Amelia Nagoski believes that “self-care” is an anti-feminist trap. “It’s another unrealistic expectation placed on women,” the American author, speaker and choral conductor tells me via Zoom. “It suggests that engaging in specific wellness-driven behaviours like waking up at 5am to exercise can solve a stress issue. Women are told that they need to work harder to cure their burnout. Ironically, this is the exact opposite of what they need.”
Nagoski is co-author of Burnout: Solve Your Stress Cycle, a self-help book that looks at the practical tools women can use to avoid burning out. The word “burnout” only entered common usage in recent years, but mental health experts warn that the problem is on the rise. In the UK, 89 per cent of employees have experienced some level of burnout over the last two years as homeworking during the pandemic blurred the lines between work and leisure, making it difficult to clock off.