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Self-care won’t save us from exhaustion. Helping others might.

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Jessica DuLong

Published January 25, 2022

Whether it’s caring for kids, parents, coworkers or our community, many people feel utterly tapped out because of all the extra caretaking thrust upon us as the pandemic has upended daily life over these past two years.

Putting someone else’s needs first, yet again, can feel like the worst way to soothe burnout. But what’s called “other-care” actually holds a key to well-being, explained Jamil Zaki, Stanford University associate professor of psychology and author of “The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World.”

How could caring for others possibly help cure the fatigue we feel? Zaki shared the counterintuitive, science-based truth of the matter.