Jacky Francis Walker | Source | Founder, Burnout Expert, Coach and Psychotherapist at The Harley Consultancy

As a high performer, you have long-standing ways of dealing with challenging situations. Some good, some less good, some developed many decades ago (but quite likely outdated by now).

However, chances are that these strategies are the very ones that make it more probable that you will experience burnout. Helpful in the beginning, but ultimately they become a problem in their own right. They become your Achilles Heel.

Most of the people I meet who are driven by passion (and I count myself amongst them), lose sight of looking after their own needs too. The 'cause' is so worthwhile that we are happy to put our everything into it. But we do have to put something back in our tanks too. If not, they soon get burned out.
It’s a paradox that we can be passionate about our careers, and love doing the work, but still get burned out. But it’s true.

I sometimes think of burnout as the emotional elastic giving way. Breaking down in the office, being signed off from work, feeling mentally ‘all over the shop’. This is what burnout typically looks like. If you have reached this point, it’s time to get help.