In 2008 my life ground to a halt when I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

I was 23 years old and had just graduated with 1st class honors from university and had started working for the Australian Federal Government in Canberra. I’d been sick with glandular fever during university but pushed through, but when I picked up the flu going around the office, it completely wiped me out.

It took me weeks to get back to work, but once back I still wasn’t okay. I struggled to concentrate, I felt dizzy, and walking up stairs was becoming increasingly exhausting. I would go home after work and rest, I would spend most of the weekend sleeping, but still I got worse. Even though my blood tests were all coming back fine, I knew I was anything but fine.

Everyday things got harder and harder: grocery shopping, showering, cooking, washing my clothes and driving. I was struggling to do my job and even falling asleep in the toilet. Eventually I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS is a serious and long-term illness that affects many parts of the body and is characterised by symptoms such as exhaustion, post exertion malaise, brain fog, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, joint and muscle pain, dizziness and difficulty thinking.

After my diagnosis I left my job on sick leave and moved back to Sydney to live with my mum. I fully expected to bounce back within a few months, but little did I know it would take seven long years to rebuild my health and my life.

While CFS isn’t a lifestyle-based illness, before getting sick I had not been looking after myself. I was a typical Type A high achiever, pushing my body too far, setting exceptionally high standards for myself, not stopping until I reached them and not taking care of myself in the process. I would skimp on sleep, drink too much caffeine, fuel up on sugar and not prioritise the things that helped me unwind and de-stress. I was also my own harshest critic, so I constantly chased after more and better, driving myself into the ground int he process.

Losing my health was a wake-up call and made me desperate to find a new way of living that was sustainable, kinder and more supportive of my wellbeing. But I also wanted to find a way to still follow my dreams and achieve the things that mattered to me, but without sacrificing my health along the way.

This set me on a new path to find out all I could about what our brain and body actually needs to thrive. From my bed, I started to read all I could about the brain, health, wellbeing, performance, and positive psychology.

What I found while researching surprised me…and it changed my life.

We may believe that hard work, long hours, pushing through, being hard on ourselves, setting high expectations, skimping on sleep, not switching off and people-pleasing will equip us to do our best work and reach our true potential — but we are wrong.

What we think leads to a successful, meaningful and healthy life, is so far off the mark. In fact, the science shows that how we’re living our lives is pushing us further into exhaustion, burnout, disconnection from ourselves, and increasing our risk of serious illnesses and disease.

What our brain actually needs to thrive is a return to focus, wellness, kindness, purpose and connection.

As I used the strategies I was reading about and I started to take better care of myself, I slowly began to rebuild my health and my life. I’ve since gone on to travel, get married, become a mum, become a keynote speaker, a wellness journalist and a coach for female entrepreneurs and leaders.