From Burnout To A Life Of Freedom And Travel

In the beginning of 2019 I burned out. It was the start of a process to live life on my own terms. I started my own business to arrange my life in such a way that I can decide on what I do and when. Travel is no longer a flight from the real world, as it used to be. Instead, I created a real world in which I enjoy working and have the freedom to travel at the same time. And I love every minute of it.

How I used travel to escape my life

In the last few years I lived from trip to trip. When I booked a flight ticket I was overjoyed. Before I went somewhere I read everything about the place there was to read. You could say I was somewhat drowning in the sheer anticipation of it all. When traveling, I felt alive and I enjoyed every moment. I woke up to unlimited possibilities and a day filled with unknown adventures. And when I got home I felt empty and depressed, knowing that it would take a while before I could go traveling again. I longed for travel the moment I was in the plane home.  

This worked for a few years, but in hindsight it’s obvious that this isn’t a sustainable way to live. I didn’t organize my life back home in a way that gave me satisfaction. Don’t get me wrong, I had (and have) a good life. I have a wonderful boyfriend, beautiful home and am surrounded by family and friends. But I dragged myself everyday to a job I didn’t believe in. A job that didn’t bring me joy and satisfaction. A job that felt like something that limited my freedom, instead of stimulating personal growth.

For many, my job as a consultant was the dream. I had a lot of responsibility, it was dynamic, I had plenty of holiday days per year and I could travel around Europe to clients. But to me it felt meaningless. And when you work day in day out for something you don’t believe in, it costs a lot of energy. Until you have none.

Burnout

In the beginning of 2019 I burned out. I just returned from a trip to Colombia, and it already felt like it didn’t give me the joy travel used to bring me. I felt tired and absent. Like I wasn’t really there and couldn’t take in the experiences. It still was an awesome time compared to how I felt back home, but I didn’t feel that great. When the doctor said to me a few weeks later I was burned out I almost laughed in her face. I couldn’t believe it and I sincerely thought that two weeks of sick leave would be enough to recover.  Oh, how I was wrong.  

My energy was completely gone and I felt like I was ill almost every day. When my boyfriend left for work in the morning I was sitting on the couch and when he got back I was still there. I couldn’t even empty the dishwasher or do the laundry. I didn’t watch TV, because that was too much noise. I just sat on the couch feeling exhausted and empty. After a long and intense process, of which I’ll spare you the details right now, I can honestly say that I feel much better.

Living life on my own terms

Over the past year I did a lot of soul searching. I thought about what I find important in life and how I can live according to those values. My most important values are probably freedom and autonomy. Working from 9 to 5 during the week to enjoy a questionable liberty during the weekend is just not my cup of tea. As I already wrote a year ago in this article. Even though I realized it back then, I didn’t act upon it.

I wanted to live my life more in line with my values. Not living up to other people’s expectations, but deciding for myself what I want. Not living from trip to trip to escape my reality, but to increase my happiness back home. To arrange my life in such a way that I don’t want to run from it.

Starting my own business

Even though I would leave behind a solid job and income, I felt that I wanted to start my own business. I wanted to be my own boss and do things that I enjoy. And most of all, I wanted to live my life on my own terms. I was uncertain whether it would work out, but I knew that I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t try. So the last couple of months I worked very hard to make it happen. And I loved every minute of it.

Last week I finally launched my company Char Content & Copywriting. I help businesses with their online presence by blogging, copywriting and content marketing. I really enjoy having my travel blog, and I love blogging for other companies as well, so for me this was the logical thing to do. I wasn’t sure if I could find clients anytime soon, especially now with the corona situation, but I am proud to announce that I already found my first client within a week!

I feel more motivated, happy and ambitious to make this work than I have felt in a long time. So far I love the freedom and flexibility of being an entrepreneur. I still long for travel, but now I arranged my life in such a way that I can decide on what I do and when. Even if I would like to travel and work at the same time, it’s possible. And that realization brings me so much happiness. Travel is no longer an escape from my life, but I created a life in which I enjoy working and have the freedom to travel.

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I hope all of you who struggle with this find the strength to make choices based on what you want in life, rather than what is expected of you. You also have the right to live your life on your own terms. If you can relate, please let me know. I’m glad to help in any way I can!