In mid-April, I will be having back surgery, and for the first time in my career, I’m taking a three-month sabbatical. No UPROOT. No coaching sessions. Just rest, reflection, and healing.
This decision didn’t come easily. I love my work. I love my people. But after months (years?) of pushing through chronic pain, ignoring signs, and telling myself I could just “do one more thing,” my body had other plans.
What finally made me stop? It wasn’t one moment. It was a slow spiral. Let me tell you about it.
“You’re so busy.” “How do you do it all?” “You have so many friends.”
These are just a few of the comments I hear regularly. In my conversation with my dear friend of 45 years, she said, “You have so many friends and are so busy, I don’t call you.” I said, “Then why is my husband the only one who does call me?” We laughed and agreed that we would stay in better contact.
I am a busy person. I have a lot of energy and a huge desire to produce, work, and contribute.
At the beginning of the year, I decided to spend the rest of the winter in Florida. I wanted to write, find new friends, play golf and pickle ball, bunco, and Mah Jongg. Nope! I have done none of that! I have worked. I have chased my body pain with massages and medical appointments and numbed myself with movies and TV.
I have realized that I was and am just burned out.
Burnout is not fatigue. It’s not simply wishing for a nap, a vacation, or a good cry in your car on the way to the office. Burnout is a deep, miserable exhaustion that turns everything—your work, your relationships, even your goddamn mind—into a drudging, joyless struggle.
We say it loosely, but let’s be clear: burnout is relentless stress that has reached its breaking point. It’s not overworking; it’s “over-it” in every direction. It’s when your body starts waving red flags—chronic headaches, digestive issues, cloudy brain, insomnia. In my case, back pain. It’s when your work is suffering no matter how much effort you put in. It’s when the things you once loved are a chore, and you don’t even know who you are anymore. It is when you react to things and people in ways you wished you didn’t and would not!
The Burnout Spiral
It starts quietly. A little more on your plate, a little less for yourself. You push through because that’s what you do—grind, get it done, succeed. Maybe you tell yourself it’s a “busy season,” and eventually, things will slow down. Spoiler alert: They won’t. The requests mount, and your bandwidth breaks.
Then the warning signs come in:
Fatigue that doesn’t get better with rest
- Irritability and resentment (yes, you find yourself subconsciously resenting everything) Ugh, I hate this. I am usually so nice!
- Loss of motivation (even for activities you used to love)
- Physical symptoms (your body is screaming at you, but are you listening?)
- Brain fog and bad decision-making (everything is more difficult than it has to be)
And yet, most of us press on through all of these symptoms because we’ve learned to push on, tough it out, and prove our value through suffering. Ring any bells?
A client, I’ll call Maggie, came to me on the edge a couple of years ago. Maggie had a demanding job with a never-ending list of responsibilities, and every new task felt like a breaking point—not because she wasn’t capable, but because she didn’t know how to finish what she was already carrying. She was overwhelmed, ungrounded, and felt like everything she did was for someone else. Even starting an email would bring her to tears.
Together, we untangled the pressure she felt to do it all and brought to the surface the unspoken rules she was living by—things like “I have to say yes to prove I’m valuable” or “I’m only lovable when I’m producing.” We named them. Challenged them. Rewrote them.
I helped Maggie reconnect with what actually matters—not to her boss, her family, or her inner critic, but to herself. She still works hard—but in a career that suits her better, one that matches her values and gives her the space she needs. She’s no longer surviving each day. She’s living and enjoying each day.
The Price of Denial
Let me say it loud and clear: burnout will kill you if you let it. It’s not a bad week or a phase, it’s your body and mind forcing you to pay attention. If you don’t, the consequences will make you. Chronic stress leads to anxiety, depression, autoimmune disorders, and a full-blown collapse of your well-being.
I have struggled with back pain for many years. In the last few years, I have had to have a knee replaced, two discs in my neck replaced, and I suffered a 30+ degree scoliosis curve in my lower back. My body is talking to me.
And the kicker is, no job, no goal, no desire to make a difference, and no amount of external validation is worth sacrificing your health and sanity.
So, What Do You Do About It?
Own up to the fact that this stuff is unsustainable.
Rest like it’s your damn job. Not sleep—real, quality rest that includes joy, play, and things that make you feel vital.
Set boundaries like a boss. “No” is a complete sentence. People will adjust.
Reconsider what you’re striving for. Are you working yourself into the ground for something you don’t even care about?
Get back in touch with yourself. Burnout pushes you away from your own needs, values, and wants. Get on track.
Burnout doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re human. And if you’re feeling this way, it’s time to stop normalizing the grind and start prioritizing yourself. No one else is going to do it for you.
As I follow my own advice and step into this three-month sabbatical, I’ll still be showing up in small, intentional ways—through my newsletter, blogs, and prerecorded podcast episodes. I’ll read your comments, follow your engagement, and respond as my body and energy allow.
If you are as stubborn as me, please let me be your witness – this is not worth it. NOTHING is worth your life force, your health, or your well-being.
Big love,
Christy
