Breaking Point: From Burnout to Resilience - Part One

Living under constant pressure has been normal for me. Thriving on it, I made building mental toughness my life’s mission. I'm the first up in the morning, the last to go to bed at night - only when every goal for that day has been achieved. My days are a whirlwind of fast-paced decision making, and the relentless pursuit to be better. How is it then that in October 2022 my life changed, and not for the better?

As the Managing Director of a small family business, the growth over the past couple of years has been rewarding. We've welcomed five new team members in the last 12 months, so the effort seems to be paying off. It's midday, time to stop for a quick bite to eat after the monthly marketing meeting. I open my emails to ensure no fires need putting out before lunch. BANG! An intense pain grips both sides of my head, and the room spins, fast. My heart races, palms sweat, and I start to feel cold, really cold. What just happened? I know I haven't been hit in the head; I'm alone in a small office.

Desperately seeking relief, I turn to Google with one eye shut to ease the nausea. "How to stop dizziness," I type. The advice is simple: drink water. I down the rest of my glass and sit still, reassuring myself that this will pass. I've had minor dizzy spells before, but this feels different. Five minutes drag on like an eternity. My head pounds, heart rate surpasses 100bpm, and the dizziness is getting worse. Reality sets in—it won't stop. I need to go home.

The journey home felt like eternity and sitting in a moving car certainly wasn't the cure! When I finally got dropped off at home, I was ready to just try and sleep it off, but my family had other ideas, and rightly so. I sat in a chair as lying down made it worse. My eyes were shut as I sat and absorbed my pain. Telling myself, as if I was part way through a difficult workout, 'come on just enjoy this, it'll make you stronger'. Someone came in my room and told me an ambulance is on the way. An ambulance? I asked, I'll be fine; I'll sleep this off and be at work tomorrow, I can't take time out. The ambulance is on its way; they suspect it might be an aneurysm.

they suspect it might be an aneurysm.

In moments like these, your expectations shatter, unforeseen obstacles loom large, and it's hard to slow down and accept the things you cannot change. I've been through challenges before, not exactly like this but I always expect to bounce back and be back at it again within a day or so.

Now, 12 months later, having weathered numerous setbacks, I am determined to do whatever I can to help others who have either experienced burnout or are perhaps unknowingly on the pathway to it. No one warned me about burnout, sure, I had people telling me to rest but thought I was strong enough to endure anything. Burnout, however, spares no one. It's time to stand up and protect the one thing we have - our mind and body.

Along the jouney I built The Burnout Recovery Gym, not a conventional gym but a gym for the mind and body. It's a collection of strategies, meticulously curated to improve health and well being.

I'll be telling the rest of my story in future blogs and sharing strategies about how I am recovering from extreme burnout. About how I've used it as an opportunity to learn, grow and rebuild myself. It's not been easy, losing my identity, being unable to communicate and having searing guilt. Yet there is a way through and understanding that you're not alone in this battle makes the journey slightly more manageable.

understanding that you're not alone in this battle makes the journey slightly more manageable.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!