The Morning My Mind Refused to Go to Work | My Story of Burnout and Finding Purpose
The day I realised success wasn’t the same as fulfilment.
Reading time: 5 minutes
It wasn’t a lightning bolt.
It wasn’t a spiritual experience.
It wasn’t even a conscious decision.
It began on an ordinary winter morning in New Plymouth, New Zealand, in July 2013.
I woke up feeling an all too familiar deep sense of dread.
At the time I was working remotely from home in a role I’d spent considerable time and effort cultivating for its supposed offer of “work life balance”.
Like every other morning, on this sunny but icy day, I lit the fire then made breakfast. The aroma of freshly brewed plunger coffee drifted through the house.
With every part of me resisting, I sat down at my workstation.
The only sounds were the occasional crackle from the fireplace in the next room and the quiet whir of the laptop fan as it began its labour for the day ahead.
Even though I had slept well I still was unable to shake off that awful feeling of foreboding.
I sat down at my desk with a hot cuppa. It should have been an ordinary day.
I logged in…
Looked at my screen…
And something was terribly wrong.
“My brain had made the decision to go on strike.”
I stared blankly at the screen like a stunned mullet.
I couldn’t understand what I was looking at. Normally I could process a plethora of information at a glance almost instantly. Not even an email heading made sense.
It was as if someone had unplugged the part of my mind that had always been there.
I rubbed my eyes. Nope. Still garbled nonsense. A surge of panic hit me and I thought, at first, I was having a stroke. I knew, with absolute certainty, that I couldn’t do this job for another second.
I fumbled about for my cellphone and somehow managed to navigate to my manager’s number. Phew. Not a stroke then.
My direct manager initially scoffed at me. I lost it! In an unexpected and uncontrolled rant I said things I’m not proud of, my words firing off like bullets against injustice and I ended the call abruptly.I urgently needed someone who could see beyond the situation and recognise what was actually happening. I went over his head to his manager.
With nearly 10 years of service with numerous awards for over achievement, she recognised immediately that I wasn’t lazy…I wasn’t making excuses…I was having a complete mental breakdown.
And that was when the real work began.
Looking back now, I don’t wish that morning had never happened. It forced me to ask questions I’d spent years avoiding. The answers didn’t arrive overnight. In many ways, they took years.
But if sharing my story helps even one person recognise the signs earlier than I did, then those years weren’t wasted. That’s why Spiritual Redemption exists.
“Sometimes life doesn’t whisper that something needs to change. It refuses to go to work.”
If this story resonated with you…
You may be asking some of the same questions I was asking back then.
The guide I am sharing with you doesn’t claim to have all the answers.
It’s about helping you find a way to ask better questions, understand yourself more deeply, and hopefully shorten a journey that took me many years.
If you’re ready to take the next step, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.
The morning that changed my life didn’t look extraordinary—it simply began with coffee, silence and questions.
A Question for Reflection
Have you ever had a moment when your mind or body told you something your life wouldn’t let you admit?
A true story about the morning I realised money, career success, and achievement weren’t the same as fulfilment—and how one unexpected mental breakdown became the beginning of a completely different life. If you’ve ever wondered why success still feels empty, this story may resonate with you.
Where to go from here
If this resonated with you, I’d love to invite you to continue the journey.
Whether that’s reading another article, exploring the ebook, or simply taking five quiet minutes to reflect today, every journey begins with a single step.
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About the Author
Hi, I’m Aaron Burgess.
I’m not a pastor or psychologist.
I’m simply someone who spent years chasing success before discovering the questions that truly mattered.
Spiritual Redemption is where I share that journey in the hope it helps someone else find theirs.