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by John Ardent (Author)
In 2004 I suffered a chronic episode of burnout from stress and nervous work exhaustion. Multiple seizures and trips to the hospital followed, then the collapse into a quivering mass barely able to walk, talk, or feed myself.The medical prognosis for my illness, was at least one year off work with a strong course of sleeping pills and anti-depressants. Five months later - to the astonishment of many - I returned initially to light duties with my employer, having taken no medication whatsoever. After securing a revised role, I continued to build a new and successful career with the same organisation; my work winning multiple internal and external awards for a further eight years.
How did I do it? That's what this simple (and much requested) little book is designed to show you.
There have been many fine and scholarly volumes written on the topic, some of which I would heartily recommend to any person interested in the subject. What I found during my illness though, was that taking in, digesting and acting on such copious volumes of information was a seemingly impossible task. Gradually and with much effort, I managed to learn about a variety of natural, healthy techniques and exercises. Even so, these often involved the memorisation of long and unwieldy scripts, or filling out pages of action plans similar to the kind of thing scarily associated with the cause of my work stress! Also, these books were often written by people who knew a lot ABOUT burnout, but had never actually been THROUGH it.Eventually I distilled the spirit of these techniques into something simple and easy to use. That I was back at work in a functional state within five months, is testimony to just how well they worked.
My employers were so impressed, I became the 'go to guy' whenever they had other staff members suffering in similar fashion. One person kindly commented that a course of 'me' should be available on prescription, and how wonderful it would be if my story and simplified combination of powerful, proven techniques were compiled into a single little volume.Some years later, I finally found the time to sit down and put that volume together.
In this deliberately short little book, you will discover those simplified exercises along with my own burnout and onward stories. There's no 'filler' or 'padding' here. No big discussions on scientific theories relating to mental health. You are also not required to subscribe to any kind of philosophy, belief or ideology to make all this work for you. If it's not relevant, practical or helpful, you won't find it burdening your thoughts and attention.This is designed to be a simple companion in a very lonely place, providing reassurance and easy to remember exercises you can do to get well, stay well, and reclaim your life without having to acquire a degree in psychology or neuroscience first. Even though I opted not to take medication, all the content included can be used as a complimentary aid to those who may be using pharmacological assistance on their own road to wellness.
Chances are, I won't get to sit down over coffee and hear your personal story (though I would very much like to). Instead, I offer here an easy-to-read and use 'friend' that will help you relieve tension, relax into healthy sleep, defeat panic attacks, conquer stress-induced phobias and avoidance, and move back into the world of healthy functioning with renewed resilience and self-awareness. All that for the price of the afore-mentioned cup of coffee.
I wish you good health.
