The American Psychological Association says burnout is “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others. It results from performing at a high level until stress and tension, especially from extreme and prolonged physical or mental exertion or an overburdening workload, take their toll.”

Here’s what burnout looks like to me:

Books

Let me explain …

I love reading. It’s been one of my favorite activities since I was very little, as you can see:

It’s so clearly good for me in so many ways including helping my brain work better, giving me perspective outside myself, and broadening my worldview, but also reading is hard! It takes a lot of time and focus and willpower, and usually it’s easier to turn on the TV or look at my phone. So, in January 2020 I got a Kindle and connected it with my library card so that I could read more, especially on vacation.

As you may remember, instead of vacation that year we got a global pandemic, so I used the Kindle to read each morning between waking up and starting work as a sort of “commute.” I read 26 books that year, which was a pro amongst a lot of cons.

But the pandemic was really tough, and managing a bunch of people at work through it was too much for me to handle. As I got more and more overwhelmed, I made less and less time for this thing that I loved and that was good for me, and in 2022 I read 9 books, mostly at lunchtime in the middle of my workday.

As they say, though, it only takes one, and one of those books was The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight, and wouldn’t you know it, that was exactly the kind of life-changing magic I needed at the time. I started practicing thinking about myself first, an underutilized habit for me that became revolutionary.

In 2023, realizing that I couldn’t heal from burnout in the same environment, I left full-time employment for self-employment at Kind & Funny. That year I read 35 books, and since have added a whole bunch more.

What sucks about burnout …

… well, a lot of things suck about burnout. Like, I still don’t really like using a computer and occasionally have a fight-or-flight response to receiving an email. But what sucks insidiously about burnout, as with many tough situations, is that the things that help you get out of it are harder to do from within it, perpetuating a cycle that is difficult to escape.

I’m feeling on the other side of burnout these days, and I know that no matter where I go from here, I have to make time for all of the things that I’ve learned sustain me. And one of those things is time-consuming, and challenging, but it also helps our brains work better, and sometimes we learn something that changes our lives for the better too.

I know we’re all busy and stressed and overwhelmed, but I’d encourage you to consider two things for 2026 that have proved helpful to me:

Can I read one more book than last year?
Is there something I love that I can do more of?

If you need any ideas, here are some books I’ve enjoyed recently, plus links to previous recommendations:

The Overstory by Richard Powers

I freaking loved this 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about humans and trees. It’s beautiful and painful, and it lends poetry to the science that suggests humans are not made for our modern world

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

A novel about an atheist who becomes a nun and keeps a journal, the writing conveying internal thoughts is spectacular.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González

This facilitated the best book-club discussion at Novel Strand Brewing. It’s a two-timeline tale set in the art world, with complex heroines and villains who really suck.

Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson

A non-fiction book that I found to be practical, rational, and inspirational.

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby

If S.A. Cosby writes a book, then Jed reads that book. If you have an author like that, I recommend you read their newest. If you want to try S.A., start with Blacktop Wasteland.

More recs here. Read any good books lately? jed@kindandfunny.com.

On Books & Burnout