I’m currently on indefinite leave from work owing to stress / exhaustion / burnout.
Well, actually, I’m not.
The nature of my work – self-employed, variety of different roles – means I can’t really go on leave but I feel like I need a headline to capture attention.
I am trying to reduce my workload.
I’m grateful to have been as busy as I have with work lately, but it’s often been too much. My latest tax return suggests I’ve been earning well, but the price for that is that I’m often slow to reply to messages or don’t reply at all, I’ve sometimes struggled to be polite and friendly when I’ve needed to be, and I’ve been unwell – in Egypt in particular – more often than ever before.
The last couple of years have been really hard in my personal life. Life can be cruel, and bad luck seems to come in clusters. As if the emotional weight isn’t enough, it turns out that difficult stuff like bereavement, probate, caring for an elderly relative and separation/divorce also come with a tonne of tedious, time-consuming and draining admin. The final insult is that you often have to pay fees for the privilege, to the government, or solicitors and so on.
As a freelancer it can be hard to say ‘no’ – you don’t want to miss out and you never know if/when the offers might stop coming. I like being my own boss and working to my own schedule and from home. I realise I’m very fortunate in that. But when things are hard I miss not having a boss who could tell me to take a break or not to take on that extra thing because I already have too much going on, or who could hand over some of my work to someone else, give me permission to take sick leave, or tell people that ‘he’s not available at the moment’.
From now on I’m going to try to be a good boss to myself, politely declining work and sending myself away to take a break (as far as that’s possible).
So thanks for reading, sorry if you find me hard to get hold of, or you catch me in a grumpy moment. I am really hoping things will get easier this year but thanks for your patience and understanding in the meantime.
Dr Chris Naunton 
I am prescribing treatment right away — Egypt with no business commitments! Or, if you’re tired of Egypt, you’re welcome to come and visit Bulgaria and the Black Sea:) But only in the summer. Right now it’s cold and snowy: –5 degrees. 😎👌
I hope everything will be fine very soon! For all.
With very best wishes, a forever fan from Varna, Bulgaria, Elizabeth😁😉
Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer
Thank you Elizabeth! Bulgaria very beautiful (I travelled by train from Bucharest to Sofia in 2015) and I would love to return some time! Best wishes, Chris
Hi Dr Chris, Take all the time you need ,life has a way of putting hurdles in our paths,self care is more important than anything else.Your fans/friends/associates will still be waiting for you to be refresh and ready to tackle the new year.Take care of you.regards Tina Robinson 😀
Thanks so much Tina, it’s lovely to have such support from friends! All the best, Chris
Hi Chris,I wish you all the Health ,Luck ,Peace and Happiness for 2026.Regards Tina Robinson
Dear Chris
I was sorry to read this; but I know how you feel. You may recall that Monica and I enjoyed a really interesting and enjoyable trip to Egypt with you a year or two ago (Monica had a tummy upset and actually threw up in the tomb of SETI I)
Well, things went downhill from there! Monica developed Alzheimerâs and ended up in a care home. She died, suddenly and unexpectedly, almost exactly two years later in October last year. Meanwhile I was in and out of hospital during the first half of 2025 eventually being diagnosed with blood cancer for which Iâm undergoing chemotherapy. Fortunately the side effects are not too bad – but Iâm knackered all the time.
Youâre right about the financial burden and stress such challenges present. For example, Monicaâs care home fees were an eye-watering £1,350 a week!
All this wonât help you but I wanted you to know that I sympathise with you. Yes, life can be cruel and bad luck cannot always be foreseen. However, as my family and friends keep reminding me: âYouâve got to look after yourselfâ) So, follow that advice.
I wish you a speedy return to a less stressful lifestyle and I plan to enjoy another tour to Egypt with you.
With best wishes
Mike Clegg
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Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Dear Mike, Thanks for your kind message and I’m so sorry to hear how difficult things have been for you lately. I remember our time in Egypt together very well and I’m so sorry to learn that Monica is no longer with us. I hope you are coping with your own illness well enough, and I would love to think that we could travel together in Egypt at some point. I’ll look forward to that! All the best in the meantime, Chris
So sorry to hear you have reached this point in your life, but there is only one way up when you hit rock bottom. I understand how you feel when you have ‘no gas left in the tank’. It’s a slow process, but you will get there. Take care of you, and plenty of rest, and breaks in nature.
