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14
Nov
'Burnout sanctuary' to open in Pateley Bridge
A "beat the burnout" sanctuary is set to open in Pateley Bridge next May.
The £2,450 retreat in Grassfield Hall is aimed at supporting people who are in "survival mode" and helping them unwind.
Founder Tracey Barraclough wants to challenge the "fluffy spa retreat" concept of relaxing, instead focusing on a more holistic mindset change.
Ms Barraclough has built the concept from her own experience in the corporate world, working herself to the bone, and ending up living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME).
She describes living with the illness as “living in a foreign language with no one understanding you”.
She said:
This has been a vision for so long, it was just about finding the right place. I looked for six years. It’s like when you’re viewing a house – you just get a gut instinct.
I knew it was the place the moment I walked in. The pieces of the jigsaw came together.
Grassfield Hall
'Being positive has kept me alive'
Ms Barraclough said she has experienced “year on year on year of trauma”, starting with her parents’ divorce as a child, which she believes has fed into her sense of burnout.
She then suffered the loss of her brother to suicide when he was just 24, bowel cancer, BRCA1 surgeries and single parenthood.
She’s hoping that these lived experiences mean that people will relate to her on a personal level and which, alongside her training as a clinical hypnotherapist, have fed into the design of the retreat.
Ms Barraclough said:
Modern wellness is failing busy professionals, and I’m using my clinical expertise to change that in Nidderdale. The investment is £2,450, we stop strictly at 6.30pm every day, and the theme is all about learning to leave a few things undone.
The whole concept is built on my own long and intense journey of what I now call being a ‘serial overcomer.’
'It's not about doing, it's about being'
Ms Barraclough was tempted to fill the retreat’s daily schedule but realised that could exacerbate people’s burnout. Instead, the only activities in the itinerary so far are guided meditation and yoga breathwork.
Dinner will be provided by a private chef, and a live singer will perform at the meal.
She said:
I used to be the ultimate overachiever, running the London Marathon for Cancer Research UK and even competing in bodybuilding at nearly 50. I know what it’s like to push a body to its absolute limits, and I know how to pull people back from the edge.
Everything is fear-based now – social media has a lot to answer for – and everything is so fast-paced, it’s all become unhealthy. Even on holiday you can still check your work emails. We wear being busy as a badge of honour, but we shouldn't.
Ms Barraclough purposefully put the retreat mid-week, hoping it allows people to switch off work for an extended period. She particularly hopes men attend, as she fears they are most likely to keep their struggles quiet.
Despite the price tag, Ms Barraclough is confident there’ll be interest, as she is providing a "premium product".
She added:
It’s worth the investment as the person comes back stronger.
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