From Awareness to Action: Finding My Way Back to Myself

A quiet tree-lined walking path in soft morning light, symbolizing reflection, renewal, and the journey back to self.

Reflections on noticing patterns, navigating overwhelm, and finding your way back to yourself

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. If you’ve been around for a while, you might have noticed I’ve been a little absent recently. Like many of the folks I work with, I’ve found myself navigating a season of heaviness, busyness, and overwhelm, and admittedly, I’ve let some things fall to the back burner.

But honestly, I’m just human. And because I know how much relating to others can help, I wanted to share a bit more about what’s been going on for me in recent months.

A Season of Overwhelm

A cozy reading corner representing comfort that can sometimes become avoidance.

I tend to view myself as someone who is pretty high-functioning, but sometimes that can be a double-edged sword. I can easily fall into patterns of overworking, overcommitting, or focusing so much on helping others that I neglect myself in the process. Over the past two months, I’ve had a very busy caseload, experienced a death in my extended family, and traveled between multiple states without really having meaningful time off beyond those travel days. Once I returned home, I found myself working during the day and turning to reading as an escape in the evenings. Some of my routines were disrupted while traveling, and my motivation to get back on track was low.

As you read this, some of what I share might resonate with you. I tend to work with people who are often perceived as having it all together on the outside but may be struggling internally. I’ve naturally gravitated toward this population because I can deeply relate to that experience, and I’ve learned tools that have helped me not only support myself, but help others find greater balance as well.

My ideal client is often someone who appears to have it all together. They’re usually the person others rely on—the helper, the caregiver, the professional who shows up and handles what needs to be done. Yet internally, they may feel anxious, overwhelmed, and caught in cycles of overthinking despite appearing composed on the outside. Others may reach a point of emotional shutdown or disconnection, feeling numb or empty beneath the surface. Many also struggle with relationships, attachment, and anxiety around connection with others. Often, these patterns stem from childhood family dynamics, traumatic experiences, or other difficult relational histories. Even more commonly, many people are fully aware of these root causes and how they affect them, yet still feel stuck in the symptoms they experience.

Why This Work Resonates With Me

I can relate to these experiences because I’ve been there myself. I’ve experienced both heightened anxiety and emotional shutdown at different points in my life. At this stage, I’ve done a great deal of work and generally am doing very well, but the pull toward old patterns is always there. That’s exactly what happened over the last two months. The interesting part is that I was aware of it—I just wasn’t fully ready to do anything about it yet.

Oftentimes, we find comfort in familiar patterns, even when they aren’t serving us well. Slowly, though, I began to pull myself back together by rebuilding routines, improving my sleep, and returning to healthier habits. I intentionally took time off and prioritized caring for myself first so that I could better show up for others. This reflects one of the most important lessons I teach clients: you cannot pour from an empty cup. For those of us who genuinely enjoy helping others, it can be incredibly easy to place everyone else’s needs above our own, but that rarely works out well in the long run.

The Power of Noticing

The most important piece for me was awareness. I often say in session that awareness is the first step—because if you aren’t aware of something, how can you begin to work on it? Through that awareness, I noticed my body didn’t feel great because my exercise routine had slipped. I noticed greater exhaustion because my usual self-care and decompression practices had fallen by the wayside. I recognized the growing urge to isolate because, after pouring so much emotional energy into helping others, connection felt like more than my current capacity could hold.

Through all of that noticing, I reached an important realization: I needed to do something different. I’ve been in this place before, and I know where these patterns can lead if left unaddressed.

A journal and pen resting on a desk in soft natural light, representing self-reflection and the awareness that often precedes meaningful change..

From Awareness to Action

So, I started making changes to my habits and routines, and with those changes came noticeable shifts in how I felt, how I slept, my mood, and my desire to connect with others. I was reminded that even when it feels easier to just keep pushing forward, rest is essential. Not everything has to revolve around productivity. Avoidance is real, and it doesn’t always show up in obviously unhealthy ways—sometimes it looks like reading three very large books in less than a month.

This experience also brought me back to the importance of intentionality and values. Awareness matters, but action is what creates change. Personally, one of my core values is health, and revisiting that value has helped me realign with the habits that support my well-being: moving my body, eating well, prioritizing sleep, and caring for myself consistently. It’s in those small, intentional choices—like getting up to work out when I’d rather hit snooze—that we gradually shift our patterns. Those choices not only help us feel better physically and emotionally, but often strengthen how we feel about ourselves as well.

Reflecting on my values has helped me refocus and adjust based on where I am right now and what I need in this season. If this idea resonates with you, feel free to check out my previous post: Slow, On Purpose: Intentionality in a Season of Low Energy.

Closing Reflections

Ultimately, this season has been a meaningful reminder that growth requires ongoing practice. Old patterns can resurface. Life happens and impacts our capacity. Even when we know better, we still have to intentionally choose differently.

Most importantly, nothing about this experience meant something was wrong with me. It simply meant I needed to acknowledge where I was, respond with intention, and make adjustments. It’s been a process, but it has also reminded me that it is always possible to find your way back to yourself.

Awareness is always the first step—but it’s the action that follows that truly makes the difference.