Top 5 Books To Help You Heal From Burnout

I'm a reader. A reader reader. I read and miss my train stop 50% of the time I ride the train (which is 4x a week...). I read before bed. I read while watching TV. I read to learn, to research, and to entertain myself.

I read fiction (chick lit), thrillers, and self-help most often. So it's no surprise that when I set out to write my own book, I made sure that what I was writing wasn't yet on the market and that I was filling a gap. That doesn't mean that I thought I was writing anything original. I don't believe much in original thought. We're all regurgitating things through our own filters and using different words - what I've found out about that that I love is sometimes the same concept in different words hits you right in the gut and leads to inspiration, lightbulb moments, and dare I say - healing.

So, some of these books (including mine, you knew I was going to include my own, right?) will repeat some stuff. Good. Repetition works. :)

Without further ado, here are my top 5 favorite books about burnout that might spark you into healing:

1. The Bouncebackability Factor: End Burnout, Gain Resilience, and Change the World by Cait Donovan (that's me :)).
   The feedback that I keep getting from this book is that everyone should read it even though I wrote it for the female entrepreneur. I get DM's and emails daily saying "GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I FEEL LIKE I'M READING MY OWN THOUGHTS!" and "thank you for these exercises, I finally feel like I can make some progress." It's my favorite thing. I wrote a book for a few reasons, but giving people a low cost way to spark their healing was a major one. 
   
   
2. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking The Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski This is one of the first books on burnout I read and it blew me away. It gives an amazing overview an understanding about what's happening in your body and touches on the patriarchy to boot. It's an absolute must have in your burnout recovery library.
   
   
3. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown
   I realize this book isn't directly about burnout but it was one of the books that sparked healing for me. I just checked amazon, I purchased this in January 2016 and spent the next two years healing. Embracing who you are is such a massive part of healing from burnout. It allows you to EXIST, to HEAL, and to set boundaries in a way you never thought possible. This book is magic. Get it.
   
   
4. Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen
   Sparked by an article of Anne's that went viral, this book was a dream come true when it was finally gifted to the world. I have a mission to #endburnoutculture as part of my work with burnout in the world - and Anne addresses this head on. This book just puts burnout into context in a cultural way that no other book on the market does.
   
   
5. Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier to Women's Happiness and Fulfillment by Dr. Valerie Rein
   Want to talk about all those systems that are keeping you stuck in place that REALLY aren't your fault? This book by Dr. Valerie Rein moved me so much that I had her as a guest on FRIED. The Burnout Podcast. This book is about breaking free from the patriarchal jail and gives amazing guided exercises with step by step instructions to teach you how to return to yourself, how to heal, and how to create new, improved boundaries and live a fuller life. 

What about you? What's your favorite burnout book?

XOXO
C