Kamalayas burnout retreat

Letting go

Hans: “You work hard when you’re self-employed. And it hasn’t been easy in my sector in recent years. I was noticing that work was taking more and more out of me, emotionally. Then last year, our son became ill and my parents became dependent. That’s when I came unstuck. The doctor told me ‘you’re overworked, you need to slow down, as of now.’ But how do you do that? You can’t just drop everything. After the umpteenth sleepless night, that was it: I literally couldn’t drag myself out of bed in the morning. My batteries were totally empty. My wife was shocked: she had no idea it was that bad. It was at that point that I made a few drastic decisions. I got someone in to temporarily take over a number of client accounts for me, and arranged help and support for my parents. I found it really difficult to hand over the reigns. I explained to everyone at the time that there was no other way.”

Relieved and lighter

“Then I booked a trip to Kamalaya in Thailand, alone. I couldn’t remember the last time I was alone. The fact that I didn’t have to do anything was a huge relief in and of itself. Feeling no weight on your shoulders, it’s literally enlightening. I followed the Embracing Change programme, and benefited hugely from the 1-2-1 coaching sessions. During those conversations, it became clear to me why I always bite off more than I can chew and where that huge sense of responsibility came from. I learned to recognise that it’s OK for me to delegate tasks to others. And that, sometimes, it’s better to take a step back rather than keep on pushing forwards.”

Annual occurrence

“When I got back home, I felt like a different person. I made some very conscious decisions: started eating healthier, and ‘living life’ more regularly. I also scaled back my working week from five to four days: I keep Wednesdays for my family. I get a massage every Friday to help relieve the stress from the work week. I know the signs and know when things are heading in the wrong direction. Of course: life isn’t without its stresses. But I can manage them better now. And I’ve promised myself to go on an anti-stress holiday at least once a year. Prevention is better than cure, after all.”

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