Beyond Hustle: My Journey with Burnout and Why Rest is the Secret
- Heather Alice-Marie
- May 27, 2025
- 6 min read
Let's talk about burnout. Because yes, it's a real thing!
We all have that friend who thrives on the hustle, pushing themself to the limit, giving everything they have all the time...until it all comes crashing down. (Hi, that's me & might be you too)
Here's what I've learned... don't wait for the crash to realize the importance of rest.
Here's the thing: burnout can sneak up on even the most energetic, let's get after it kind of people, and trust me, I know this from personal experience.
My Brush with Burnout (Part 1): The Fitness Frenzy
Alright, picture this: me, living my best life as a group exercise instructor. I loved it!
Leading those high-energy classes, feeling the positive vibes, seeing people crush their goals – its fuel to my soul. 💃 🚴♀️
But here's the secret nobody tells you: sometimes, even when you love 💜 what you do, you can get caught in the 'I got this' trap.
My schedule was bananas. We're talking 7-14 classes a week! (and I had a full time job on top of that)
Sure, I felt amazing, but slowly, a nagging pain started creeping in – my hips just couldn't keep up.
I ignored it at first, thinking "push through the pain," but guess what?
My body had other plans. A year and a half later, I was forced to take a break because I physically couldn't teach anymore. Turns out, all that hustle led to a nasty overuse injury that I'm still dealing with 10+ years later.
This was my wake-up call. My body was screaming for rest, and I wasn't listening.
Lesson learned: don't wait for a forced pause, listen to your body's signals!
The Hustle Doesn't Always Win (Part 2): From Burnout to Balance
Fast forward a few years from my high-octane fitness instructor days.
My 9-5 was a different beast – a different kind of burnout, fueled by emotional stress.
Remember the "go-go-go" mentality I mentioned? It can creep in anywhere, not just the gym. (We can all get comfortable with being uncomfortable, that's how we grow! But there's a fine line between that and being in a constant state of stress.)
For weeks, I felt like I was sprinting a marathon. 🏃♀️
The constant pressure finally caught up with me, going from "ugh, this project is a challenge" to a full-blown case of the flu morphing into bronchitis. My body was like, "Girl, enough!"
Looking back, the signs were there all along.
The constant "push, push, push" mentality, the inability to truly switch off, and the feeling of my positive spark was fading. My colleagues even noticed it.
That's when it hit me: the hustle wasn't winning anymore. It was zapping my energy, creativity, and overall well-being.
This experience sparked a major shift in my approach to life.
Now, I'm all about finding that sweet spot between pushing myself and allowing myself to rest. (Something tells me you can 100% relate to this!)
Rest: The Unexpected Superpower🦹♀️
Here's the thing I've come to learn: rest isn't the enemy of success – it's the secret to it!
Think about it. When you're constantly on the go, your brain gets fried. You lose focus, your creative well runs dry, and your energy levels dip.
Rest, on the other hand, is like hitting the reset button. (and this is coming from your high energy group fitness instructor)
This doesn’t mean you have to completely stop, it just means adding in rest along with your ‘push yourself outside your comfort zone’ activities!
This works with fitness as much as it does with your mental fitness.
If you like to life (like I do), you train hard for a few weeks, then have a "deload week" with lighter training. This rest allows you to recharge and avoid burnout, becoming stronger physically and mentally. 🏋♀️
So think of rest in that way. Its dialing things back so you can recharge and avoid BURNOUT & be stronger than ever - physically and mentally. And it allows you to listen, feel and observe the sensations of your body.
Alright, so we've talked about how neglecting rest can lead to burnout (been there, done that, got the overuse injury to prove it).
But let's get real: how do we actually incorporate this rest thing into our lives so we can avoid burnout altogether?
Let’s Level Up Your Rest Routine:
Let's dive a little deeper. Here's how I'm making rest a non-negotiable part living uncaged.
Schedule Those Breaks Like a Boss:
Forget the "whenever I have a spare minute" approach.
Treat rest breaks like important appointments – block them out in your calendar, silence notifications, and don't let anyone guilt trip you into skipping them.
Need some inspiration? 💡
Take a walk outside and soak up some sunshine 😎
Grab a good book and get lost in a different world
Reconnect With Your Body 🧘♀️
When we're overwhelmed, it's easy to live almost entirely in our heads.
How many things are you thinking about at any given time?
And how much of it falls under the category of worry/negative self-chatter?
Replay conversations.
Worry about the future.
Mentally check off the next thing on the to-do list.
Meanwhile, our body has been trying to get our attention.
One of the simplest ways to connect with yourself is to create a few quiet moments each day.
A deep breath.
A short guided practice.
A few minutes of stillness.
Even a few intentional minutes can shift how you feel and help you move through your day with more presence, clarity, and ease.
This is one of the reasons I love somatic practices.
Somatic means the relating to your physical body. Somatic practices invite you to slow down, notice the sensations you feel within your body.
If you're new to somatic healing, you can learn more in my blog post, When I Started Listening to My Body: Introduction to Somatic Healing.
A Guided Way to Release Stress
Somatic practices are meant to be experienced.
When stress has been building, reading about it can help you understand what's happening.
Being guided through it helps you shift it.
This is exactly why I created Breathe Again
A self-guided somatic practice for releasing stress.
Created to help you slow down, connect with your body, and release the stress you've been carrying.
Back into your breath.
Back into your body.
Back into the present moment.
If burnout has been feeling heavy lately, Breathe Again is here to support you on that journey.
My Beautiful Friend...
Life is always going to ask for your time, your attention, and your energy.
Some of that is yours to give.
Some of it isn't.
The beautiful part is that you get to decide.
Pause.
Breathe.
Listen.
Your body is speaking. This is how you listen.
Heather Alice-Marie💜
About Heather Alice-Marie
Heather Alice-Marie is a somatic healing practitioner and the founder of Uncage Your Life.
Her work centers on creating space for somatic self-evolution through body awareness, presence, and intentional reflection.
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