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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 clients Winch has helped to thrive in the relentless grind of today’s workplace.
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 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 how you think both at work and at home. And he offers clear, practical strategies we can use to regain control, change our mindset, and be more intentional, so we can excel at work and flourish in our personal lives.
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 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 how you think both at work and at home. And he offers clear, practical strategies we can use to regain control, change our mindset, and be more intentional, so we can excel at work and flourish in our personal lives.
- GenresNonfiction
Audible Audio
Published February 10, 2026
50 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 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
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
March 17, 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...
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...
stopped-reading-unfinished
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.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews