And just like that...COVID saved me from burnout

2023 was big year.

I was back at work full time with two kids under four. I was training to run a half-marathon. I was on weightloss injectables. My family had a series of health related incidents (all unrelated but similarly timed).

And in December it all came crashing down in the form of Covid.

I knew I was fatiguing. Running, my favourite hobby* was becoming a chore. Work was getting harder. The kids had practically taken zombie form.

But it was December, everyone was feeling it. Christmas was in sight.

When I was, perhaps, meant to be winding down, I started winding up. On the family calendar were ALL the Christmas events we had to go to, the end-of-year events, the "just seeing everyone before Christmas" events.

One Monday, I flew to Sydney for 20 hours for a work awards night. Was spectacular.

But it only took 20 hours for me to catch Covid.

I've had it before. I had it when my little guy was a newborn. So in the newborn haze, Joey and I both had our first bout. It was hard to know what was Covid related and what was newborn related, so I didn't suffer too hard.

This time, I got hit for six. All the symptoms I'd only heard about were plaguing me. Sore throat, temperatures, aches and pains.

I was lucky all the stigma around Covid had gone, so despite going and doing the walk of shame to all the people I'd hugged and shook hands in the 48 hours previously (read alot) and telling them I'm not RAT positive, every single person reacted with "ah, well."

But the exhaustion hit me the worst.

And, after the rest of my family had all RAT-ed positive, my husband looked at me and goes ... "y'know I'm glad. We're all pretty tired, I think we need a few days at home".

So we skipped the Christmas tree lighting and the Friendmas all the other plans for that week and we sat at home and watched all the Shrek movies back-to-back.

It was nice and honestly, it was the break I think we all needed at that time of the year.

I'll be the first to admit, this wasn't burn out. But it was the signal I needed to pull up and not try to be everything for everyone when I was already busted.

We're all familiar with burn out. And we've all felt elements of it.

Mel Watson of The Zest Collective has experienced burnout before and has created The Zest Collective to support women who have suffered the same feelings.

"I had a period of burnout at the end of 2019 and I'd taken sabbatical leave in that last year, but I came out the other side and recovered well before returning to work, " Mel told the Central Western Daily in 2023.

"But I was watching women around me, really incredible and talented women, also coming to burnout at this rapid rate and I thought 'what can I do?'

"I knew I had the coaching and mentoring skills, and I wanted to help women achieve what we just don't get enough of."

Mel has partnered with sleep psychologists, brain injury physicians, crisis communication specialists and build an empire of resources and support for women at risk of suffering total exhaustion.

"I wanted to create a community where women had everything I thought I needed when I was getting to a point of burnout, because half the battle is having those resources right there when they're needed most," she told The Catch-Up journalist Emily Gobourg.

"So often we have this mindset where we don't want to disappoint anyone or flex that 'no' muscle, but our super power as women is that we know how to connect and share through that learning."

So, in my mind, 2024 is going to be different. I'm going to value my time so then I value others. And in December this year, hopefully I'll be telling you how rejuvenated I am.

Or, I'll be writing a similar column to this ... guess we've got a few months to find out.

*I know, sounds crazy. But it's 40 minutes by myself while listening to audiobooks or podcasts. I'm telling you, I'm onto something here...

This story ran first in the Catch Up. Sign-up to get the newsletter straight to your inbox and get daily TCU content at their Instagram page @_thecatchup_