From Burnout to Balance: What Repeating Life Patterns Taught Me About Slowing Down

I was recently learning about Tikkun, a Kabbalah concept that each human soul has spiritual work to complete, in order to correct and refine itself during this lifetime. From this idea, we can understand life’s challenges, particularly those that reoccur, as our soul’s wish to refine and redirect so we come home to our true selves in the end.

This idea of coming home, and learning our lessons got me thinking. What lessons have repeated in my life and what wisdom could I be missing? Perhaps you have wondered the same about your own life. I want to share it here because it relates so incredibly to the work that I share and challenges I see people struggling with. Soul Space is all about slowing down and using grounding tools such as Qigong and EFT to find health and balance. But what led me to train in and share these tools?

I realised that I have had three big events in life that forced me to slow down. In 2015 when I was chasing academia and career in London, I was called to throw it all up in the air through grief and ended up travelling. In 2018, when I had lost myself in stressful full time work, I was called to stop and reroute through chronic illness. And now, here I am in 2026 after growing my business and workload, having met someone who has changed my path yet again. I am beginning to see a pattern.

Just like most of my clients, I am called to do well and be productive. I have a drive to create, grow and expand...sometimes this leads me off kilter and apparently the Universe, or perhaps my soul, has a way of leading me back home. I see this in my clients all the time. The relentless drive to keep busy and getting lost in the monkey mind, it takes its toll and eventually we all hit a wall. Sometimes the wall is a complete rock bottom, like a chronic health crash, or it can be a gentler nudge, like an unexpected new path. Either way, the message is often the same. Slow down. Listen. Come back to yourself.

At the end of April, me and my partner Dave will be packing up our essentials and heading to Yorkshire for a summer of vanlife. This is totally out of my comfort zone! It started as a joke, and has somehow become a logical and empowering choice. Yet again, I have been forced to change my work patterns and prioritise health and slow living above all else. Do you ever feel this call for change?

I am hoping I will be as relaxed as her, reading in the sun

For me, this time the change isn't about burning out. I have not been forced to stop like before, so the lesson does feel softer (thank you Universe), it feels more like a redirection. The train hasn’t completely derailed this time, I have just been asked to board a different one. It has been a bit confusing, as I was so sure I was on the right train. I was bobbing along quite nicely, but I was a bit too busy to enjoy the view! And that is a problem, apparently one my soul is not willing to accept. I wonder what your soul is not willing to accept?

I have been both touched and struck by people’s responses to my little adventure. Most people have expressed excitement, admiration, and even open envy. I have seen a spark in their eyes about the idea of change, and living a different kind of life for a while. They have been curious, like a playful child has come out to play. It has reminded me how deeply many of us are craving something different, even if we don’t yet act on it.

The truth is, I don’t know if we will do this for years or just the summer. By September I might be begging Dave to sell the van and find a house. But I do know that I have some more lessons to learn about slower living and healing my body. My soul has always come through and guided me when I have needed it most, and this is no exception.

Whenever I see a client or student connecting to this work, I see this too. A longing to slow down and create spaces of not only peace, but something more true, away from all the propaganda about how we should be living. I don’t think a burnout is ever just a crash, or disaster. I have found these challenges and times of change to be the most powerful in guiding us back to something more real and connected. Not away from life, but deeper into it.

Practicing Qigong outdoors

Qigong and EFT have become my most important tools for finding this sweet spot, between wanting to grow and needing rest. They replenish my system when I am in need, they get my energy flowing when I am stuck, and they help me find my way. This is the work I share, not from theory, but from living it. Making mistakes and getting messy. If you need more grounding tools, other than nature itself, these are a wonderful place to start.

So here I am… getting ready to practice my own medicine more than ever with a summer of slower living and freedom to roam. I had a quiet moment practising Qigong in our garden with the birds singing yesterday, and that feeling of peace told me that I was heading in the right direction. My soul is looking forward to more peaceful moments like that.

If this resonates, you can explore this work with me through my Qigong and resources page, my online FLOW group, or one-to-one sessions. You are always welcome to reach out, whether for more information or simply to share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.

Getting Bluebell ready for the trip.