I am not sure if I am quite ready to pour this out to the YLD world yet but here goes…and apologise for me going ‘blurgh….’.

As you know I caught up with you at the end of 2017 to seek assistance because I didn’t like the person I had become. I was overworked and well, just burnt out. After our meeting and the reading material you sent me, I felt energised and positive, ready to give the advice and strategies a red hot go. I ended up getting a great new job in December and on purpose for the first time ever, I told them that I couldn’t start until mid January and I planned to take a month off to try and recharge my batteries because I wanted to be refreshed. Needless to say, I thought after the terrible 2017 that I had had, surely it was turning and 2018 was going to be ‘our’ year – I know how silly this sounds…

I had also decided to take Christmas off for the first time ever to spend with my partner’s family in NSW and that is where I planned to relax, unwind, read up and get prepared for 2018 and start my coaching. However, things did not go to plan. On arrival on the Saturday before Christmas, we were informed that my partner’s cousin who he was incredibly close to, had taken his own life that morning. As you can imagine, this changed everything and I did my best to care for my grieving partner & family as best I could whilst I was already physically, mentally and emotionally ruined. I felt so drained, alone and overworked as I tried to help my mother-in-law salvage what we could of Christmas and be there for support. I’d only recently listened to your podcast about the holidays and how you shouldn’t let what other people do effect you, which helped but the experience just drained me. From there, I was straight into a work commitment in intrastate which also didn’t go to plan and we arrived in late last night.

I start my new job in a week and I am no more relaxed, thinner, more sober, calm, centred or educated than I was a month ago. I feel overwhelmed and scared and I don’t know where to start with the course or how to not come across like a mental person in a week’s time. I want to get back to being my usual ‘half glass full’, positive personality.

Sorry for the long winded message, just seeking some direction and how to get back on track for this rocky start for 2018….clearly I will be taking your advice below on board, as I am still not sleeping.

Looking forward to coaching with you this year.