How to Reclaim Your Energy and Come Home to Yourself

There was a time in my life when I was sprinting through my days — a race of my own making, a race I was determined to win.

Tripping or falling was not an option.
I was a high achiever. A doer. A machine.
My worth came from how much I could hold, how much I could produce, how little I needed.

I didn’t have time for naps. I didn’t have time to read a whole book. I didn’t have time to stop.

I was so busy that I didn’t even realize I was suffering.

The first alarm bell came as a deep, throbbing pain behind my left shoulder blade — the kind of pain you can’t stretch out or breathe away.
Sometimes it even made it hard to take a full breath.

What did I do?

I doubled down.

I told myself my life was easy.
I told myself I was lucky compared to others.
I told myself to keep going.

So I did it all — nurse, nanny, driver, cook, cleaner, and freelance writer — with zero complaints and even less support, because asking for help meant I wasn’t strong enough.

I ignored the pain.

Then came the day my body simply stopped cooperating.

On New Year’s Eve, I spiked a fever.
My joints ached. I could barely climb the stairs.
Tests ruled out Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, but the diagnosis—Parvovirus—wasn’t comforting.
The acute symptoms lasted two months.
It took a full year before I had enough energy to feel like myself again.

I was forced to slow down.
But I went down fighting—because in my mind, slowing down meant failing.

It has taken me years to understand that the body whispers long before it screams. It speaks every day, all day, and we ignore it at our peril.

The Lies That Keep Us Running Toward Burnout

Somewhere along the way, many of us internalized the belief that burnout is the price we pay for impact.

That if you care enough, work hard enough, give enough,
your exhaustion becomes a badge of honor.

It isn’t.

Burnout is not proof of dedication. It’s not noble. It’s not a strategy.

Burnout is a sickness — emotional, physical, and spiritual — and it can take us down in ways we don’t see coming.

I see this again and again with clients — brilliant, capable, compassionate people who run themselves into the ground believing the myths:

Myth #1: Burnout means you care more.
Myth #2: Burnout means you work harder.
Myth #3: Burnout proves you’re selfless.
Myth #4: Burnout means you just can’t hack it.
Myth #5: Burnout is inevitable if you want to make an impact.

None of these are true.

Burnout is not born from caring too much.
It’s born from the ongoing misalignment between the reality of time and the expectation of productivity.

The Circuit Breakers We Need

Here are five essential circuit breakers that I had to learn the hard way:

1. Notice the signs of tension.
Shallow breathing, clenched jaw, tight belly — the body tells the truth long before we will.

2. Breathe.
Even three conscious breaths can bring us back into ourselves.

3. Boundaries.
Practice the magic words: “Let me think about it.”

4. Self-care.
Build something into each day — not as a luxury, but as a necessity.

5. Compassion.
Treat yourself with the tenderness you give to others.
Your younger self deserves it.
Your current self needs it.
Your future self depends on it.

Before the Year Turns

December is a threshold month.

Not an ending.
Not a beginning.
A crossing.

And as the year winds down, I invite you to ask:

What are you carrying into 2026 that you no longer want to hold?
Where is your body whispering for rest, ease, or attention?
What would it mean to create a new sense of home within yourself?

Not the old home of expectations, roles, or perfection.
A new home — built with boundaries, breath, and softness.

A home where your needs matter.
Where your body is listened to.
Where your energy is protected.

That’s the work of the year ahead:
• return to yourself,
• realign from the inside out,
• choose a life that sustains you — not drains you.

A Gentle Invitation for 2026

If you’re craving a more intentional, grounded, and humane way to begin the new year,
I’d love to welcome you into one of my in-person 2026 workshops at the Ainsley Sutton Retreat.

Twelve half-day sessions.
Small circles of six.
Deep rest, reflection, and reconnection.
A place to return to yourself.

The first workshop — The Call to Return — begins in January.

You can explore the entire series here:
👉 [2026 Workshops]

If you’re exhausted…
If you’re running a race of your own making…
If you feel the nudge to begin again…

Your return can start now.