From Breakdown to Breakthrough: My Midlife Wake-Up Call and How I Rebuilt After Burnout
I’m sitting at my desk, staring blankly at my computer, unable to get myself to do any work—all while imagining slamming my head against a brick wall, repeatedly.
This is what they call a midlife breakdown.
I’ve hit rock bottom.
I need help.
Something has to change.
No, everything has to change.
For over 25 years, I’d been pushing myself. Truthfully? I’ve been pushing myself my entire life. A classic overachiever—the kind who punished herself for getting a 90 instead of a 100.
Why did I get that one question wrong? I should have done better.
I lived in a cycle of refusing help, taking everything on myself, and striving for perfection in every corner of my life:
Volunteering for one more school committee.
Cooking a well-balanced dinner for a family of five, every night.
Building a business solo because, I can do it all.
Cleaning the house top to bottom each week—spotless enough to eat off the floor.
I never rested. I rarely saw friends.
My version of self-care was enjoying the ten minutes my house stayed clean on Saturday afternoons—because I live with four men, aged eighteen to husband.
No wonder I wanted to bang my head against a wall.
What Midlife Burnout Really Feels Like
My breakdown wasn’t sudden; it was years in the making. I’d been burned out long before I broke—I just kept convincing myself I could push through, like I always had.
But this time was different. This time I couldn’t.
I cried for months, maybe more. My anxiety was sky-high. I was angry all the time. I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t decide anything, and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I never felt rested.
This is what prolonged stress does to a person.
It’s like I’d volunteered for a science experiment I never signed up for . . . and passed with flying colors. Of course I did. Classic overachiever.
The medical term is “mental health crisis.” But honestly? Call it whatever you want—the truth was clear:
The way I’d been doing life for 46 years wasn’t working.
And probably never had.
Learning to Rest and Rebuild
Fast-forward 18 months from rock bottom.
With the help of an amazing therapist, I’m learning to rest, to quiet the constant hum of anxiety, and to be kinder to myself.
None of it comes naturally. But it’s the hardest and most rewarding work I’ve ever done.
I’m learning to enjoy the small things again. The first sip of tea before anyone else wakes up. The sunlight sneaking through the curtains. The quiet minutes of my skincare routine each evening.
I’m learning to love myself better.
And honestly? I really like it.
How Midlife Can Become a Beginning
If any of this sounds familiar—if you’ve ever hit your own version of rock bottom—hear me out: it’s not the end.
Midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s a wake-up call.
It’s your invitation to finally stop running on empty and start asking:
What do I actually want my life to feel like?
Maybe you’re tired of being everything for everyone. Maybe you’re ready to rest without guilt. Maybe you’re just ready to stop pretending you’re fine when you’re not.
Whatever your story, you’re not broken. You’re just being called to rebuild differently this time—slower, softer, wiser.
You’re Not Alone
If you’re standing somewhere between burnout and breakthrough—if you’re ready for your own midlife glow-up—I’d love for you to join me.
Together, we’ll shift from hustle to healthier habits, discover the beauty of rest, and create everyday rituals that make midlife feel lighter, brighter, and maybe even a little more moisturized.
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Here’s to slowing down, filling your own cup (literally and figuratively), and finding beauty in the in-between moments.
Because this?
This isn’t the end.
It’s the moment you start coming home to yourself.