In this personal reflection on burnout, the context of work and its related stress is explored, particularly in a rural public health care setting. However, beyond the work-related challenges, the wider experience of stress in a person's life and developmental crises contribute to the capacity to cope with the demands of working in a resource-poor setting. The process of recovering from burnout is a slow journey that needs time and space in order to overcome the chronic exhaustion, the cynicism and the lack of meaning.