The Burnout Bible

Are you fed up of feeling tired, wired and unable to manage your mood?
Worried that your mental health is having an effect on your relationships or your ability to perform at work?

You are not alone.

Many successful career women believe they thrive under pressure yet become susceptible to the negative effects of stress. Despite unexplained changes in their health, some ignore the warning signs and burn out. At best this leaves them unable to function and at worst it can lead to infertility, heart attack, stroke or dementia.

Antidepressants are frequently offered for the symptoms of burnout but there is another way.

In The Burnout Bible, registered nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner and mental health expert Rachel Philpotts shares:

• A simple 4-step solution to improving your mood naturally,
• Evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle tips to tackle fatigue and emotional overwhelm, and
• Quick and easy mood-boosting recipes

All designed to help you beat burnout and feel revitalized, reenergized and restored.

As I sat and read Rachel’s book, I couldn’t help but stop and reflect on the personal moments of burnout that I have experienced in my own life. Yet, in feeling the expectation to be ‘always on’ and in experiencing the challenges of burnout, there is also an opportunity to learn that taking downtime and looking after your health is, indeed, productive too. Rachel’s book will open your mind to thinking about your approach to burnout in a whole new way. We all want to know how to feel more energised so that we can be at the top of our game, but how can we if we don’t address the root cause of why we’re burnt out? Rachel gives you the why, and most importantly the what to do. This book puts the power back in your hands and will become your bible on the road to recovery, giving you the opportunity to address your symptoms and most importantly find a solution! Tracey Raye, Health Editor, BBC Good Food and Olive

Rachel and I have followed each other on Instagram for a number of years and I have always been impressed by her hands-on approach and her genuine focus on the individual, both of which are very evident in The Burnout Bible. The book is a deep dive into the overwhelm that so many of us experience at times in our lives, and clearly explains what burnout is, how to recognise the signs and what lifestyle changes we can make to redress the balance in favour of our health and sanity. The Burnout Bible will be invaluable for anyone looking to regain control and lead a calmer, more authentic life. Sam Rice, Food and Health Columnist, The Telegraph, and Author of The Midlife Method, Supercharge Your Diet and The Midlife Kitchen.

As someone that’s personally struggled with burnout, I know how debilitating it can be. That’s why this book is an absolute lifeline for any woman who feels exhausted, stressed out and emotionally overwhelmed. Rachel unpacks the root causes of burnout and gives you practical and natural solutions to help you either prevent it happening or recover from it if you’re already there. This is such an important book for the modern-day woman who needs to be at her best. Nicki Williams, Nutritionist and Author of It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones

As a business owner, burnout is the biggest problem I must deal with. Struggling to turn the mind off and neglecting physical and emotional health when life gets ‘busy’ is a massive hinderance to daily performance. The Burnout Bible has become a truly valuable tool I turn to when my health starts to breakdown. The recipes are all amazing and the team have all benefitted from the guidance around managing chronic stress. Sam Higgins, CEO and Founder, Nu Mind Wellness

Before reading The Burnout Bible I thought that feeling tired or drained most of the time was an inevitable part of being successful. After reading the wealth of knowledge within this book, I identified some immediate changes that I could make to strike a better balance. Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be an extra chore. The Burnout Bible will give you simple and achievable ideas that flow into your existing environment. Truly grateful that Rachel took the time to share so much wisdom, this book is going to be life changing for so many people. Clare Bowers, Co-founder, Leading Ladies in Business

As someone who previously knew very little about burnout this book is invaluable. Not only is there thorough description and case studies that describe the common signs, symptoms and stages, more importantly there are practical steps, ideas, recipes and support making self-help through burnout or pre-burnout accessible for everyone. As a busy mum of three and owner of two businesses, I found this book enlightening, honest and easily digestible! This book makes the science behind burnout accessible for all and most importantly gives the tools and techniques to effectively prevent, or work through it. Your body will thank you for reading it! Carolyn Whitehead, Co-founder, Leading Ladies in Business, and Founder of Beautiful New Beginnings CIC

