Emerging from the Ashes of Burnout
how reconnecting with yoga’s roots helped me redefine my relationship with hustle (and inspired me to create soul care by caro)
Burnout is a bitch.
And whether your hustle is an 8-5, 9-9, or 24/7 between work and family life, if I were a gambler I'd bet a student loan payment that you’ve felt burnout before.
You know…when it takes everything out of you to “do the thing,” you’re just barely treading water, you don't have time or energy to invest in your needs, and you're constantly on the edge.
I’ve been there more than a few times and it took a toll on all aspects of my health. My hustle looked something like:
Wake up early AF, get myself and the offspring ready and out of the door
Complete the first leg of my 60+ mile roundtrip commute before 7am (literally driving through cotton fields…)
Spend 8-10 hours a day trying to maintain my sanity in an office environment where microagressions and sometimes blatant aggressions were accepted and normalized
Complete the second leg of my commute
Rush the offspring from school to the next activity and maybe squeeze in a fast-paced yoga class
Tend to home life, scream, cry, repeat…
(Oh, and teach yoga at a big bougie fitness club a few nights a week, where a student once called my playlist “jungle music”)
When I journaled that it “literally felt like I was a body navigating life on autopilot without a soul," I knew things had to change. But I also knew that I otherwise loved my career in public health communication and teaching yoga. I didn't want to quit either one.
Getting deeper into the roots of yoga helped me rest, re-evaluate, and recover. In fact, it was my therapist (shoutout to the Therapy for Black Girls' directory) that suggested reexamining my connection with yoga as part of my action plan, and using the tools at my disposal to better care for myself while pursuing changes in my professional and personal life.
I began living yoga's principles off the mat, like non-harming, truthfulness, and self-study. I used breathwork and meditation to hear guidance from the Divine within. And because those fast-paced classes on the mat were further depleting me, I started practicing at a more intentional pace to give myself permission to slow TF down.
I also began journaling to note patterns in my thinking and self-talk—downplaying accomplishments, blaming myself for others' actions, feeling like a fraud / a bad mom / a bad partner —and physical symptoms like digestive issues.
These practices helped me gain clarity, reprioritize my needs, and reclaim my power. I preserved my well-being (and my relationships and career) by finally advocating for BIG changes that resulted in getting out of that toxic work environment and being celebrated for being my whole self at work. Got rid of that commute and enjoyed more time to be intentional with my day.
And eventually, I stopped teaching yoga at the fitness club so that I could do so on my own terms and cultivate authentic community with other Black yogis.
It wasn’t a quick transformation, but as I continued to intentionally and unapologetically care for myself, my soul came back home.
I know other BIPOC women can relate to the burnout from hustling to excel in a society that tries to minimize their very existence. Many of us saw the women in our lives working multiple jobs, caretaking, and rarely taking care of themselves; so it’s in our blood. But we deserve well-being, ease, peace, and joy in all aspects of our lives. It's our birthright.
This is why I created Soul Care by Caro. Because whatever your hustle is, it doesn’t have to get in the way of your health (in the words of Loretta Divine).
I’m glad you’re here with me - and I’m looking forward to helping you connect with soul care practices that help you soothe the side effects of your everyday hustle, too!
