Looking Back

Have you ever looked back and wondered why❓

Early in my career, there was a period when I was so focused on work that I lost focus on my health, well-being and relationships. I pushed myself to the limit, trying to meet deadlines and exceed expectations, believing that hard work and perseverance were all I needed to succeed. I worked long hours, started drinking too much to ‘unwind’ and cut down on exercise. I thought work was going well but I wasn’t at my best and my performance was suffering.

A few things have stuck in my mind from that time:

➡ I remember being in the office late one evening trying to catch up. I thought everyone had gone but one of the company owners wandered by and asked me why I was still there. I said ‘Well, you’re still here’. He said ‘Well I ended up getting divorced because I never left the office, so I’ve got no reason to go home’.
➡ I remember sitting on a balcony somewhere hot on holiday sending text messages to the office (the ‘olden days’ before email and iPhones) with my wife glaring at me and asking if I intended to do that all holiday.
➡ I remember when I was playing a training game with my water polo team I had to be stopped from fighting with one of my team mates because I was wound so tight.

I’m not proud of any of these memories but I share them with you to illustrate what happens when you don’t focus on all aspects of your life. Work and performance are absolutely critical but if you neglect your well-being, they will suffer and so will those around you.

To combat this, try and find time for:

💚 Regular exercise (walking is a great start. I’ve started open-water swimming!)
💚 Good quality sleep (7 to 9 hours with consistent sleep and wake-up times if possible)
💚 Eating as little ultra-processed food as possible
💚 Some quiet reflective time (massively helps innovation and creativity and reduces stress)
💚 Getting outside
💚 Mindfulness and maybe even a short meditation or breath work
💚 Social interactions and hobbies

Have you ever had a similar experience where neglecting your health led to burnout? What changes did you make to reclaim your well-being?

If any of this is familiar and you think you might need support with issues at work (a promotion, a new team or boss, business change or other stress) or you have been neglecting your well-being and need ideas on what to do to improve so that you can perform at work and enjoy your personal life, let me know.