In June 2011, I suffered a life-changing burnout after 12 years of intense social justice campaigning. Over the course of the next year I ended up leaving a job I loved, was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, and spent the best part of the next three years recovering my physical and mental health.
It was, as you can imagine, one of the most challenging periods of my life. It took me several years to unpick the habits and patterns that made me the kind of person who had completely crashed at the age of 30. At the same time, I had to teach myself a range of new practices that could improve my energy and wellbeing. It was only much later, during the Covid pandemic, that I wondered if I had also been suffering the effects of post-viral fatigue, having had a bad case of Swine Flu during that pandemic in 2009, which had left me depleted.
I’ll guess I’ll never know the exact factors behind what happened, but I do know one of the main things that got me on the road to recovery. It’s a theme that I recently recorded a BBC radio programme about, that aired this week — acceptance.
This 14-minute episode feels like one of the most meaningful pieces of radio I’ve made, so I really wanted to share it with you.
In a conversation with award-winning travel writer Lois Pryce, I talk about the practices and principles that got me through my illness and what I learnt about acceptance, setting boundaries, saying no and dealing with other people’s reactions.
Acceptance, for me, doesn’t mean you have to like whatever it is that you're accepting. Rather it’s about acknowledging that by struggling against a reality, you can create undue suffering. It also doesn’t mean that you can't work on changing things or that you are relinquishing agency. In fact, it’s only when we accept a situation for what it truly is — not what we wish or hope it would be — that we can make the best choices about what action to take next.
If you are feeling exhausted, burnt out, or are struggling with a chronic health condition, I hope there are some suggestions in our discussion which you might find helpful. Or if you are just curious about how acceptance might help you navigate a tough time in life, then do have a listen.
One of the things I’m trying to accept right now is that I don’t have the capacity to finish the book I’m due to submit to my publishers and keep up my Substack in a way that isn’t going to leave me feeling depleted and stressed. So, I’m going to use this opportunity to share with you that I’ve decided to take a little break from this newsletter over the summer.
It’s been a hard decision to make as I’ve loved writing these posts and sharing the podcasts with you, but I also know I want to give this newsletter the attention it deserves. I feel I’ll be in a much better place to do that after my book is done and I’ve had a summer break. I’ll be pausing paid subscriptions, so existing paid subscribers won't be charged and annual subscribers will have the clock on their 12 months paused too.
For anyone out there feeling overwhelmed or under resourced, please take this as a reminder that it’s always ok to take a step back and have a break when you need it!
In the meantime, do have a listen to the episode on acceptance and let me know what you think (I’ll still be reading and engaging with your comments!). And I’d love to know, how has acceptance helped you in your life?
Wishing you all a lovely summer.
Yasmin xx
Will definitely be tuning into your radio piece & we'll all be here when you get back. Loads of love ❤️
Thank you so much. I have just listened to it and it was just what I needed to hear. I have had Long COVID for the past year and am really struggling with acceptance.
I know I need to pause and rest rather than constantly pushing through
Your summer pause is what I need to do but mine will be a winter one as I am in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Have a wonderful restful summer