If you're burnt out at work, Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski explains why women experience burnout differently from men and how to complete the biological stress cycle, with worksheets and exercises. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman questions the goal of getting everything done, and Wintering by Katherine May is a personal account of rest and retreat during hard times.
This guide is for people who feel exhausted by work, find it hard to switch off, or are so busy that nothing gets done properly. It covers books that explain burnout, books about doing less on purpose, books about rest, and books on how stress affects the body.
For women who feel caught in a cycle of overwhelm and exhaustion. Sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski explain why women experience burnout differently from men and how to complete the biological stress cycle, with worksheets and exercises.
For people who feel they will never reach the end of their to-do list. Burkeman rejects the aim of 'getting everything done' and draws on philosophers, psychologists and spiritual teachers to argue for accepting the limits of your time.
For anyone who feels both overworked and underutilised, or busy but not productive. McKeown sets out 'the disciplined pursuit of less': deciding what is essential and putting your time and energy there.
For readers who want to think about burnout beyond self-help. In this short book (72 pages), Byung-Chul Han draws on philosophy, literature and the sciences to argue that stress and exhaustion are social and historical problems as well as personal ones.
For people who need to stop and recover after a hard period. Katherine May's personal account is about the fallow times of life, when we need to retreat and look after ourselves, and draws on literature, mythology and the natural world.
For readers who want short passages rather than one long argument. Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea, offers advice on slowing down, handling setbacks, rest and relationships, with full-colour illustrations.
For readers who want to understand how long-term stress relates to physical health. Dr Gabor Maté draws on research, his clinical work and case studies to explore the role stress and emotional make-up play in conditions such as arthritis, heart disease and multiple sclerosis.
For women who feel overwhelmed and in a daily battle to keep up. Nutritional biochemist Dr Libby Weaver explains how a fast-paced, stressful lifestyle can affect women's health, from sleep and digestion to the menstrual cycle.
For people who want a practical daily routine. Based on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), co-developed by Mark Williams, it sets out simple practices, taking a few minutes a day, aimed at breaking the cycle of anxiety, stress, unhappiness and exhaustion.
The books here describe it in different ways. Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski focuses on the cycle of overwhelm and exhaustion and the body's stress response. The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han treats stress and exhaustion as social and historical problems, not only personal ones.
The Burnout Society is 72 pages long. If you would rather dip in and out, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down is full of anecdotes and quotes, with full-colour illustrations.
Yes. Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski explains why women experience burnout differently from men. Rushing Woman's Syndrome by Libby Weaver is for women who feel overwhelmed and in a daily battle to keep up.
Essentialism is written for people who feel busy but not productive. Four Thousand Weeks questions the aim of getting everything done in the first place.
Selected by Fox & Fable from books in stock. Last updated 30 September 2026.
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