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Mind Over Grind: How to Break Free When Work Hijacks Your Life
Clinical psychologist, TED Speaker, and author of Emotional First Aid offers a guide to combating the many stresses modern work imposes, based on recent research and the stories of patients Winch has helped to thrive after burnout.
Whether we like it or not, work is central to our lives. Most of us define ourselves by our work; it gives us a purpose, it enables us to maintain our lives, our homes, our nourishment, our recreational pursuits, and it puts us often among like-minded people who share and appreciate our skills and achievements. No wonder we feel it is so important. But the dark side is that it intrudes on our lives and unconsciously takes over our thoughts, our priorities, and even our coping mechanisms. Especially in recent years, the separation between work and home is blurrier than ever, and we struggle to maintain healthy boundaries, to restore ourselves and recover our attention and energy, to give due focus to our loved ones, and to nourish other essential aspects of our self.
In Mind Over Grind, Guy Winch explains how our enmeshment with work reinforces these unconscious tendencies and reveals to the damage they do to our careers and personal lives, as well as to our emotional health. He argues that attaining a work-life balance involves changing not just what you do in your free time but how you think. And he offers clear, cogent strategies we can use to regain control, change the way we think, bring intentionality back to our lives, and restore the balance we crave.
Whether we like it or not, work is central to our lives. Most of us define ourselves by our work; it gives us a purpose, it enables us to maintain our lives, our homes, our nourishment, our recreational pursuits, and it puts us often among like-minded people who share and appreciate our skills and achievements. No wonder we feel it is so important. But the dark side is that it intrudes on our lives and unconsciously takes over our thoughts, our priorities, and even our coping mechanisms. Especially in recent years, the separation between work and home is blurrier than ever, and we struggle to maintain healthy boundaries, to restore ourselves and recover our attention and energy, to give due focus to our loved ones, and to nourish other essential aspects of our self.
In Mind Over Grind, Guy Winch explains how our enmeshment with work reinforces these unconscious tendencies and reveals to the damage they do to our careers and personal lives, as well as to our emotional health. He argues that attaining a work-life balance involves changing not just what you do in your free time but how you think. And he offers clear, cogent strategies we can use to regain control, change the way we think, bring intentionality back to our lives, and restore the balance we crave.
- GenresPsychologyNonfiction
272 pages, Hardcover
Published February 10, 2026
About the author
Guy Winch
8 books386 followersGuy Winch is a licensed psychologist, speaker, and author whose books have been translated into fourteen languages. He received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from New York University in 1991 and he has a private practice in Manhattan. He writes The Squeaky Wheel blog for PsychologyToday.com and he also blogs for Huffington Post. On the occasional dark and moonlit night, you might find him performing stand-up comedy in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 17, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.
I enjoy Guy Winch’s books. His style of writing seems so relative and friendly. He seems like a down to earth psychologist. Great points about how burnout is so prevalent and how the workforce takes up so much of our time—even outside of work! Validating book that provides a deeper look at the importance of leaving work at work and its lasting effects if you don’t.
I enjoy Guy Winch’s books. His style of writing seems so relative and friendly. He seems like a down to earth psychologist. Great points about how burnout is so prevalent and how the workforce takes up so much of our time—even outside of work! Validating book that provides a deeper look at the importance of leaving work at work and its lasting effects if you don’t.
February 23, 2026
I did not realise how much I needed this book...
I only started my first "adult" job a year ago, and I did not think that work burnout would be relevant to me for years to come. And yet, it came. I spend most of my waking hours at work and I would spend most of my non-work hours stressing about work. The burnout is real. And also the fear that this is gonna be my life for the next 4 decades until I retire.
This book came just in time.
I'm not usually one for self-help books but this one seemed like it could be actually helpful, and it really did deliver. And it was interesting too!! And the advice and tips are actually realistic and doable.
I would honestly recommend this to everyone
I only started my first "adult" job a year ago, and I did not think that work burnout would be relevant to me for years to come. And yet, it came. I spend most of my waking hours at work and I would spend most of my non-work hours stressing about work. The burnout is real. And also the fear that this is gonna be my life for the next 4 decades until I retire.
This book came just in time.
I'm not usually one for self-help books but this one seemed like it could be actually helpful, and it really did deliver. And it was interesting too!! And the advice and tips are actually realistic and doable.
I would honestly recommend this to everyone
April 16, 2026
Great book for those struggling with how to not make work your life and protect your peace. Recommending this to all my coworkers!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Psychologist Guy Winch's "Mind Over Grind" is relatable right from the Table of Contents, divided by the days of the week with some days further divided into morning, afternoon, or evening. From the beginning, I had the sense that Dr. Winch will guide me through dealing with the stress of work and has a plan to make it accessible and easily readable.
