#409. For the Burned Out, Fried, and Exhausted | Emily & Amelia Nagoski

The final episode of our New Year’s Getting Unstuck Series features Emily and Amelia Nagoski. Our goal with this episode, as it has been with all the episodes throughout the series, is to arm you with new ways of thinking about where you might be stuck in your life and to give you new tools for getting unstuck. 

Emily Nagoski has a PhD in Health Behavior and is the author of the hit book Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life. Her twin sister, Amelia Nagoski, holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts. Together, Emily and Amelia are the co-authors of the New York Times bestselling book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. 

This episode explores:

• How Amelia was hospitalized for stress-related illness twice, and how learning the science behind burnout and emotional exhaustion helped save her life. 
• The three characteristics of burnout, and why women in today’s society are particularly susceptible to one of the characteristics: emotional exhaustion.
• The “human giver syndrome,” a term created by Emily and Amelia, which they say is very common among women, and why things can be especially hard for women.
• Why it’s important to understand the difference between addressing stressful circumstances in our lives and dealing with the actual physical experience of stress in our bodies. 
• A slew of evidence-based, ready-to-try-today interventions that people of all genders can use to “complete the stress cycle.”

Content Warning: There are some references to sensitive topics, including sexual trauma, self-harm, domestic abuse, and violence. 

January 7th is the last day to join and complete the Getting Unstuck Challenge, a free 14-day meditation challenge from Ten Percent Happier to help you push through whatever is holding you back. Click here to get started.

Where to find Emily & Amelia Nagoski online: 

• Emily Nagoski

• Amelia Nagoski

• The Burnout Book Group on Facebook 
• Emily Nagoski on Instagram
• Feminist Survival Project 2020 Podcast
• Autistic Burnout on YouTube

Books Mentioned:

• Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
• Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life, by Emily Nagoski

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Kate Manne, Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny
• Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
• Audre Lorde
• Fourteen-month-old infants use interpersonal synchrony as a cue to direct helpfulness
• Jonathan Haidt, 90% Chimp, 10% Bee
• The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
• Martin Seligman, learned helplessness
• The Nap Ministry, Tricia Hersey
• The Nap Ministry on Instagram