I can already hear some of you saying, what on earth does forgiveness have to do with healing burnout. I am here to tell you it has everything to do with not only healing burnout, but healing many aspects of your life.
At the start of 2010 I was in the situation of not knowing how on earth I could release myself from the business I was in. In April of 2009 I had ended the relationship with my girlfriend and as we still had a business together, things were very complicated. At this point, she was not communicating with me and kept saying to me, “I won’t let you out of this business”. I felt like my entire world had completely fallen apart and I was blaming her for the physical and emotional pain I was experiencing.
I Felt Stressed and Depressed
I felt incredibly stressed, depressed, suicidal at times and beginning to suffer more and more with symptoms of burnout (adrenal fatigue), although I didn’t realise at the time exactly what the stress on my system was doing to me. I had meetings with solicitors, financial planners and counsellors and still it seemed like no-one really had an answer for me.
I Needed Support
Around this time in Feb 2010, I went along for the first time to a spiritual centre here in Sydney, Australia. I had been wanting to go there for nearly 3 years but hadn’t had the courage to do so, because my girlfriend had said, “it’s a cult” and was very negative about the whole idea.
BUT I went along (feeling very nervous I might add), I was single now and absolutely loved it. For the first time in many months, I felt like I was able to breathe a little. The lightness and support that was there at these gatherings was exactly what I needed and it really played a massive part in bringing me back from the absolute brink.
I had also around this time participated in an online course on the topic of finding your passion and purpose and I started to communicate online with a bunch of people around the world. This too, provided me with the essential support that I needed at this time.
These two things were absolute lifesavers for me. I NEEDED SUPPORT!!!
I Tried Something Different
When I look back I see now how the Universe rallied around me and brought to me the exact support that I needed at this time, and boy was I grateful.
And so, my next message from the Universe came from both of these places. It was like an echo. As I was explaining the situation I was in and the turmoil that my ex and I were in, the suggestion came to me that I needed to find a way to forgive her, and a way to get there was to simply imagine my ex surrounded by an enormous amount of white light and to send her loving energy. At first I was a bit sceptical, not really believing that this could really work, but I was really at my wits end, and so I gave it a try.
So, many times a day when I thought of the situation and thought of her, I immediately shifted my thoughts and sent her light and sent her love. I continued this over and over and over again. Until one day, about 3 weeks later, there appeared a little glimmer of light in our exchange. A little softness appeared back within her, she began treating me with respect and soon after we were able to talk about how we could end the business.
The depths of what had occurred on a spiritual level was one of the most amazing things that has happened to me. By June of that year, we were meeting with solicitors together, we were working in alignment with each other to see how we could end the business. And so it was.
Forgiveness Helped Me to Complete What Wasn’t Working
We closed the doors of our business on Sept 11, 2010 (an auspicious day) in a space of care and respect for each other and worked together to do what we had to do to put the business into liquidation 2 weeks later. Finally, at the end of October, we both declared bankruptcy. It was complete!! I could hardly believe it.
To this day, we are in a place of forgiveness with each other around what happened, and we went our separate ways to each begin new lives. We communicate occasionally, and each time I am filled with a knowing that there is no old baggage there of unforgiveness there. I journeyed through it from the darkest of places and through this act of forgiveness I found some light.
It struck me later, how as I pushed and pushed desperately trying to find a way out, the way out just wasn’t there, but once I surrendered and moved into a much higher energy, and in a place of love (regardless of what was going on), the Universe (or what I call Spirit) rallied with us to dissolve what needed to dissolve.
I Encourage You to Forgive Yourself and Others
And so, I am here to make a loving suggestion to you, that you practice this art of love and forgiveness with any situation in your life that is causing you to feel burnt out, or any situation in your life that is not working for you. Just try it out, and see what happens.
Love works in mysterious ways, and I know that as I brought a more forgiving heart to the hardest situation I had ever encountered in my life, what seemed impossible, became possible.
So Much Gratitude for this Experience
I look back now with such gratitude for this incredible experience, knowing that burnout taught me so many powerful life lessons that I feel humbled to have learnt.
I send you all much love knowing you too can create change on what might seem an impossible journey.
Love Lisa.