We follow four patients in their varied experiences of workplace stress across the chapters. The real-life examples reveal the psychology of the underlying stress that happens at work. More often than not, the problem people have come to therapy to solve is not the root cause of their troubles. Dr. Winch leads patients to see what he sees and find solutions and strategies for improving their lives. He offers compassion, honesty, and insight, revealing coping mechanisms that work and those that do not. Often we have developed healthy mechanisms to deal with one type of stress but deal poorly with another. As Dr. Winch writes, “our ability to handle stress is quite elastic,” meaning what causes me stress may be no big deal to you.
Dr. Winch gives evidence of the impact stressful or even toxic work environments have on our own mental health and loss of identify, on our relationships, and on our moral compass and ethics. When the external pressures of the job collide with the internal mental stress, breakdown and burnout occur. These circumstances may mean you’d be better off leaving your job and seeking something new—an option Dr. Winch addresses. But not always. If you’ve had repeated circumstances, you need to look at your own reactions and emotional regulation, which he also addresses.
The patient stories and insightful narrative fully explain the various reactions to stress, like procrastination, rumination, and overworking. Dr. Winch puts the neuroscience behind dysregulation and regulation and emotional intelligence into everyday terms. The tips and tools that he offers his patients to address their stress could be adapted by readers. While the book and examples focus on work-related stress, they offer answers to psychological states that can result due to environments other than work. Dr. Winch offers tools and examples for improving yourself and your situation at work and beyond.
This book could be a salve and salvation for employees and entrepreneurs alike struggling with workplace stress as the tools are readily actionable. Even those who love their job may find insight to improving relationships with coworkers and managers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
#netgalley #mindovergrind
We follow four patients in their varied experiences of workplace stress across the chapters. The real-life examples reveal the psychology of the underlying stress that happens at work. More often than not, the problem people have come to therapy to solve is not the root cause of their troubles. Dr. Winch leads patients to see what he sees and find solutions and strategies for improving their lives. He offers compassion, honesty, and insight, revealing coping mechanisms that work and those that do not. Often we have developed healthy mechanisms to deal with one type of stress but deal poorly with another. As Dr. Winch writes, “our ability to handle stress is quite elastic,” meaning what causes me stress may be no big deal to you.
Dr. Winch gives evidence of the impact stressful or even toxic work environments have on our own mental health and loss of identify, on our relationships, and on our moral compass and ethics. When the external pressures of the job collide with the internal mental stress, breakdown and burnout occur. These circumstances may mean you’d be better off leaving your job and seeking something new—an option Dr. Winch addresses. But not always. If you’ve had repeated circumstances, you need to look at your own reactions and emotional regulation, which he also addresses.
The patient stories and insightful narrative fully explain the various reactions to stress, like procrastination, rumination, and overworking. Dr. Winch puts the neuroscience behind dysregulation and regulation and emotional intelligence into everyday terms. The tips and tools that he offers his patients to address their stress could be adapted by readers. While the book and examples focus on work-related stress, they offer answers to psychological states that can result due to environments other than work. Dr. Winch offers tools and examples for improving yourself and your situation at work and beyond.
This book could be a salve and salvation for employees and entrepreneurs alike struggling with workplace stress as the tools are readily actionable. Even those who love their job may find insight to improving relationships with coworkers and managers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
#netgalley #mindovergrind
Want to Read
April 27, 2026As heard on The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos (How to Stop Work From Taking Over Your Life)
https://omny.fm/shows/the-happiness-l...
Also, as heard on Fixable (How to prevent burnout (w/ Master Fixer Guy Winch))
https://audiocollective.ted.com
Work doesn’t end when the workday does. Even after we close our laptops, our minds keep replaying awkward meetings, looming deadlines, and unfinished to-do lists. Over time, that “always on” mentality can quietly hijack our relationships, our health, and our happiness.
Dr. Laurie sits down with psychologist and bestselling author Guy Winch (Mind Over Grind: How to Break Free When Work Hijacks Your Life) to explore the science of work stress — and why so many of us get stuck in fight-or-flight mode long after we’ve left the office.
Plus, Ben Walter, host of “The Unshakeables” and CEO of Chase for Business, shares what he’s learned from working with small business owners who don’t have the option to simply “clock out.”
