How exploring the world gives perspective — often when we most need it — After I burnt out and quit law, I took a journey with unexpected impact. Ostensibly in Portugal for a yoga retreat, it was the weeks I spent in the city of Porto afterwards that gave rise to deep healing. I’d never visited Porto before, so, after dumping my luggage at…

Why we need to translate our values into choices so they can truly change how we live I love delving into the meaning behind words, especially when discussing concepts like our values. Unpacking in a very specific, curious way how these terms inform our choices and thus our lives makes…

The lesson I didn’t know I needed — and am still learning — When I left Australia in May 2002, I never expected to still be abroad two decades later. Yes, it was a one-way ticket, using all of the savings I had accrued at that point. Yes, I threw a hefty farewell party. Still, I always assumed that somehow, life would lead…

In the process of piecing life together after burnout, healing has to come first. Any attempt to rush back into ‘normalcy’ will set you back further and potentially cause you to sink deeper into burnout. I speak from the lived experience, 12 years ago, of being a highly impatient and…

The loss (and gain) that happens when we live with an adventurous, open heart. — I’m spending the week in Amsterdam, the place I have lived longest since leaving Australia twenty years ago. Walking its streets, memories lurk everywhere. Some make a particular space in my heart glow. Others give rise to bittersweet nostalgia, sending a shard of pain to that same place. The dozen…

How the acute pain of rejection is less damaging than the chronic pain of allowing my boundaries to be transgressed. — Last year, soon after ACL reconstruction surgery and just shy of my 43rd birthday, I wrote a piece on lying by omission. It was a topic close to my heart — I had been lied to by omission by someone repeatedly. I was angry. I can tell when I reread…

It’s not just your body and mind that need to restore. Your soul needs soothing, too. — We often think of nourishment in terms of what we eat. In healing from burnout, nourishment goes far further. Nourish means attending to your unique needs and doing what makes you feel soothed, enlivened and at ease. This means nourishing your body, mind and — yes — your soul. As…

How to start your journey out of burnout, and towards growth — Burnout can leave you feeling helpless and isolated. Reaching out to others and acknowledging what is happening is essential. In fact, it forms the first step in your healing journey: Talk. You cannot change what you deny or ignore. By talking about burnout, you reclaim your power. Being honest about…

These are some of the most common symptoms of burnout. How many are you experiencing right now? — Researchers use three dimensions to measure burnout: Exhaustion, cynicism and reduced efficacy. But what does burnout actually look like, in practice? The answer is not straightforward. That’s because the experience of burnout can look and feel very different from one person to the next. Burnout can be an invisible syndrome…