2026 is almost here, and before that, everyone is reminiscing their 2025. Jumping on the trend, Amanda Balionis added her own touch, sharing her travel stats for the year. As the data revealed a heavily busy schedule, Balionis, who in the past struggled with mental health, made a rather vulnerable admission, which made the fans rush in to show their support.

“I had these big plans for an end-of-year recap, and every time I went to go do it, my brain was screaming, ‘I DON’T WANT TO’ 😂” the CBS reporter writes in a reel. The video shows her standing on a beach, enjoying a cup of coffee. “I calculated my 2025 travel for the last 11ish months and realized that it’s okay to be ready to do less for a little bit,” she explained in her caption.

Balionis had travelled 104,119 miles this year with 219 hours spent in the air. She visited 42 cities in 7 countries on 3 continents. Expecting less would definitely be her priority, as travel isn’t necessarily her profession but an add-on to her profession. Balionis spent 19 consecutive weeks on the road covering golf alone. This was followed by a transition to the NFL during the fall.

If one doesn’t balance it all with adequate rest, that’s when the body suffers. For Balionis, it was particularly the case. Even after working days and hours, she didn’t feel she deserved a rest.

“I fear I may have to work on this habit of believing that ‘rest is earned’…” the CBS reporter shared. “So for the remainder of this year, I’ll be busy doing less and working on undoing some of that self-talk that keeps me busy when I don’t need to be.”

For someone who has constantly struggled with mental health, that sounds like a good plan. In October, she revealed how even on weekends, rest leaves her struggling with nightmares. The fact that such nightmares were specifically about her failures at the job shows her brain’s intrusive patterns compelling her to be in a “go, go, go” mode all the time.

If one were to take a guess, this could be traced back to her formative years. When Balionis graduated in 2008, she was laid off from her newspaper job in just nine months. The knowledge that jobs could disappear in a snap might have given way to such anxiety. Balionis then spent a decade clawing toward her “dream job.”

“If this resonates (please make me feel less alone here 😂), let’s hear it in the comments. All venting and tips are welcome,” Amanda Balionis urged as she ended her caption on the reel. Within a matter of a few hours, more than 200 people had written their own personal anecdotes.

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“Everyone Needs Downtime”: Fans respond to Amanda Balionis’s admission

“This literally relates so much 🙌🏻. I have to tell myself—yes, it’s okay to read a book at noon on a Tuesday and not run around being busy with nothing 🤣,” wrote a young golfer, Emilia Doran. “That is still an amazing amount of miles. Merry Christmas 🙂,” a comment stated. “I thought my 57K miles flown was a lot 😳😳😳😳. Sleep until 2026, girl!!!!” said another.

Balionis was all over the place for the entire year. She was there in San Diego for Farmers Insurance, then at Oakmont Country Club for the PGA Championship. Balionis also covered the Travelers Championship and the Tour Championship. Afterwards, without any substantial break, she went to the NFL sidelines alongside Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.

“Everyone needs downtime! Recharge for the New Year! 🔥,” says another fan.

In September, she revealed her battle with a pinched nerve at her C4/C5 vertebrae. Multiple chiropractor visits, ice therapies, and several other alternative remedies had to be undertaken to relieve her. Who knows if an unbalanced work-life balance was the cause?

On a similar note, Nelly Korda also faced the wrath of an exhausting schedule. Having spent a continuous duration on the course, perhaps to mimic her 2024 winning feats, the American ended up aggravating her past neck injuries. She was forced to withdraw from the International Crown in South Korea, her only WD of the year.

All of this should be a lesson for Amanda Balionis if she wants to have a stress-free 2026. Because her fans will not be satisfied without seeing her on the course.

“I hope you’re back home and I get to see you on a golf course somewhere in SD County this winter break! You deserve a break!” typed one.