Ginger's Reviews > Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle

As the authors would say, “ugh.”

No really, I counted about five “ughs” in the initial skim through of the book.

This felt not only whiny and unprofessional, but also as if they were setting me up not to take it seriously. Beyond that, it was hard to.

Everyone is talking about this, so while I don’t particularly relish giving something a poor review, I just don’t want you to rush out and buy it like I did without knowing what you’re getting into.

Firstly, the research presented throughout was... thin. They deliberately conflate their subjects, on the basis of making for a better story, but this highlights their faux dialogue and made me wonder, if women really are asking these questions, why they couldn’t quote the actual subjects? Why make up a make-believe narrative?
Secondly, the conclusion is that the cause of women’s stress is... the patriarchy. I’m serious. That’s their conclusion. Ok, even if I can buy into that. That does not explain why men would have stress. If the cause of our stress is that women are expected to give “every drop of your humanity” (and for the record, this feels like a lazy characterization of the male-female dynamic they’re getting at. There is nuance here. I know no man who expects the women in his life to give “every drop” of her humanity in support of them, no matter the cost). It felt cheap and capitalizing on the very real #metoo/#resist/#shepersisted moment, agenda-driven as opposed to actually dealing with stress problem. If you wanted to write a book decrying the patriarchy, fine. Do that. Just don’t disguise it as a book on how to deal with stress.
Finally, the tl;dr: sections. Call me old-fashioned, I just don’t really want cutesy stuff in my book when you’re touting a PhD on the cover. Not to mention I’m never here for your suggestion a reader might not read your own book.

Actually, I take it back. I’m glad those were at the end of each chapter because what they did well was to actually summarize their points there. So well, in fact, you really could drive yourself to the bookstore, stand in the aisle, and read those sections and you really would get the gist of the book.

I’ll save you the time for even that and tell you their best secret for dealing with stress. Get ready; it’s groundbreaking: exercise. Not that we’ve all known for years, decades, that moving your body is great for stress. That’s their big secret.

A few of their other secrets: plan problem-solving measures for what you can control. I know. Really groundbreaking stuff here. Stay positive about the things you can’t control. Or, give up! (I’m really serious here... I’m not making any of this up.) Find a larger meaning in life (but don’t be a “giver”—that’s where your stress is coming from!). See yourself as hot. (Again, I feel compelled to tell you I’m literally not making any of this up for comedic effect.) Connect (but remember, don’t give to much). Create a “bubble of love.” Don’t feel guilty about sleeping (exercise and sleep... groundbreaking). Keep a calendar. Deal with the cause of stress.

I am so sorry I’m seeing this book everywhere. I don’t think it will be helpful to women. It’s very discussable. It’s very enraging. It will sell well and be all over Instagram. And I just don’t think it’s going to do any good for any real women experiencing real stress. Their causes are flawed; their solutions are anything but groundbreaking. A dance party to Whitney Houston in your living room won’t change your stress. This read like the worst cliche of the genre. If The Onion had written a book about women’s stress, this would have been the result.