Following Your Heart Shouldn’t Require Overworking First

 Why Deep Change Needs Soft Landings and Slower Starts

Inside Nat's Notebook - Real Reflections for Real Change

What happens when you follow your heart, pack up your life, and move countries…

…and don’t rush to “make it all happen”?

You rest.

You listen.

You let yourself arrive.

This summer, I did something bold.

I left Barbados, my beloved home of five years, and moved across the world to Canada.

No, not for work.

Not for a major career pivot.

Just… because I felt the call.

A quiet, persistent whisper inside said:

“There’s something new waiting. Go meet it.”

So I did.

The Move. The Pause. The Power.

I could have doubled down. I could’ve scheduled two months of content.

Written posts, blogs, kept it “all alive.” But instead?

I took a deep breath… and didn’t.

No pre-recorded campaigns.

No clever automation. 

Just me, knee-deep in cardboard boxes and emotions.

I just… let go.

Downed tools.

And left space.

The most radical thing I did?

👉 I didn’t just take time off physically.

I took it off mentally, too.

I put work out of my mind and let myself move countries as a human, not a brand or business.

The Geekie Science Bit: Why Your Nervous System Hates Fake Calm

When your outer world shifts completely, new home, new country, new language of life, your nervous system scans constantly for safety.

Even exciting change reads as “uncertainty,” and uncertainty equals threat.

The nervous system’s job?

Keep you safe, not necessarily happy.

So if I’d tried to “power through” the transition…If I’d ignored the exhaustion and painted a smile on top…My system would’ve gone into protective mode, meaning increased cortisol, hypervigilance, tension, overthinking, and the result: Boom straight back into that sneaky burnout loop.

But I’ve learnt this lesson the hard way before.

So this time?

I chose real calm over false control. I chose to feel the disorientation, not numb it with productivity.

#RebelMoment: What If You Didn’t Over-Prepare for Your Pause?

When life gets busy or you're stepping away for a holiday, do you find yourself adding more to your plate, just to earn the right to rest?

The colour-coded calendar.

The pre-written emails.

The “just one more thing before I go” energy…

It makes sense, your nervous system craves control.

Predictability feels like safety.

But here’s the reframe:

Preparation is powerful, but over-preparation is often fear in disguise.

This week, notice where you’re working twice as hard just to justify slowing down later.

And ask yourself:

Is this supportive…or is this survival mode in a tailored suit?

Maybe the boldest thing you can do is leave space.

Even just a little.

To step into the next moment as you, not just your to-do list.

I’m starting to create again.

One thing I am excited about?

I’m heading to a log cabin in the woods (yep—actual wood, actual trees, so very different to the beaches, palm trees and gullies I have known for five years).

I’ll be sharing: 

🧡 Nature walks 

🧡 Nervous system practices filmed right there in the stillness 

🧡 Sleep stories 

🧡 Gentle reflections on this new environment

👉 Subscribe to the Little Soul Shack YouTube Channel to come along. It’s not polished. It’s not perfect. But it’s real and that’s the vibe.

Your Turn

Have you ever followed a pull that made no logical sense, but felt right?

Are you being asked right now to slow down, even though the world around you is speeding up?

Maybe this is your permission slip:

You don’t need to run.

You don’t need to prove.

You just need to listen in.

And then follow the rhythm that unfolds from there.

We’re not made to power through every transition.

Sometimes we’re made to pause inside them.

Thinking of you as I type with warm socks on (for a change) and a steaming mug of tea to my side, different to my familiar iced juice, however this message finds you, I hope something in these words offers you some comfort today.

Stay Blessed!

Nat x 🧡

Your Burnout Bestie

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Exhausted but still brilliant? You bet you are.

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It’s lighter on the other side, I promise. 🌟