Updated on NOV 19 2025 | Published on NOV 19 2025
Best evidence-based burnout recovery and digital detox retreats to reset your life in 2026
We’ve never been busier - all the more reason to switch off our screens and turn off our tech, says Christine Fieldhouse, Retreat Editor of The Global Retreat Company
With iPhones pinging, tablets beeping and laptops buzzing, we’re never far away from our tech these days, and year on year, our average daily screentime is mounting and eating into more of our minutes, if not hours. Research has found the average person aged between 16 and 64 spends at least six hours a day on an internet-connected device.
The problem is constant connectivity signals to our brains that we’re ‘switched on’ all the time and it triggers our sympathetic nervous system into believing there’s danger lurking ahead. This puts us into the state of fight or flight, which is very useful if we’re in serious peril.
But, if life is relatively smooth, albeit busy, this heightened activity can raise our levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which regulates our sleep-wake cycle, blood pressure and blood sugar. Raised cortisol can also lead to anxiety and depression, headaches, weight gain and problems with digestion. There’s also mounting evidence that burnout is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
What is a digital detox and why will professionals benefit from one?
The research sounds alarming, doesn’t it? It is, but a digital detox could be the answer. By going cold turkey and taking time out from our devices, or by reducing or limiting the time we spend on them, we can reset our nervous system.
And if our willpower isn’t strong enough to make this change ourselves, that’s where a digital detox retreat can help anyone, from burnt-out professionals working long hours in finance, law or business, to those struggling with emotional issues such as grief, relationship problems or a lack of purpose.
How can mindfulness and stress reset retreats combat burnout?
Digital detox retreats not only help with burnout recovery, but they can also reset our stress levels and our mental health with yoga, meditation and breathwork.
They also rewild us and immerse us in nature, with activities like forest bathing.
Why choose a UK digital detox retreat?
Over the years, the team at The Global Retreat Company has tried and tested dozens of digital detox retreats – many of which have been in the UK.
Here are two that have really stood out:
Broughton Sanctuary, set in 3,000 acres near Skipton on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, offers a plethora of programmes, including mindfulness and forest bathing.
Popular with both men and women looking to reset their mental health, these North Yorkshire retreats are well worth the four-hour train journey from London!
As well as burnout recovery, wellness and sleep optimisation, retreats at Broughton Sanctuary offer a recharge in blissful nature. You can stroll along walking trails, enjoy nutritious food, and experience labyrinths, sound baths, floatation tanks, yoga, forest bathing, wild swimming, woodland saunas and hot tubs.
One of our very favourite UK retreats is Combe Grove Centre of Health and Wellbeing near Bath in Somerset - just under 90 minutes by train from London.
Specialising in gut health, and strongly encouraging a digital detox, this retreat offers ground-breaking programmes developed by experts including doctors, dietitians and nutritionists.
Combe Grove’s signature programme is The Metabolic Health Retreat, which focuses on the five pillars of good health – nutrition, movement, sleep, mindset and environment. It’s perfect for stressed professionals needing a break and a chance to reset their gut – their second brain, which in turn regulates their digestion and boosts their immune system.
Everything at Combe Grove is thoroughly researched and backed with science. You’ll have comprehensive medical testing for the key indicators of metabolic health – including cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides, and your body fat composition, as well as a diet and lifestyle consultation with a nutritionist or dietitian.
Spend your downtime relaxing in the 17th century country house and exploring 70 acres of beautiful grounds.
It’s time to make stress and burnout recovery your priority with a digital detox escape in the UK. Take a look at our holistic health retreats all over the world to choose your retreat for burnout recovery in 2026.