At Harper Therapy, we use the acronym FOOBS – family of origin bullshit. It’s our colloquial term for another acronym, ACES – Adverse Childhood Experiences, which is a long-standing study about the effects of childhood trauma like physical and sexual abuse, emotional and physical neglect, parental substance abuse, mental health problems, divorce/separation, and incarceration, among other markers.

A very interesting phenomenon was happening around the time that I was exploring taking a sabbatical. It was the Great Resignation. Remember that? Thousands and thousands of people left their jobs for many different reasons. I was so intrigued by what would inspire people to leave the security of a job, so I learned more about those reasons and then explored some of my own. Not so that I could resign from my job, but so I could resign from the things in my life that keep me half-living. These are some of the things that are at the root of our burn out.

What do you do when your life isn’t working? This is the question I asked during a moment of stark realization that, in spite of the hours I had spent meditating, doing yoga, journaling, taking staycations, and countless other “self care” activities, I was still burned out, overwhelmed, and exhausted.