This book is a must-read for those experiencing or at risk of burnout, as well as those who generally feel that they have too much stress in their lives. All in all, a lot of us would benefit from reading this book and it could not come at a better time given the mental health crisis of today. This book is a well-written, well-referenced, accessible navigation of how stress impacts the body and how this can tip into burnout, and the promise of functional medicine for helping to protect ourselves from and better manage burnout. Rachel’s accessible explanation of the microbiome-gut-brain axis is especially worth a read. I truly hope this book helps to break the stigma surrounding burnout and I have no doubt that it will contribute to the gathering momentum about the importance of nutrition and lifestyle for improving mental health and wellbeing alongside conventional strategies. Well done, Rachel, for bringing your clinical expertise, deep knowledge, and personal insight about this important subject to the masses. Emily Blake, Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner & Clinical Educator, Invivo HealthCare

Am I right? Rachel asks on page 19! Yes, is the resounding answer. The Burnout Bible is for women to understand burnout and what to do about it. Afterall, it takes one to know another that has been there, and has come to the other side to embrace life with energy and vitality again. Rachel’s has summarised the complexities of burnout to provide insight into how our bodies work and guidelines to help us with practical nutrition and lifestyle suggestions. The Burnout Bible is a must read for anybody that is scraping the bottom of the energy barrel with foggy brain. Satu Jackson, Business Leader, CEO and Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Advocate

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1: What is Burnout?

Chapter 1. The stress factor

1.1 Burnout defined

1.2 The stress response

1.3 The three stages of burnout

Chapter 2. Why women experience burnout

Chapter 3. The burnout effect

3.1 Health conditions associated with burnout

3.2 Symptoms to look out for

Chapter 4. Managing fatigue and emotional overwhelm

4.1 The traditional approach

4.2 An alternative

Part 2: What Is Actually Going On

Section introduction – Getting to the root cause

Chapter 5. What’s going on in your brain

Chapter 6. The hidden cycle driving your mood

Chapter 7. Your cells’ energy engine room

Chapter 8. That gut feeling: The role of the Gut-Brain Axis

Chapter 9. Hormone havoc

Chapter 10. The blood sugar roller coaster

Chapter 11. The role of inflammation and immune health

Chapter 12. Your genes

Part 3: What To Do About It

Section introduction – My Mood-Boosting Method

Chapter 13. Nourish – the brain and the whole body

13.1 A Note on hydration

13.2 Fatigue fighting & mood boosting nutrients

13.3 Notorious mood disrupters

Chapter 14. Engage – in physical activities and hobbies

14.1 The right exercise

14.2 Social connection

14.3 Hobbies

14.4 When to disengage – The social media drain

Chapter 15. Restore – through rest and relaxation

15.1 Why you should (self)care

15.2 How to identify your stressors

15.3 Relaxation tools and techniques

15.4 The importance of sleep

Chapter 16. Reframe – negative thoughts and limiting beliefs

16.1 Limiting beliefs

16.2 Check your language

16.3 Breaking negative thought patterns

16.4 Practising gratitude

Part 4: What To Do Next

Chapter 17. The personalized approach

Chapter 18. Functional and nutrigenomic testing

Recipes (c.20, including:

Mood-boosting breakfasts,

Grab-and go lunches,

Energising dinners, and

Pick-me-up snack ideas)

Resources

References

Index

FORMAT / ISBN / PUBLICATION DATE / RRP

Paperback / 9781788603768 / July 18, 2023 / £14.99

Ebook / 9781788603782 / July 17, 2023 / £7.99

Rachel Philpotts

Rachel Philpotts is a nutritionist and mental health expert, founder of re:Nutrition. She holds an MSc in personalized nutrition alongside qualifications in functional medicine and neurolinguistic programming. A member of the British Association for Lifestyle Medicine (BANT), the Complementary Healthcare Council (CNHC) and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), Rachel has contributed to publications such as BBC Good Food and Good Life North and is in the process of having her Master’s research into stress and major depressive disorder published. She is also active across social media, and has guested internationally on mental health podcasts such as Dawn Breaks and The Mindful Trinity.

Prior to becoming a nutritionist, Rachel enjoyed a successful 13-year commercial career. However, her career-girl lifestyle caught up with her in her 30s and left her tired, frustrated and a shadow of her former self. It took total burnout to make her realise something had to change. It was during this time that she discovered the concept of functional medicine. The simple nutrition and lifestyle changes she made transformed her health, and she was inspired to quit the corporate world and retrain. Now she helps other tired and wired career women to combat fatigue rebalance their mood naturally and feel revitalized, reenergized and restored.