Every holiday, I got sick.
Every time I stopped, my body gave in.
For years, I thought this was normal, until one unexpected session in Thailand changed everything.

Long before I had any awareness of how energy affects the body, I would count down the days until my holidays. The excitement would build – the off duty allure of freedom, rest, adventure.

And then, like clockwork, as soon as I stopped, I would come down with a cold.

It became routine.

Wherever we went, I’d spend the first few days coughing, sneezing, drained. Back then, over 25 years ago, I thought it was normal. “This must happen to everyone,” I told myself. I didn’t know any better.

The crunch came when I moved jobs and ended up with the delightful situation of having three weeks off in between. I was euphoric. Three whole weeks to organise myself, to sort things out and to take a moment to align personally and professionally with this exciting new chapter. Woohoo! I thought, mentally running through the thousand of things I’d finally get done.

Then, the Friday after my last day of work, it began…..

Sore throat, aching ears, dull tiredness. “No big deal,” I told myself. By the end of the first week, I was still exhausted. Stubbornly determined not to ‘waste my time off’ resting it out, I pushed through and tried to tick things off my list.

Within three days, my body won. I collapsed on my bed, utterly drained, incapable of much beyond eating and sleeping for a week and a half.

I was burnt out. Properly. Undeniably. Burnt out. And yet, the cycle kept repeating itself, year after year.

Work at full speed. Push through the tiredness. Finally stop to rest… only to get sick all over again.

Fast forward a few years to a much awaited dream holiday in Thailand. The scenery was exquisite, the food was incredible – delectable in all the ways thai food is…….. yet my body still felt ‘on’. High alert.

Even in paradise, my mind couldn’t fully switch off. Have you ever felt that way,  present but not really there?

One evening we wandered into the spa.

The menu was full of dreamy facials and massages, but my eyes kept being drawn to one word: Reiki.

I’d vaguely heard a colleague mention it once. Something in me leaned in.

The next day, I found myself lying in a softly lit room with a calm and kindly reiki master.

He smiled and asked me, “what on earth are you doing thinking about work when you’re surrounded by all this beauty?” My mouth dropped open in amazement at his uncanny accuracy. Of course he was right.

Within minutes, I drifted into the best 10-minute snooze I’d had in years.

He worked on my solar plexus chakra and stomach area, and I felt it. A surge of stuck energy dislodging and leaving my body. It rushed out with all the intensity of a freight train. My body dropped into deep relaxation.

All I can remember is thanking him and floating out of the room.

That afternoon, everything shifted.

I walked along the beach feeling fully present, soaking up the salty air and waves. I savoured every morsel of my delicious fresh fruit lunch.

I finally lost myself in my fun holiday read…and I sunk into a soft, fuzzy energy I hadn’t felt since childhood, like the absolute joy experienced upon hearing playtime was cancelled for crafts and games on a rainy day.

I felt at peace. I felt at home.

And I knew deep down: this is how life is supposed to feel. Not just on holiday, but always. Well……most of the time at least!

That was the spark.

When I returned, the benefits stayed with me. Months later, I heard the deep inner calling to train in Reiki. It took time to find the right teacher. Alignment matters in who you learn from, but once I did, the path opened.

For 15 years I practised quietly on friends and family, until eventually the nudge came to expand my work and share it with others.

Looking back, I wish dearly I had known then, what I know today:

·      That caring for your energy is not indulgence, it’s essential.

·      That burnout is not weakness, it’s a signal.

·      That rest is not failure, it’s fuel.

We may have more awareness now, words like ‘burnout’ and ‘nervous system regulation’ are thankfully mainstream, but I still see so many people arriving at my door only once they’ve hit the wall.

And every single person leaves feeling so much lighter, because they’ve finally been able to release the weight their energy field was holding.

I share this, because if even one person recognises themselves in this story and decides right now to care for their energy differently…to pause, to rest, to seek support…

Then my work is done.

Because when you honour your energy, you don’t just survive.

You come alive.✨

If this feels all too familiar, the ‘holiday cold,’ the body that only stops when it forces you, then maybe it’s time to try a different way. ✨

That’s why I do the work I do now.

Reiki gave me my first real taste of deep and restorative rest, and I’m passionate about offering it to others.

If you’re curious about starting your own reiki journey, please get in touch on the contact me page or book your 15 minute free alignment call where we can discuss your energy requirements and what you’re experiencing at the moment and create a strategy that will help move you forward.

Who knows? Your next holiday novel moment might just start on a Reiki bed, not a sun lounger.

I’d love to hear your reflections of your own experience with burnout, the moment you realised that you were and what you did about it. Share them in the comments below and I’ll reply personally.

With love,

Kam xx