Latest / The Burnout Podcast with Fexingo: Workplace Exhaustion, Recovery, and Sustainable Careers / How Career Burnout Reshapes Your Relationship with Reading
Transcript
- Lucas: So I want to start with a confession. I used to read about two books a month. Fiction, nonfiction, it didn't matter — I devoured them. But about a year ago, during a really intense project, I hit a wall. I couldn't get through a single chapter. I'd read the same paragraph three, four times, and nothing would stick. Luna: Oh, I know that feeling. I remember sitting with a novel I was really excited about, and after five pages I realized I had no idea what I'd just read. It's like the words are there, but your brain just won't engage. Lucas: Exactly. And I think a lot of people listening have probably experienced something similar. So today I want to talk about how career burnout reshapes your relationship with reading — not just the time to read, but the actual cognitive ability to do it. Luna: And maybe why forcing yourself to 'just read more' is the wrong approach. Lucas: Right. There's actually some research that backs this up. A 2024 study from the University of Texas at Austin looked at how chronic stress affects reading comprehension. They found that people under sustained stress — and burnout is prolonged stress — had a 24 percent drop in comprehension compared to a low-stress control group. Luna: Twenty-four percent. That's huge. It's not just you being lazy. Lucas: Not at all. The study used fMRI scans and showed that the prefrontal cortex — the part of your brain responsible for focused attention and comprehension — actually showed reduced activity under high cortisol levels. Meanwhile, the amygdala was lighting up, scanning for threats. Your brain is literally prioritizing survival over absorbing a narrative. Luna: So it's a biological response, not a character flaw. That's honestly reassuring. Lucas: It is. And it explains why so many of us fall into this pattern of skimming. We're not choosing to skim — our brains are defaulting to it because they're conserving energy for what they perceive as threats. But the problem is, skimming reinforces the habit. The more you skim, the harder it becomes to sit still and read deeply. Luna: There's also the dopamine factor. Burnout depletes your dopamine receptors, so things that used to feel rewarding — like finishing a chapter — don't give you that hit anymore. Reading becomes effortful with little payoff. Lucas: That's a great point. And it creates this vicious cycle: you try to read, it feels like work, you stop, you feel guilty, your stress goes up, and the next time you try, it's even harder. Luna: So what do we do? Because I think a lot of people have stacks of books they want to read, and they feel like they're failing. Lucas: The first thing is to lower the stakes. When I was in that slump, I switched to short-form stuff. Poetry collections, essays, even graphic novels. Things I could finish in one sitting. That gave me a sense of completion, which is something burnout really messes with. Luna: I did something similar with audiobooks. I found that listening while doing something mindless — like folding laundry — helped me stay engaged. The combination of movement and story seemed to bypass some of that resistance. Lucas: That makes sense. There's also research on 'micro-reading' — just committing to five minutes a day. No pressure to get through a chapter. Set a timer, read for five minutes, and then you can stop. Most people find they end up reading longer, but taking away the obligation reduces the anxiety. Luna: And if you can't focus after five minutes? Then you stop. No guilt. Lucas: Exactly. The goal is to rebuild the neural pathways for deep reading, and that happens slowly. It's like training a muscle after an injury — you don't start with heavy weights. Luna: I also think the type of book matters. During burnout, I couldn't handle anything too complex or emotionally heavy. I needed something with a clear narrative, not too many characters, and ideally a happy ending. I don't mean fluff — just something that didn't add to my cognitive load. Lucas: That's smart. And it's backed by this concept of 'cognitive load theory.' When your working memory is already taxed by work stress, adding a complicated plot or dense prose just overwhelms it. So picking simpler material isn't a sign of intellectual decline — it's strategic. Luna: Right. And I think we should normalize that. Like, it's okay to read middle-grade fiction or genre novels when you're recovering. You're still reading. Lucas: Absolutely. I went through a phase where I only read travel writing. Short chapters, vivid descriptions, no plot to follow. It was like a mental vacation. Luna: So if someone listening is in that place where they can't read, what's the first step they should take tonight? Lucas: Pick something short and low-stakes. A magazine article, a blog post, a children's book if that's what it takes. Set a timer for five minutes. Read. If you get distracted, gently bring your attention back. And when the timer goes off, you're done. That's it. Luna: And if they can't even do that? If even five minutes feels impossible? Lucas: Then I'd say reading might not be the right recovery tool right now. And that's okay. Burnout sometimes means you need to rest your brain in other ways. Maybe it's listening to music, looking at art, or just sitting quietly. The goal isn't to force yourself back to reading — it's to reduce stress first, and then reading will come back naturally. Luna: That's a really compassionate way to frame it. Because I think a lot of the guilt around not reading comes from this idea that reading is inherently virtuous. But if it's causing more stress, it's not helping. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the thing about burnout — it reshapes your relationship with activities you used to love. But the relationship can be rebuilt. It just takes time and patience. Luna: And maybe a different kind of book. Lucas: And maybe a different kind of book. Now, speaking of things that help — one thing that's made a real difference for me is knowing that this show is supported by listeners who find it useful. Luna: Yeah, that's a good point. This whole conversation about reading and focus — it's born from real experiences, and we're able to share it because the show stays ad-free. That's thanks to listener support. Lucas: Right. So if today's episode gave you something useful — even just the permission to stop forcing yourself to read — and you want to help keep these conversations going, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to say 'this mattered to me.' Luna: And it genuinely helps us keep doing this. So thank you to anyone who's already done that. Lucas: Okay, so back to rebuilding your reading life. Let's talk about what happens when you start to see progress. What does recovery look like? Luna: For me, it was noticing that I could read for ten minutes without checking my phone. Then fifteen. Then one day I finished a whole chapter and realized I'd been absorbed. Lucas: That's the key milestone — when you lose track of time. That's the sign that your brain is starting to re-engage with deep reading. It might take weeks or months, but it will happen. Luna: And you can help it along by creating a ritual. I have a specific chair and a cup of tea. No phone in the room. It's a signal to my brain that this is a safe, focused time. Lucas: Environment matters a lot. Burnout brains are easily distracted by novelty, so reducing visual clutter and digital temptations really helps. Even just putting your phone in another room can make a difference. Luna: One thing I want to mention is that re-reading old favorites can be really powerful. There's no pressure to understand something new, and it's comforting. It reminds your brain that reading can feel good. Lucas: That's a great suggestion. Familiar books are like comfort food for the mind. And it's actually a strategy used in bibliotherapy — reading as a form of healing. Luna: So the takeaway is: be gentle with yourself, start small, and trust that your reading ability will return. It's not gone forever. Lucas: And if you're in that place where you can't read at all, know that you're not broken. You're just burnt out. And that's something you can recover from.