Resting point in the Storm

Recovering from a burn-out, that was hard work. I started practicing, thinking, doing assignments, reading, writing etc. As a project, I entered my recovery.

With every project it is nice to do that in a “private” environment. A place where you can work undisturbed. A place where I can shape my recovery the way I want it to be.

That place was mine and it couldn’t be shared. After all, if I still had to charge the place, then the intimacy of the place was gone and then the function disappeared.

This place has contributed tremendously to my recovery. I would recommend everyone to make such a burnout room. A real physical space, where you can retreat.


Own experience

In our house we had a junk room where mainly junk was lying. A kind of storage box for Christmas stuff, old clothes, books, and the vacuum cleaner. I emptied it and decorated it as my room. With a table, a chair and a few shelves mounted against the wall.

 

There I withdrew. To reflect on my recovery, practice my assignments from the psychologist, read books etc. I have experienced this room from day 1 as a blessing.  

 

Still (after 3 years) almost every day I sit in this room. For example, to write this site.

 

 

TOGETHER

We had and have a busy household. With two working parents and three teenagers, there is a lot of activity in our house every day. That is quite cozy and fun but with a burnout that is sometimes just too much.

 

Because I couldn’t expect them to be 100% towards me, we have made a burn-out room as described above.

 

So, my family could go on with their lives undisturbed, and I could withdraw and work on the recovery. Without getting in each other’s way.

 

That may be less cozy, but it was a working construction. As mentioned earlier, I had changed, and my environment could only slowly adapt to the situation. The burn-out room was also a nice escape hill when I needed it.

 

We had also decided that I could sit there as needed and that the family would leave me alone. So that I could fully work with myself. So, when I sat there, they knew they had to leave me alone. Because then I was busy with myself!

 

Especially that last, rest and time for yourself, is what this room provided.

 

CHANGE

Because of this room I could experiment in complete freedom with what I wanted differently. I could write down my thoughts and think about them, I could analyze the consequences of the burnout, I could withdraw if I was having a hard time (some visits), I could carry out the assignments of the psychologist etc. I could also leave sensitive matters written on paper open and then continue with them the next day.

 

This place felt like a safe place. A resting point in the storm.

 

Because of this place I dared to experiment with changes. I could think about the causes of the burnout. I could retreat in the case of a recoil and be able to contemplate it.

 

Additionally, my environment started to behave differently. They filled in my absence. So, if I was in the room, someone else had to do the shopping, or put the bikes back, do garbage bags, etc.

 

So, this room made change possible.

 

GROW

The title of this text is: Resting point in the Storm. I needed this resting point in the storm to be able to work on my recovery. Because this resting point was there, I could use trial and error to figure out what worked and what didn’t.

 

If I had a little energy, I would sometimes shoot through and fall into the old behavior. My body whistled me right back. The days after such an action I had a pretty hard time. Fortunately, I was able to recover in peace in the burn-out room. To then think about what went wrong and what needs to be changed next time.

 

In this way, with trial and error, I was getting out of the burn-out.

 

TRUST

The burn-out room, consisted not only of a table, chair and a few shelves. The room also consisted of an old CD player with early music (from my youth), a folding bed, a guitar, and so on. My room with my patents (in my youth) was like this room. As a result, the room felt very familiar, and I enjoyed being there.

 

Because this room is / was there this was really my resting point in the storm, I could recover better.

 

The confidence that it would be okay, grew due to the presence of the room. It may sound strange, but that’s how I experienced it.

 

What is positive?

A private burn-out room in the house is very nice. I feel safe and comfortable there. Sometimes that was my escape hill in the process.

A room where I go through my recovery in complete freedom. 

As I progressed through the process and even after this process, this place remains valuable.

 

Tips:

  1. Even if you are alone, it is a good idea to make a burn-out room. Then that’s your safe place. Your resting point in the storm.
  2. Discuss with your environment that this room is necessary for your recovery. That others can’t claim that and that what happens there is yours. So, keep what happens there to yourself.
  3. If you don’t have that much space, think about the hallway, the basement, a shed, an attic, a child’s bedroom, it doesn’t really matter that much. If it’s your place.

Don’t give up!!

Now more than 2.5 years after my burn-out I still use it. Almost every night I sit in my room (for a while). Thinking about the day, making a schedule, writing this website, listening to music, etc. Just time for myself.

Also, the function of Rest point in the storm, he still has. If I have gone too far again, some visits if I want to grow further, etc. Then I can retreat for a while.

Try it out!! Go and see if this works for you too. Your own place! I’m curious!!