We live in stressful times.  If we are not careful we start to use alcohol or even drugs excessively in order to cope.  There is the danger of a breakdown or burn out.  But what is burn out?

We all have stress in our lives.  It is part of everyday life. It helps drive us forward, keeps

us on our toes and helps us meet our aims/objectives in life.  It is when we allow it to become too much that the problems start.

Burn out is the result of physical and mental exhaustion brought on by working too long hours, for too long, under too much pressure.  

When the fuse blows and the lights go out it is too late and only a period of rest and recuperation with therapeutic help will help us get back on our feet again.  

It is important to recognise that stress or burn out can effect all of us in the working environment.  It is not the private domain of the highly successful Directors of multi-nationals.  All of us who are conscientious workers, demanding of self with high expectations of self and others and a perfectionist streak are susceptible to burn out. Recognising it is another matter.  When you are used to managing others it is highly likely you will struggle to manage yourself.

There are many symptoms of burn out.  Some are easier to identify, others are more hidden.  In order to identify the symptoms it is often vital that you listen to others and not ignore what you may hear as criticism. It is also essential you listen to yourself – listen to what your body and your head are telling you. Don’t ignore it. Your performance may decline as you become more tired (you work longer hours to achieve the same output); you become more irritable in the workplace or at home; your sleep becomes disrupted; your enjoyment of life outside or work decreases and relationships start to suffer.  Tiredness leads to exhaustion and with it physical health problems (high blood pressure, headaches, ulcers, heart attacks) and maybe mental health problems (clinical depression).

There is an unfortunate tendency to start to self medicate at any stage along the road to burn out.  Alcohol is often the ‘medication’ chosen by most but in today’s world other drugs such as cocaine are taking an ever increasing role in helping us to cope.  Both alcohol and cocaine are highly addictive and although we may start by having a couple of drinks to help us unwind or to get to sleep, or a line of coke to help us unwind, the addictive nature of these drugs is such that you need more and more of the substance to achieve the same effect.  Before you know where you are addiction has set in and your job performance suffers even more.  This rapidly increasing downward spiral has an inevitable consequence: You lose your job, your business or your family or all three.

Stress and Burn Out need to be taken seriously.  Don’t put if off.  Burn out is not a sign of weakness. Recognising it is a sign of strength.  Doing something about it is a sign of taking responsibility.

Our residential therapy programme is designed to help you recover from the effects of burn out, address the issues of ‘self medication’ with
alcohol or drugs and to give you the tools and strategies in order to
be able to cope with stressful situations in the future.