Thank you Suzanne, I really appreciate you taking the trouble to write 🙏 Best wishes, Chris
bravo! I’m sure that was a difficult note to write and an even more difficult realization and personal decision to make.
you are quite brilliant and anyone reading your note knows that and empathizes. The world will be patiently waiting your return and time will certainly not diminish your popularity.
please take your time and please check in every once and a while.
Thank you Kerry, this was lovely to read. Quite honestly I wrote the note in a very anxious moment on yet another aeroplane, desperately in need of a break. Writing the note in itself was helpful, and posting it all the more so now that I have read the kind comments like yours, thank you 🙏 Chris
Dear Chris,
I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time. As you say, being freelance can be liberating but, also stressful. The safety net of paid employment is especially important when life is hard. I’m glad you’ve decided to try to step back a bit. I appreciate all the hard work you put into the YouTube channel, your website and everything else you do. Look after yourself, your health and wellbeing is the most important thing.
Best wishes, Lyn Baines
Thanks so much Lyn, it’s great to have your support, I really appreciate it! 🙏 All the very best, Chris
Hard times often come in clusters — I really related to this after coming through one of the hardest years of my life. With the right people around me, I’ve come out of it stronger, with a completely different perspective on life. It’s beautiful and invaluable.
Don’t get me wrong — I still have a road ahead of me, but where I was and where I’m heading now are two very different directions. Thank you for your honesty, and best of luck creating more space and balance going forward.
Thank you Chiya, I’m sorry to hear that things have been difficult for you too but very encouraged to know that you feel stronger now! Thanks for sharing a little of your experience and for your kind words of support 🙏 Best wishes, Chris
I applaud you for the decision to both take good care of yourself, and to be forthright in your decision. It’s not easy to step away from the work that you do, as there are always many who would relish the opportunity to step in where you might leave off. However, I think there comes a time for all of us to make the choice to realign ourselves with whatever challenges we may face. I know a few who would greatly benefit from doing what you are doing! Best of luck and good health! May the new year be better for all of us, Virginia
Thank you Virginia, I really appreciative supportive messages like this, much appreciated!
Welcome to the Club
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your honest message. I am sorry that you had and still face such a stressful and also sad time! I was always wondering how you could manage so many different projects at nearly one time.
You are a very kind person and a brilliant egyptologist. Whatever you do, please set yourself at first priority. This is not easy, obviously there is so much passion towards your work. Hopefully you take the important break you need gaining back strength and happiness. Health is most valuable, take care of yourself!
Best wishes from Astrid
Dear Astrid, Thank you so much for your very kind and supportive message, I really appreciate it! It’s great to know that there are such nice people around, thank you 🙏 Very best wishes, Chris
It takes much longer to deal with bereavement than the world as it is gives space for, so even more with extra burdens of emotional and administrative difficulty, you need to learn to carve out time for yourself.
The positive news is that if you can do so, rest properly, learn to pace yourself, you will feel the water beneath the keel again, and enthusiasm returning. I hope, for your sake, it will be soon. But no pressure!
Thanks Rachel! I have been learning how this all this works on the hop as it were. Some of the unwanted admin is done now and I’m glad to have survived so far but still need to be better at planning to take a break… Wish me luck! Thanks again, I really appreciate your kind thoughts 🙏 All the best, Chris
Something I was told when I was grieving after my Dad died – your brain is rewiring itself to deal with the absence of the person in your life. It occasionally drops connections without warning in the process (think a chaos of utilities being rearranged). That’s why occasionally you feel completely witless or confused, or however it takes you. I lost my vocabulary (normally considerable), my pleasure in reading (likewise), and my ability to embroider (ditto). I’m pretty much back to myself now, so it does pass. Wishing all good luck, and kind friends nearby.
Chris, so sorry to hear you are going through a really rough patch, and so glad that you are going to give yourself a break. I admire your candour. You seem to have a good perspective on where you are and why, and I sincerely hope that with a reduced workload and giving yourself some time and space, that you will start to feel better soon.
I am a huge admirer of your work, since I first saw “The Man who Discovered Egypt”. The passion and enthusiasm that you have for your subject is so infectious. You will always be in demand. I was lucky enough to meet you at a book signing once, a good few years ago now, you were utterly charming.
Take Care
Gillian
Dear Gillian, Oh this is lovely to read, thanks, I really appreciate these very kind words 🙏 All the best, Chris