife.

In the next section they separate the cause of the stress from the stress it is causing and explain ways to cope with the stress even if we are unable to avoid or diminish the factors that are causing the stress in the first place. The section contained some quite useful advice but about half way through I felt that if I read the phrase ‘complete the cycle’ just one more time I would start screaming.

As I read further I found the book both interesting and irritating but unfortunately it had little relevance to my life.

The irony of this is that I had no time to read this book, or at least I felt like I had no time.
The introduction is good with a few jokes thrown in and interesting. It is written by two doctors who have clearly done lots of research. I have not read the book in full yet but I think it is a book that I will dip in and out of at intervals.
Some interesting points but also some advice that is often given in self-help books.

This was a good book and I will take some things on board. I am a mum, wife and nurse, and some days as everyone is, I am worn out inside. This book makes me feel that I'm normal and hopefully some of the things that I've highlighted in the book to go back to will help.

An excellent book to read if you are going through a stressful period....or suspect you might be heading towards burnout. So often we press forward and ignore the signs, but this book is an encouraging and reassuring hand on the shoulder to stop, breathe, take stock and take better care of ourselves when life, inevitably, takes unexpected and stressful turns.

Some very helpful advice here, all very clearly explained in a book that was a pleasure to read. Nice to see this kind of issue being dealt with using a good measure of humour - which is always a good antidote to stress, I find. Highly recommended.

I wanted to read this book ever since I read an extract of its last chapter. The authors. Emily and Amelia Nagoski, present a book with some thoughtful ideas. I was struck by the ideas of 'human givers' and 'human beings' as well as the thought, and necessity, of 'completing' the stress cycle.
Of course the conversations within the book are more than teachings of science: the expectations- often unseen- placed upon women are also thoroughly discussed as are the challenges of often being the only woman (or woman of colour) in the board-room.

The authors explore the subject of women's health more widely than is common. They look beyond what the individual reader can change- for, there will always be stuff holding one back. (The patriarchy is an example brought up frequently. I did like reading that simply being a hijab-wearing woman in the west, I am smashing the patriarchy!)

I fully appreciated the exploration of the science through the research selected: it was valuable and discussed elaborately. But I feel for such a serious book, it was written quite casually with frequent pop-culture Disney references. Something which wasn't necessary, even if it drilled some of the lessons home. I didn't know how to describe this, beyond it making me feel uncomfortable. But thinking on it more, I've come to the conclusion that the writing style undermines the work, the severity of burn-out and the book's female audience. Sure, it makes it less stressful. But, a comforting tone can be adapted without the casual, contrived instances of humour.

The book itself isn’t revolutionary. It’s what I expected but also peppered with the subjects that feature in most ‘Women’s Health’ or ‘Wellness’ magazines. As well as common-sense. The research included was perhaps what I liked most, because a lot of the tips I’d already heard before. With Burnout being a frequently discussed subject, other readers may also have already learned some tips for how to avoid or deal with it.

Final n0te: I would recommend this book but I’d say the subject is far too complex to be covered comprehensively in just one book so perhaps also seek further reading. Also, men could definitely benefit from reading this book too.

I received this book from Netgalley for review consideration. All opinions are honest and completely my own.

I was given a copy of burn out by Emily Nagoski in exchange for an honest review. Self help books are not my usual style of book but found it interesting. I found it best for me to read a chapter or 2 at a time whilst reading my usual fiction book. I found the tips in the book useful making me think about important/less important things. A helpful book, easy to read.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me, there were some good points but nothing that really helped me to de-stress on a major level

Really insightful interesting approach. I enjoyed working through this book and will come back to it again to refresh the thinking of it. Definitely recommend for the self development / self help

I suffer with mental health conditions and i read hundreds of self help books, but this fell a little flat for me. There is nothing in here that i ahve not read before in other books, nothing new or interesting. Sorry.

Rigorous research and science are used in Burnout to provide authentic solutions for 'solving the stress cycle'.

Twin sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski have used both their academic backgrounds and lived experience to provide readers with a solid foundation to understand our stress (particularly women). By appreciating the science and physiology of stress, they offer their readers practical, realistic and do-able solutions for breaking the stress cycle.

Some examples suggested are simply to ask for help when you are feeling vulnerable. They also give templates for exercises to do like their Decision Grid, which is easy to follow and incredibly helpful. I could give many more examples, but this is a book to buy and keep next to your bedside forever. It is a reference to solutions for stress and includes a story to make their concepts clearer.

I love their reference to animals and nature as well. They describe the behaviour of a bird or a squirrel when we need to revisit our own intuition in situations where we may decide to give up or move direction. They talk about this being 'a quiet intuition outside of rationality’.

There is a reference to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). They remind us to appreciate the value and meaning of PTSD by the way we survive it.

Stay connected and whatever calls you - is inside you. You will understand by reading Burnout and keeping it close to you forever. Every woman should have a copy (and men).

Burnout is highly recommended. Watch the interview about Burnout

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I liked this book. Gave me food for thought. Recommended read for those struggling. Concise and comforting.

As a working mother of 3 children, this book was very relatable to me. It made me consider the things that make me anxious, how I can effectively deal with these and highlighted how important it is to make time for myself. It was a thought provoking book that I’ll definitely dip back into.

Sorry, as much as I'm grateful to Netgalley for providing me with a ARC of this book I wasn't keen on it for a number of reasons I'll go into.

On a good note the book gets more than one star because it is pretty original and the exercises in the book are very helpful. However, I made a few notes on the things that I didn't like. I found the book surprisingly stereotypical to the point that I was very curious to see the background of the authors. I wasn't aware that the target market is woman and found the book feminist in its writing. Not that that is a bad thing in itself but as I was reading I was thinking about the men who go through burnout as well.

Unfortunately, from personal experience I've had some awful experiences with women which has led to burn out in the past yet this book refers more to how our patriarchal society leads to burnout.

I would love to see any reviews from black women because for me as a mixed race woman I found and aspect of the book very odd and possibly more American focussed. I cannot find the quote at the moment however at one stage they refer to a character who I think is 'Sophie' and say that she is an engineer but because she is black she cannot be just an engineer. The authors then go on to describe that because this woman is black she is likely to be involved in extra activities and to take offence at different things.

Now I'm definitely not going to say that racism doesn't exist when it does but I found myself thinking of the black scientists, bankers, IT Consultants and so on who I've worked with who were singled out because they were black, which wasn't the case.

These are just two of the areas where the book seems to veer off into different tangents and personaly I didn't like it.

The humour used in the book didn't work for me either. It seemed contrived. Especially when the book starts referring to rats and then turns them into people, Colin Firth and someone else.

There is a lot of good research in this book and lots of interesting science, some of the points are well made. However the biggest issue for me is the fact that, in common with many other books of its ilk, the authors have strayed to far in the fantasy example - choosing to illustrate their points by exemplifying them in made-up scenarios. After a while the two main protagonists became very irritating.

I haven't read too many self-help books, but I have read a lot of self-help material on the internet. If that is anything to go by, then this book could be considered radical because none of the articles I've read online talk about patriarchy, and there is no doubt that that system is rigged against women. So, my congratulations to the authors for not shying away from addressing this elephant in the room.

The book has been written in a friendly, easy to understand language, and is not full of scientific jargon. It also gives names to certain behaviours – like Human Giver Syndrome, Monitor, etc. – to make them easier to identify and recall.

There are exercises at the end of each chapter, which one may or may not find useful.

A very interesting book. Its a little textbookish for me although it has some great anecdotes. I did find it useful and am trying to destress my life now. It is well worth the read.