To be real

At the beginning of last week, we had a wellbeing workshop within the department I work in. I was hosting one of the sessions, explaining the different supporting modalities related to wellbeing and how we can use them. Later, someone shared their journey with burnout — how they entered it, went through it, and eventually began to recover (and are still recovering). It was inspiring and eye-opening.

The whole story made me reflect on my own situation, forcing me to notice more and more signals throughout the week and to admit that something was not right. I am not okay. I kept telling myself — and a few people — that I was on the brink of emotional burnout, until one of my best friends pointed out: “It sounds like you are in an emotional burnout.”

While my experience is real, it is not formally diagnosed, and the level of severity is open to debate. Equally importantly, here is the reason why I am sharing this:

As a coach, I work with people on values regularly. Talking to others about their values often makes me reflect on my own. One of the core values that surfaced for me over the week was Integrity. To me, integrity means aligning one’s actions (the what) with their values (the how), and connecting these to their purpose (the why). (If this model sounds familiar — yes, it’s from Simon Sinek’s Start with Why.)

So I asked myself: “How do I act with integrity in this situation?” and I realized I had to be real. My purpose in this coaching journey is to create an environment where people can awaken, understand themselves, and realize their potential. The way I do that is by sharing my gifts, knowledge, stories, and experiences.

So here is my invitation to you: please check in with yourself and your surroundings. As difficult as it may be to admit that things are not okay, it is powerful to do so and to seek (and give yourself) support — because you matter.

When things are not okay and you need it, please turn to different resources such as therapy, coaching, mentoring, counselling, friends, partners, and family. When things are okay and you want to, please use those same resources to continue your growth. The path from a difficult place to a fulfilling life is beautiful, non-linear, and messy — and none of us is alone on this journey, no matter where we are.

It’s time for me to consciously return to Level 1, as we call it within Core Energy Coaching™ — to take some steps back, get support, implement recovery measures, and focus on resting. I’ll come back when I can, and keep sharing my gifts.