If you’ve ever felt like work is bleeding into everything, this episode offers science-based tools to help you take your life back.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Mind Over Grind: How to Break Free When Work Hijacks Your Life
"Burnout: A Review of Theory and Measurement"
"The Relationship Between Workplace Stressors and Mortality and Health Costs in the United States"
"How Small Businesses Drive the American Economy"
"Yerkes-Dodson Law Of Arousal And Performance"
“The Use of Imagery to Manipulate Challenge and Threat Appraisal States in Athletes”
“Rebuilding After a Blaze: Luna Gourmet Coffee & Tea”
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
https://omny.fm/shows/the-happiness-l...
Also, as heard on Fixable (How to prevent burnout (w/ Master Fixer Guy Winch))
Do you feel like work is taking over your life? Guy Winch is a psychologist and author of the book Mind Over Grind: How to Break Free When Work Hijacks Your Life. In this episode, Anne sits down with Guy at the annual TED conference in Vancouver to discuss the insidious ways work can follow you home and how to set boundaries to avoid burnout. They dig into the harmful effects of after-hours rumination, share practical rituals to help you separate work from the rest of your life, and offer tips on how to take a truly restorative vacation.
Featured guest
Follow Guy Winch on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://www.guywinch.com/ Buy Guy's book Mind Over Grind
Connect with the team
Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollective Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts
Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
https://audiocollective.ted.com
May 9, 2026
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Mind Over Grind is an interesting and accessible monograph on work/life balance and how to potentially set healthy boundaries by Dr. Guy Winch. Released 10th Feb 2026 by Simon & Schuster, it's 272 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
Dr. Winch is a clinical psychologist and public speaker, and he makes quite a lot of salient points about how work can easily take over our lives. He also offers insights with specific concrete techniques for making a clear dividing line between work-life and mindset, and non-work hours.
There are a lot of good takeaways here, especially for readers who have jobs (healthcare, teaching, professional service, etc) which can easily turn into unhealthy lifestyle obsessions (living to work instead of working to live).
The tone throughout is friendly and compassionate; even when talking about relatively weighty mental-healthcare topics.
Four stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or home library acquisition.
Mind Over Grind is an interesting and accessible monograph on work/life balance and how to potentially set healthy boundaries by Dr. Guy Winch. Released 10th Feb 2026 by Simon & Schuster, it's 272 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
Dr. Winch is a clinical psychologist and public speaker, and he makes quite a lot of salient points about how work can easily take over our lives. He also offers insights with specific concrete techniques for making a clear dividing line between work-life and mindset, and non-work hours.
There are a lot of good takeaways here, especially for readers who have jobs (healthcare, teaching, professional service, etc) which can easily turn into unhealthy lifestyle obsessions (living to work instead of working to live).
The tone throughout is friendly and compassionate; even when talking about relatively weighty mental-healthcare topics.
Four stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or home library acquisition.
Did Not Finish
March 9, 2026I loved this author’s book about healing broken hearts. This one, I just couldn’t get into. I’m sure the advice is good and maybe it will really help others. For me, I felt like he was just firing off tips about how to be less stressed, but he was doing it in such an intense way, that I felt some stress. This book also find me soon after the time that I discovered Oliver Burkeman, and I’m somewhat obsessed with his approach—and this author seems very stressful in comparison.
March 1, 2026
I liked the parts about vacation and transitioning in to an after work mindset. So often people complain about their jobs. I think the length of book did match the amount of helpful recommendations that it could’ve included. The GGE episode was great, but the book was a bit drawn out.
February 15, 2026
I have selected this book as Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 2/15, as it stands heads above other recently published books on this topic.
February 26, 2026
I am going to start implementing some of these strategies right away and listen again to pick up even more.
March 7, 2026
Didn’t think I’d get much out of it, but actually many sections gave me great insights and advice I’d like to reference again. Well written.
March 28, 2026
If you or someone else you know is suffering from overworking this book will help immensely. Guy is a gifted storyteller and therapist with plenty of useful advice and exercises.
March 31, 2026
Great book! I’ll read again!
April 15, 2026
One of the few "self-help" books I've finished reading. This book is easy to read and understand and provides good insight if you are feeling burnt out.
April 18, 2026
This was good. After watching a couple of his TED talks, I liked him even more. He has some good tips in this book. I think he should do teachers next.
April 25, 2026
Extremely useful advice at this stage in everyone's working career. Plus humor!
April 28, 2026
I am not a self-help book girl but despite the silly title, I think this one may actually be very helpful.
Thanks to the Magical Overthinkers pod for recommending this one!
Thanks to the Magical Overthinkers pod for recommending this one!
May 15, 2026
Winch is a good writer, and I appreciated that he addressed the structural issues related to burnout.
March 31, 2026
Might recommend.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews