Feeling Burnt Out? Bali Wellness Might Be the Answer (Part 2)

And so, here I am in Bali — chasing wellness. The irony doesn’t escape me. The word chasing (to run after, rush, pursue) feels completely at odds with the concept of wellness. But maybe that’s the whole point. I’ve spent so long wired for the chase that my body doesn’t seem to know how to just stop and be. Is this burnout?

If it is, I’m not alone.

In 2019, the World Health Organisation classified burnout as an ‘occupational phenomenon’, with three main signs: energy depletion, increased mental distance from your job, and reduced professional efficacy.

The statistics are sobering: in Australia, 61% of workers report feeling burnt out (the global average is 48%) and burnout contributes to 40% of employee resignations. In the U.S., 56% of leaders say they’re burnt out and 69% of C-suite executives are seriously considering changing jobs for the sake of their wellbeing. Business owners in Australia are also feeling the pain with a third experiencing moderate to high levels of psychological distress, and 40% of these reporting anxiety, stress, or burnout symptoms.

Sounds alarmingly familiar. So, back to Bali.

Uluwatu on My Scooby

After three wonderful days at Pesona Jiwa, I head south to Uluwatu for some additional ‘wellness.’ It’s the wet season in Bali, and there’s nothing more glorious than cruising around the Bukit Peninsula on my Scooby motorbike at a steady 40 km/h. Occasionally I push her to 50, and on particularly daring moments I even overtake someone slower than me.

I adore riding my Scooby and I spend my days beach hopping – surely this counts as restorative?

First stop: Nyang Nyang Beach. Rather than Scooby all the way down the road to the beach like a normal person, I decide to hike a 30-minute path down through steep, slippery jungle. It’s stunning, yes, but I can’t help thinking that the return climb is going to be brutal. But that’s a problem for future me. When I finally reach the beach, I’m rewarded with white sand, crystal-green water, and total solitude. Bliss.

On the climb back up, it’s 29 degrees and so humid I can practically drink the air. Within seconds, I’m drenched in sweat. I feel like I am on Survivor in the Jungle and I pause frequently for intense breathing and self-reflection about my life choices. Finally, back at the top, triumphant but half-dead, I realise I’ve locked my motorbike key inside the motorbike seat. Perfect. I sit among the monkeys, waiting to be rescued, the very picture of inner calm.

The next day, still chasing, I Scooby the 35 minutes to Melasti Beach, another slice of paradise. Gentle waves, sandy bottom, not a reef in sight. I spend a few hours dipping in and out of the water until the lack of shade sends me back to the Scooby. Except my Scooby’s battery is dead. No Wi-Fi. No way out. My zen disintegrates fast. Eventually, salvation arrives in the form of a Grab motorbike taxi. My twenty-year-old driver has one speed – fast. As we tear around bends and shortcut through roads that don’t really appear to be roads at exhilarating velocity, I cling on for dear life and realise that I might not be slowing down any time soon.

The theme continues.

That evening, I book a 2 hour surfing lesson at Balangan Beach for the following day. My instructor, Toba, asks what I’d like to work on. I say my “pop up.” Truthfully, what I need is a nap. An hour in I am so exhausted from paddling I think I might drown. My arms are lead. My breath is sharp. I can barely lift my head from the board. I am sweating profusely (how is this even possible in the water?). I manage to catch a few waves but really, it’s just not happening. Eventually I simply lie on my board, face down as the sun beats down on my back, bobbing with the rhythm of the waves. My surfing instructor lets me be. Namaste, Toba.

Have I finally learned to surrender? Not quite. I still manage to fit in five massages in 5 days and, naturally, a tattoo. Life’s too short, right?

A Final Sanctuary – and finally, a shift

With two days left of my wellness journey, it is clear that I have been chasing wellness with the same intensity I brought to flirting with burnout. So when I arrive at Jimbaran Puri, a Belmond hotel, I’m ready for something different.

The place feels instantly soothing – lush gardens, ocean breezes, and calm energy. My villa has its own pool and a floating lotus pond just steps away. I exhale properly for the first time in days. Over lunch, Yuni Kusmarini, the hotel’s Director of Sales and Marketing, sums it up beautifully: ‘At Jimbaran Puri we do wellbeing not wellness. Wellness is about fixing yourself. Wellbeing is realising you were never broken – just disconnected.’

Ahhhhh.

That evening, during pre sunset yoga by the sea (the same sea that had me flailing on a surfboard), the question in my head shifts from ‘How can I do better?’ to ‘How can I feel better?’ My body feels looser, my breath steadier. For the first time in a long while, I’m not striving. I’m not performing. I’m just being.

Without my Scooby, I also have no excuse to rush anywhere. I stay put. I nap. Twice.

Later, I try the resort’s signature treatment: Energy Healing with Seven Singing Bowls and Seven Crystals. The bowls hum along my spine as the therapist places crystals over my chakras. Somewhere between frequencies, warmth, and deep rhythm, I fall asleep again. Nap number three. This, I realise, is what Jimbaran Puri means by wellbeing versus wellness – not fixing, just reconnecting.

The dining at Jimbaran Puri is outstanding – fresh, local, stunning. My favourite dish is the king prawn ceviche with lime, lemongrass, and soft-shell crab. I eat barefoot in the sand as the sky turns crimson. I enlist a couple of nearby diners to take sunset photos of me and they rise to the occasion spectacularly.

On my final night, my driver collects me for the airport. The 10pm redeye home is usually the stuff of nightmares, but this time it simply doesn’t bother me. I’m calm.

The Art of Slowing Down

I didn’t come home transformed. But I did come home different. I feel lighter, grounded, more in touch with my body and a softer, kinder version of success.

Pesona Jiwa gave me foundation. The Scooby gave me freedom. The ocean gave me humility. The massages gave me connection. The tattoo gave me commitment. Jimbaran Puri gave me the gift of slowing down.

So, for every business owner carrying the weight of their company, every executive about to fall off the treadmill, every founder promising to ‘take a proper break next year’ – here’s the truth: your well-being isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.