What 7 countries taught me about rest (that my home city never could)

Genuine recovery from burnout requires more than a weekend in bed

My flatmate used to find it funny that I spent whole weekends in bed. ‘Recharging,’ I called it - as if napping, scrolling and eating pizza could undo my chronic exhaustion from the working week.

This is what we’ve been taught to do when we’re burnt out. Catch up on sleep. Try not to think about work. Then Monday morning arrives and you’re still no better.

There’s a difference between survival and revival. I didn’t understand it until I left London on a career break to travel. It took seven countries to teach me what my home city never could: what real rest feels like when your body finally believes it’s safe.

Photo by Florian Siedl on Unsplash

1. Thailand - Rest starts with security

It can be tempting to power through difficult times until it becomes a way of life. Then even when you stop, your nervous system remains braced because it doesn’t trust that the demand on it is over.

A trip to Thailand taught me something different. At The Sanctuary on Koh Phangan, I woke each morning to the sound of waves and birdsong. I walked the jungle paths to yoga classes and meditation sessions. I ate well, slept soundly and met people for whom this was their daily routine.

That’s when I learned that genuine rest doesn’t happen just because you lie down. You can’t think your way into feeling safe - your body needs proof. And you can’t get that in the environment that’s threatening your wellbeing. This is why travel is so powerful.

The view from my jungle bungalow - which came with a cat!

2. India - Rest isn’t always static, it flows

We usually think rest means stillness, but it can look like gentle motion and creativity.

In Goa, I discovered a different kind of relaxation. I joined a course to learn the slow, controlled movements of qi gong and tai chi. I browsed the colourful handcrafted goods at the markets, sipped cool water from fresh coconuts, and danced to improvised music at sunset beach parties. My body was moving, my mind was engaged and my senses were alive.

Pleasure without productivity takes the pressure off your anxious mind. Following your instincts and reconnecting with play make you feel alive and soulfully aligned.

I did tai chi on the beach with this group in Goa.

3. Malaysia - Rest means trusting yourself again

When you’re burnt out, your inner critic becomes relentless. You second-guess your decisions and start to doubt yourself. All this takes its toll on your nervous system.

In Malaysia, I tried scuba diving despite a previous failed attempt. At first I panicked, until the instructor pointed out I was overthinking it. Eventually, I learned to trust myself and breathe. I discovered the underwater world is the dreamiest place to drift and let go of your worries.

Genuine rest requires reclaiming your power and believing in yourself again. Little by little, these moments will allow your body to feel safe enough to rest.

4. Bali - Rest is an act of self-love

The harshest voice when you’re burnt out is often your own. You judge your need for rest as weakness, your exhaustion as failure.

In Ubud, I learned to listen to my body. Instead of ticking off the usual tourist sites straight away, each morning I did what I really wanted - a yoga class or a spa visit. Some days, all I did was lie in a hammock and read. Crucially, I didn’t feel guilty and my nervous system began to calm, deeper than ever.

The body is never lazy. Sometimes it needs movement, sometimes stillness. If it needs to be still then honour that. The compassion you give yourself during recovery is part of the healing.

Another chilled day in Ubud.

5. Australia - Rest means being yourself

There’s always a better version of yourself to work towards: fitter, more productive, more disciplined. The self-improvement never stops.

One afternoon in Sydney, I sat on the beach and found a large dried Banksia cone. As I inspected its intricate woody patterns, I thought how beautiful and natural it was, simply being what it is.

Sometimes rest is about giving yourself permission to exist exactly as you are, without explanation or optimisation plan. Authenticity is freeing and energising.

The cone on the beach in Sydney.

6. Chile - Rest requires perspective

Overwhelm keeps you trapped in tunnel vision. Every decision feels urgent, every worry consumes you. There’s no room to breathe when you’re stuck in the middle of your problems.

At the top of a mountain in Chile’s Atacama Desert, our guide told us mythical local legends as we sat watching the sunset behind the surreal moonscape. Looking out at that epic view put my life into perspective.

Taking yourself out of your normal environment can be calming, as it allows you to see things from a distance. Rest is about your state of mind, as well as physical recovery.

7. New Zealand - Rest reconnects you to wholeness

Burnout fragments you. You become a collection of roles - the employee, the manager, the spouse, the carer. You can lose track of who you actually are.

After months travelling through these countries, I looked across New Zealand’s stunning lakes and mountains and realised I wasn’t the same anxious person who left London. Here on the other side of the world, I felt calm and whole again, ready for a fresh start.

Genuine rest can help to reset you. It’s about integration - allowing all the fragmented parts of yourself to come back together, strengthened by the wisdom you’ve gained.

Learnings from a year of travel

For years I thought my tiredness was due to insufficient iron, vitamins or exercise. Turns out I was exceptionally good at surviving impossible circumstances with whatever scraps of energy I could find.

It took seven countries and several months for my nervous system to finally believe the threat was over. That’s how long it takes when you’re trying to heal in a body that’s been on high alert for years.

Me in a hammock where I now live in Belgium.

What this means for you

Maybe, like me, you read the wellness articles, bought the journals and downloaded the meditation apps, but you still can’t shake the exhaustion. You don’t need to travel the world - but you do need to ask yourself honest questions.

Real self-care sometimes means admitting the life you’ve built is what’s now depleting you. Our body and our energy are the foundation that everything else is built on. And you can’t build a foundation while the ground is shaking. Rebuilding takes courage.

Burnout was my body’s way of saying: get me out of here. Yours might be saying the same thing.