From Burnout to Breakthrough: Building Resilience in High-Stress Environments

SUMMARY

Ever feel like you’re constantly running on empty? In today’s fast-paced world, burnout is not just a risk — it’s a reality for many professionals. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress.

Hi, this is Grant Herbert, Leadership and Sustainable Performance Coach. Today, I want to have a conversation with you about going from burnout to breakthrough — building resilience in an environment of high stress.

Stress is an amazing thing. It is something that every single one of you needs in your life so that you can actually get things done. But there are two types of stress, and unfortunately, the unhealthy kind is what most of you are overwhelmed by.

You have what’s called eustress — stress that does not last for long periods of time.

Then there is distress — the unhealthy stress.

In the work I do — predominantly in law firms — I help great technical leaders become great leaders of themselves and others. The incidence of distress reaching the point of mental illness is one in two, compared to the general population, which is one in five.

So, the first thing I want to do is give you an overview of three key areas you need to be aware of and work on, so that you can get back to a healthy level of stress. These three areas are: resilience, stress management, and personal agility.

As we go through these three key areas, I want you to take notes. But more importantly, I want you to take note. I want you to build awareness. Let this be an opportunity for you to learn some key strategies from someone who got it all wrong — and then made it their life’s purpose to learn more about the brain, the body, and how all of this works.

Not at a scientific or academic level, but in a way that makes sense — where you can understand what is happening and what you can do about it.

Resilience is something every single one of you can build — and you need to.

Burnout is not a badge of honour — it is a warning sign. I want to encourage you to come on this journey with me, where you commit to taking small and consistent steps to safeguard your health, your energy, and therefore, your performance.

I will see you then.

TRANSCRIPT

Ever feel like you’re constantly running on empty? In today’s fast-paced world, burnout is not just a risk — it’s a reality for many professionals. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress.

This was a major challenge in my own life. The way I looked at things — the way I allowed things to get me down, to stress me out — caused me to become really, really sick. I had a breakdown. My body said, “No more, you need to take a rest.” Even though I was hearing signs along the way, I ignored them. I kept pushing myself to the point where the decision was taken out of my hands. My body just gave up. I was physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally worn out. There was nothing left to give.

Hi, this is Grant Herbert, Leadership and Sustainable Performance Coach. Today, I want to have a conversation with you about going from burnout to breakthrough — building resilience in an environment of high stress.

Stress is an amazing thing. It is something that every single one of you needs in your life so that you can actually get things done. But there are two types of stress, and unfortunately, the unhealthy kind is what most of you are overwhelmed by.

You have what’s called eustress — stress that does not last for long periods of time. It comes in shorter bursts and often shows up when you’re unsure about what is going on or when situations arise, but you still feel in control.

Then there is distress — the unhealthy stress. This is prolonged stress that continues and becomes chronic. You begin to feel helpless and out of control. This is the type of stress that is creating burnout at a higher prevalence than ever before.

In the work I do — predominantly in law firms — I help great technical leaders become great leaders of themselves and others. The incidence of distress reaching the point of mental illness is one in two, compared to the general population, which is one in five.

That is why I am passionate about doing this work — to help lawyers and other legal professionals, and indeed anyone in professional services, to get more done without burning out.

Attraction and retention of great people and burnout are the two key problems that are universal across law firms around the world.

So, the first thing I want to do is give you an overview of three key areas you need to be aware of and work on, so that you can get back to a healthy level of stress. These three areas are: resilience, stress management, and personal agility.

I have found that when you master these three areas, you are able to get things done and navigate situations in this ever-changing, fast-paced world without it leading to overwhelm and exhaustion.

What I am going to do over the course of this month is go deeper into each of these three areas. In fact, this week, I will drop three short videos — one on each of those areas — to give you an overview of what we are going to cover and why each is important.

My goal with this video — and the others I will share this week — is to get your attention. Unfortunately, you might be just like I was: putting your head in the sand and continuing to work, believing that it is just the way things are. You may be thinking, “This profession is supposed to be stressful. Everyone is stressed.” You wear stress as a badge. And whatever you allow to go through your brain, perhaps you are simply avoiding the inevitable — not listening to what your body is telling you.

I want to get your attention. I truly wish someone had done that for me 10 or 12 years ago, before I went through my physical and mental breakdown — when I went from being a high achiever with plenty of energy to someone who did not want to get out of bed each day. I became tired so quickly, intolerant of clients and other people — particularly family members whom I love so much.

This story is all too familiar and common, which is why I want to get your attention.

Today is the day for you to draw a line in the sand and say, “I need to start looking after myself. I need to shift and unlearn some of the things I have believed about myself and what I need to do to move forward. I need to get back into priority — and that first priority needs to be me.”

As we go through these three key areas, I want you to take notes. But more importantly, I want you to take note. I want you to build awareness. Let this be an opportunity for you to learn some key strategies from someone who got it all wrong — and then made it their life’s purpose to learn more about the brain, the body, and how all of this works.

Not at a scientific or academic level, but in a way that makes sense — where you can understand what is happening and what you can do about it.

Resilience is something every single one of you can build — and you need to.

Stress management techniques are vital for continuing to perform at the high level you are operating at. Being able to shift and become more agile in your thinking and in the way you do things is the antidote to this fast-paced world of constant change.

Burnout is not a badge of honour — it is a warning sign. I want to encourage you to come on this journey with me, where you commit to taking small and consistent steps to safeguard your health, your energy, and therefore, your performance.

I will see you then.