Feeling hopelessness and irritation; having troubles sleeping; feeling detached and with no energy or desire to do anything... My question is: Are these symptoms of burnout or depression? To tell you the truth, it can be both. Nowadays, with the fast-paced world we live in, burnout has become a normalised state of mind - a prolonged stress, which if left untreated, can lead us to ask the question "Am I actually depressed?". There is a lot of misconception between burnout and depression since some of their symptoms overlap (you can read the articles on burnout symptoms here), as well as anxiety, and people have a hard time telling them apart. So, today's post will focus on the difference between burnout, depression, and anxiety.

As the days grow shorter and the light begins to fade, many of us start to feel it, the quiet heaviness that creeps in with the early sunsets. It’s not just in your head. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects thousands every year, but even mild versions of it can leave you feeling low, tired, or oddly disconnected. As someone who struggled with SAD for years until I found a routine that helped me make winter an OK experience. I dread the weekend of the clock change in October. I wake up in darkness, I leave the office in darkness, I somewhat feel like a bat. When I moved to the UK years ago, I used to sit spraying Vitamin D in the hopes that it will help me feel better. It does help a bit but what truly makes a difference are small lifestyle adjustments, to ensure you get as much daylight as possible, as well as learning to enjoy the cozy vibes of the autumn/winter part of the year.

As we have already discussed in the previous blog (if you haven't read it, check it out), burnout can be easily mistaken for just "feeling stressed," but the emotional impact of it is way deeper. Now we're going to talk about the different symptoms and how to spot them early, so you can be extra gentle with yourself and cut some slack. Because if you're like me from the past, the overachiever, you will push yourself to the limit, ignoring the symptoms, saying it's fine until your body forces you to take a break. Let's not go there.   

Living in modern times, we are constantly in a hurry to get things done - "the more, the merrier," they say. Not only that, but we also want to manage all aspects of our lives simultaneously while doing more. Getting more work tasks done in a shorter period of time, everyday chores like cooking and cleaning, getting the kids from school, maintaining good physical shape, you know how it goes. As if our lives have become a series of tasks with a particular set of deadlines. Such constant hurry makes work-life balance extremely hard to maintain, which ultimately leads to the so-called "burnout". It has become such a popular term across the internet, and yet... what exactly is burnout?

For many expats in Sofia, the language barrier can make it harder to connect, join activities or build friendships. The good news is that the city has a growing number of English-language events that welcome professionals, creatives and anyone who wants to meet like-minded people.

Whether you are looking for a way to manage stress, expand your social circle or simply enjoy an evening out, English events in Sofia are a great place to start. In this guide we will explore the most popular types of events, where to find them, and introduce you to A Mindful Escape, a wellbeing platform created by Deyana, hosting workshops fully in English.

When we look to work with a coach and master ourselves be that personally or professionally, cost is of course an important factor to consider. I do not believe there is a standard (average) pricing but I will talk about my pricing and how it works. I will also explain why it makes more sense to purchase a package, rather than 1 off sessions.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, young and growing companies often face challenges in maintaining structure, clarity, and effective time management. Gulf Formations, a leading business setup consultancy in the UAE, partnered with A Mindful Escape to equip their team with the tools they need to set clear goals, increase productivity, and create sustainable work habits.

This case study explores how we worked with Gulf Formations’ team of ten professionals to build a foundation of structure, focus, and efficiency that will support their long-term success.

As a young company in a very busy and loud market, it has not always been easy to keep going. Especially on the days when things have not felt as aligned as I would have wanted them to be. However, I have kept going the past 2 years because I truly believe in the positive impact A Mindful Escape can have on people’s day to day wellbeing.

As time went by and the ethos behind the company morphed into what it is today, we are on a mission to help people remember what wellbeing means. Because if we paused for a bit, we will notice how broken our society is becoming. In some places more than others.

There is no denying that technological advancement has completely changed the world (as some of us have known it). Love it or hate it, it is here to stay. Millenials like me, remember a childhood without screens. A childhood that was lived outside, playing with friends outside until the street lamps came on. We learnt from a young age how to interact with each other, how to resolve conflict when we thought someone was cheating in a game, how to knock on a stranger’s door to ask for a ball back. Why am I going down memory lane? Because thinking back of all those micro moments, I do not think any of us truly appreciated how this shaped our personalities. To be able to make friends, to be able to talk to strangers, to learn how to resolve conflict, to learn basic human interaction.

I have been reflecting about people searching for ‘the best life coach in London’ or ‘the best coach out there’ and similar. I thought to myself, how can I make a statement that I am the best life coach in London, in Sofia or in the world? Here is my view - I am the best coach I can be to my abilities, knowledge, education, empathy and the space I hold for my clients.

Working with a coach is not just about setting goals or checking tasks off a list — it's about real transformation. As someone who’s guided people through burnout, identity shifts, and deep emotional healing, I often say: Coaching is not about fixing you — it’s about reconnecting you to who you truly are. If you’re wondering what life looks like when you step into coaching with me at A Mindful Escape, here are 12 powerful signs of change you’ll start to experience — all based on real journeys I’ve witnessed in my practice.

There are people out there for whom the holidays exasperate the sense of loneliness, fear, loss, heartbreak and many more feelings that are very far from joy. The social pressure to feel something positive, only makes a person feel worse.

Gratitude involves taking the time to acknowledge the little things in life that are valuable to you and bring you joy. Showing appreciation for the things you are grateful for each day can be a life-changer, improving your mood, brightening your day, and helping you feel overall more positive with a lighter outlook on life.

The pandemic set a precedent for social isolation. People getting used to working from the comfort of their homes and ultimately losing some of the ability to interact and create together. Some people also have developed anxiety coming into the office or just do not see the point of going in as they just ultimately end up sitting on Zoom all day.

A corporate wellbeing workshop is a specifically designed event that aims to improve the overall health and wellness of employees within the extremely dynamic corporate business world. These workshops offer a great variety of activities that differ from each other, depending on the needs of the team.

Fortunately, more and more companies nowadays are starting to recognize the issues associated with stress, burn out and employee engagement. They emphasize employee well-being as a key component of a happy workforce and, consequently, of business success. The adoption of wellness practices in the workplace is highly recommended to keep the work environment stress-free

Failure - the dreaded word of the day. I am going to skip past the social media aspect of how people perceive other people’s lives, and how this can be really impactful on anyone’s mental health. In this post, I want to focus on actual failure - when we, as individuals, make a move and epically F*** it up. Or at least we perceive it this way.

Although I am a certified practitioner, I still go to therapy myself. Practicing, while working on your own practice improvement and biases, is a lifelong journey. So the question - how to choose the right therapist is so important. Going down the route of doing therapy can be overwhelming.

The sub title that should come here and is utterly more important than the first questions is - ‘And why should I care?’