Have You Ever Felt Like Running Away?
Sunset at Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island, Queensland. Photograph by Joanna Wood.
Have you ever felt like running away not because you do not love your family, your friends, or even your job and life but because it all just feels too dang much.
Not disappearing forever.
Not blowing everything up.
Just the longing for space. Quiet. A pause from being needed.
Many women in midlife tell me this quietly, sometimes with a laugh, sometimes with tears close to the surface. Often it is followed by guilt.
I should be grateful.
Nothing is really wrong.
Why do I feel like this now.
If this resonates, let me say this gently. Nothing is wrong with you.
When life becomes too full
Midlife often arrives with a particular weight. Many women are caring for children who still need them while also supporting ageing parents. Work responsibilities tend to peak rather than ease. Finances, health changes, menopause, relationships and emotional labour all converge at once.
What looks like a desire to escape is rarely about wanting a different life. More often, it is about overwhelm.
Overwhelm is not simply having too much to do. It is the accumulation of expectations carried quietly for too long. Expectations placed on us and expectations we place on ourselves.
When this becomes chronic, the nervous system stays on high alert. Sleep suffers. Clarity fades. Small decisions feel heavier than they should. And the imagination reaches for relief somewhere else.
That is often when the thought of running away appears.
The urge to escape is often a signal
For many women, midlife has involved years of putting others first. Partners. Children. Parents. Teams. Communities.
Over time, the self can slip into the background without us quite noticing. Not because we do not matter, but because we are capable, responsible and used to managing.
The urge to run away is often not about wanting to abandon life. It’s a sign that you’ve been asking too much of yourself for too long.
It is the part of you saying something here needs attention. Something needs to change.
Joy, fun, and what we are really longing for
When we feel like this, many of us try to solve it by adding more fun. A holiday. A night out. A distraction. Something to look forward to.
Fun has its place. It brings lightness and pleasure. But fun on its own is often short lived and activity based.
Joy is different.
Joy grows from alignment. From living in a way that reflects what matters most to you now, not who you were ten or twenty years ago. Joy comes from meaning, connection, self-respect and living at a pace that supports your nervous system.
This is why women can be busy, productive and socially connected and still feel flat. What is missing is not stimulation. It is intention.
Recently, I noticed this in my own life. I wrote down thirteen intentions for the year ahead and gradually let go of them until one remained. When I reached the final piece of paper, I felt a quiet dread. I was bracing for something heavy. Something that sounded like more work. A familiar pattern for me.
Instead, the words left were joy and fun.
I felt immediate relief. My heart felt lighter.
That moment told me something important. A part of me is no longer interested in living on effort alone. It is ready for intention that nourishes rather than demands. I still value hard work, but it needs to be balanced with joy, rest, and a sense of ease.
Midlife is not a crisis. It is a crossroads
Midlife has a way of asking questions we can no longer ignore.
Who am I now beyond the roles I have been playing
What matters to me at this stage of my life
Where am I over giving or over functioning
What do I need more of and what do I need less of
For some women, burnout or illness forces these questions into the open. For others, they arrive quietly as restlessness, resentment, or the recurring thought of wanting to disappear for a while.
Either way, this moment is information. Not a failure.
Living with intention instead of running away
Most women do not want to leave their lives. They want to live them differently.
Living with intention is not about dramatic change, although it can be, or constant self-improvement. It is about pausing long enough to notice what matters now and making small, kind, realistic adjustments that bring you back into alignment with yourself.
In my Living with Intention program, this is exactly what we work on together.
Clarifying values so decisions feel steadier.
Designing tiny daily anchors that protect your energy.
Building resilience and self-compassion for real life pressure.
Making space for joy and fun that feel meaningful rather than frivolous.
You do not need to run away to find relief. You need a way back to yourself inside the life you are living.
A gentle reframe
If you have felt the urge to run away, try holding it with curiosity rather than judgement.
What is this feeling trying to tell me
What part of me has been ignored for too long
What would one small intentional shift look like right now
Often the most courageous act in midlife is not leaving everything behind.
It is staying and choosing differently.
With kindness.
With clarity.
With intention.
Living with intention is not about fixing yourself.
It is about remembering who you are and choosing to live from that place again.
If this resonated, you might like to explore my Living with Intention program or book a free discovery call.
Thank you for being here. I wrote this with compassion for every woman who has felt this way, and with a deep belief that a more joyful, intentional life is possible.
Live with Intention 🌿
Joanna