The Burnout Cure Book Review

Can I be real with you? Forget rose-colored glasses, this mama has Pinterestedly perfect peepers plastered to her face way too often. It’s time I confessed. Just this afternoon, I moaned to my husband about all I NEEDED (let’s be honest … wanted) to do for back to school dinners, teacher gifts, end of summer traditions, birthday parties, etc. My first grader can’t go back to school without a themed dinner complete with apple plates and name tags, right? Sigh. And that’s just the extra fun to-do list items.

When I start thinking about Mt. Dishmore, our backyard wilderness that features my dying zucchini plants, how badly my husband and I need a date night, how I didn’t price match or use coupons with my groceries today, etc., I feel more like a super bomb than super mom. As I read back over my worries, it sounds quite comical, but in the moment my feelings of frustration and exhaustion feel overwhelmingly real.The addition of lack of sleep from getting up with my three little darlings and the more weighty worries equals a physically and mentally frazzled mom and woman!

My husband does pretty well at bringing me back down to earth, but sometimes I need another woman who understands the pressures and joys of mommyhood. Enter Julie de Azevdeo Hanks. Her new book,The Burnout Cure, is at the top of my fall reading list.

Julie de Azevedo Hanks, MSW, LCSW is a self-care evangelist, licensed therapist, relationship expert, media contributor, blogger, speaker, and songwriter with 20 years of experience counseling LDS women, couples and families. As a teenager, I attended her concerts at Studio One (I believe that was the name!) and I’ve enjoyed all of her albums since then. I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of The Burnout Cure to review. Boy oh boy do I need this book!

Too often, I read a book, feel guilty that I’m not doing/being/creating enough and add a dozen more tasks to my to-do list. How much do I love that at the very beginning of this book, Julie asks us NOT TO DO THAT.  With humor, truth, and down-to-earth realness, Julie dispels LDS cultural myths and teaches women how they can combat feelings of being overwhelmed and simply not good enough with six well-thought out cures.This book is a much-needed, self-care manual that is helping me to better prioritize what is most important to be and my family.

Each section of the book includes an invitation to ponder and, more importantly, participate. I am looking forward to diving more fully into the pause and reflect prompts. With car pool beginning again, I plan to sneak a sparkly notebook away from the school supply stash and and journal or ponder a prompt while I am waiting for the kiddos to come out.

Do yourself a favor and add this inspiring book to your fall reading list – you won’t regret it! The Burnout Cure is available both electronically and in print here.

Be sure to check out Julie’s YouTube channel as well. You’ll find inspirational tidbits from her television interviews as well as music videos. This fun video had me giggling today!