Burnout to Thriving: How I Healed Anxiety & Exhaustion, Naturally
by Safiya Bouhouch, founder of I Am Well Community
I couldn’t breathe. It was a startling feeling, sitting at my desk, with a tightness in my chest I couldn’t explain.
I called the nurse hotline and described what was happening. “My pulse is racing, and I feel like my lungs have collapsed, I can’t properly breathe.”
At 23, working my dream career in the TV industry, there was no good reason why my body should have been falling apart – but it felt like it was. On top of anxiety attacks, I felt constantly exhausted and relied on caffeine to keep me awake at work. Everything I ate gave me severe stomach pain. Frustrated, afraid, and unsure what to do next, I called on western medicine.
Multiple visits to the doctor failed to reveal what was going on, and after endless tests there was nothing conclusive. With no clear direction, I started researching holistic health and finding other modalities that I could use to treat my health issues. During this time I kept hearing people talk about yoga, and although I was first resistant to the idea, I finally went to my first class.
Yoga for Burnout & Exhaustion
Walking out of my first yoga class feeling calm and peaceful, it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I dove into my practice and started attending classes regularly, feeling the pull towards the centeredness I felt after spending an hour with my breath and myself.
The change in my health just from yoga motivated me to attend a retreat, in an attempt to give myself space to figure out what I wanted to do next. While practicing yoga during sunrise, I felt a whisper inside me say, “Teach and share the power of yoga with others.”
I didn’t have much of a plan so I went back to work and spent my free time growing my side business, a socially conscious leather goods brand, so that I could have something to support me when I decided to take the leap into teaching yoga.
Not much longer later I found myself booking a flight to Bali, Indonesia to start my journey as a yoga instructor and entrepreneur. I was scared of jumping into something new and leaving behind my career, but I knew that supporting others with their wellbeing is what I truly felt connected to.
Healing Naturally
After three transformative weeks in the jungle of Bali, I came back to Los Angeles and started teaching yoga while running my business full time. I spent most of my days working from home which got lonely, and I found myself wanting to share connect with other women who were going through similar journeys of building their own business, healing from burnout, and trying to learn more about holistic wellness.
Out of this passion to educate and connect like minded women, I Am Well was born in 2019. I Am Well Community is a holistic wellness community that supports women in creating spaces for their health becomes a priority so that they can heal & thrive despite their busy schedules. I do this through events, retreats, workshops, and mentorship programs designed to teach women how to heal from anxiety and burnout and create self-care practices that allow them to thrive.
I’ve found so much joy and purpose through supporting other women who are looking for more calm and grounding in their lives, but are overwhelmed with where to start. I empower more women to trust in their intuition, and follow that inner knowing that sometimes starts as a whisper, but grows into a strong and steady voice that leads us in the direction of our wildest dreams.
If you’re experiencing burnout, anxiety attacks, or overwhelming exhaustion, I can help. Learn more about my 1:1 coaching here.
Tips for Healing Burnout, Anxiety & Exhaustion
Contributor Bio:
Safiya Bouhouch is the founder of I Am Well, a community that equips female creatives with holistic wellness and mindfulness tools through events, workshops, and retreats so that they can make wellness a priority and thrive.
As a holistic health coach and yoga instructor, Safiya uses yoga and meditation as tools to help women heal from anxiety and burnout. A disruptor of hustle culture, Safiya is passionate about educating women on how they can take small, tangible steps towards incorporating self-care and mindfulness into their daily lives. She believes that you don’t have to sacrifice health to make an impact, and that health looks different to each person.