I decided to start my year by going on a mini vacation to Adelaide to reset, reflect and recover from burnout ...

I recently came to the end of my tether after having a rough and stressful year both personally and professionally. I realised the signs of burnout and decided that instead of letting my energy and peace of mind further deteriorate, it was time to set a boundary, do some clear thinking away from my regular day to day distractions and be alone with my thoughts to reset my self and my inner compass.

So, living in Sydney I decided to go to Adelaide. As I am a carer for my grandmother I could not go anywhere too far away or overseas and I wanted to keep my budget to a minimum, the fact it was just after the Christmas break and also still school holidays meant that prices were going to be through the roof, but I snagged a bargain in heading towards Adelaide.

I decided to book myself a week at the Hotel Grand Chancellor and just take my time to wander around, see some art galleries, the streets, visit the beach and a take a few tours.
It’s amazing how much your brain can start to see through the fog once you are no longer surrounded by the clutter and demands of everyday life and your usual obligations.

Being able to be alone for a whole week with nothing but my own desires and choices, allowed me to kind of centre myself again and reflect.

Last year was busy, chaotic, stressful, full or lot’s of goals that I worked hard to meet - but did not yield the results I had planned, as well as a lot of personal and professional stresses and disappoints that came up (when I say professional - I talk in relation to my 9-5 corporate office job that I still have to work until my side hustle yields full time results).

I realised that if I am to yield different results this year and not push myself into full blown burnout and anxiety mode, as well as still focus on achieving what I want and ensure that I am not a casualty of the decisions of others, then I need to start standing firm in creating boundaries.

My first action is to start with sleep and exercise. How can anything be sustainable if it costs me the foundations of what keeps a human being operating. So I am going to start with that. When I was away, being able to walk everyday and sleep at least 8 hours everyday, even for just a week straight, showed me how much I had not been treating my body right.

The next was to put my needs and desires first. I realised that, the people who are relying on me, are in fact not children but other adults. It is one thing to assist and help, it is another to always be the go to person and fix it person. At some point you have to draw a line in the sand.

The final reflection I realised is that with the end of my goals that I had spent the best part of last year planning and then watching not come to fruition the way I wanted (The Reed Gift Fair Expo I did last year), I have a clean slate to start again. And I don’t need to rush myself. the only thing I need is to really be financially ready and equipped with knowledge. I can afford to take a little but of time, save up, research and properly plan out before I reach out to my new manufacture to restart my business. This is the year I will not rush or pressure myself, but I will focus on a slow burn.

I honestly think that getting away at the begining of the year is also a new habit I will install moving forward. In fact I think it should probably be something that every side hustle or business owner factors in for a part of their year. Not an adventure holiday, but a reflection and anti burnout week. A mix of lazy sleep ins and casual exploration to connect with your inner voice and intuition.