Gustaf is thirty-three; a highly motivated Civil Engineer who graduated in 2015. He’s studied, travelled, skied and surfed. When he wasn’t studying, it was all about work, all-consuming, and he threw himself into it. There have been various companies along the way, but the approach has always been with the same intensity; hard work, long hours and to do the best job possible. Until one day it all became too much. Gustaf was tired all the time and he lost his motivation to work, but it went further than that, to the point where the walls were caving in and he couldn’t get out of bed.

“That’s where the last bit of energy went. I was feeling really bad. Like, really bad. So, I talked to my boss and said, we need to do something”.

Through his boss, Gustaf connected with My-E-Health, and the effect was “life changing”. He completed the online assessments and they showed that he was on the brink of burning out, a high degree of stress and a high risk for General Anxiety Disorder on the My-E-Health EFP Assessment Scale™. He’d been teetering there for some time. The assessments were a turning point.

“Something I really liked was knowing that whatever I answer here, something will happen. It’ll have an impact and there’ll be a reaction, which is what you need when you feel the way I did. It was really powerful to see the graphs and see where I was, very close to the red zone for a lot of things. That was a big eye opener for me to understand why I was feeling the way I did”.

Following the assessments, Gustaf intensive therapy sessions (sometimes lasting 3 to 4 hours at a time) and he also got to use the floating tanks (a Sensory Deprivation Chambre or Floating Pod where he could “float like a cork” in a Magnesium Salt solution). It was one of the most powerful things he has ever done, and he thinks everyone should do it. Trying to describe the feeling, he compared the experience to cross country skiing alone in remote mountains, where there is only you, and all you can see are mountains and snow.

“I could relax and even sleep. I could let my brain rest for an hour and that was amazing. I don’t know how to explain it, but the second time I did it, I woke up as a new person. And then talking afterwards, it was really powerful, because it brought down my defence routines and it was much easier to open-up. I was relaxed and felt safe”.

Gustaf quickly noticed a change in the way he was feeling. There was a dramatic decrease in his stress and anxiety, and he developed a deep understanding of why he was feeling the way he was. He could rationalise his thoughts and look at things differently, which he hadn’t felt able to do before. Even as things happened to throw him off course, Gustaf found that he could cope and tell himself that it wasn’t the end of the world and that things were going to be ok.

There were other events and aspects of life that had contributed to Gustaf’s near burnout and anxiety, but he recognised the main cause was putting too much into work and neglecting himself and a good work/life balance.

“Mostly I’d been working too much and forgot about life outside of work. I was asked ‘when did you make a proper meal for yourself and listen to good music and just enjoy yourself’. I realised that was years ago. So that was one of the first things I started to do”.

Gustaf started to appreciate himself again and see his worth. No longer stuck in overdrive he slowed things down and started to “smell the roses”.

“I’ve started to take the time to appreciate the small things in life and the essentials in life. It’s about doing something that’s good for you because it’s all about valuing yourself, which is something that I didn’t do before”. 

Gustaf has now found the courage to leave his job because he knows now what is important to him and the things he wants in life and in work. And he knows it is up to him to make these things happen.

“I have to be the captain of my boat, as my therapist would say. I can take charge of my ship and where I’m going. Which is something I could never do or be before. A few months back I could think about it but never have the energy to take the step”.

 He doesn’t have a solid plan, but for the first time in his life, Gustaf realises that it’s ok. He is relishing the prospect of being the “Captain” his own destiny.

“I think the biggest lesson in all of this is that there are worse things in life, so don’t beat yourself up. If you’re unhappy in work, you can change it. Don’t let work control life, let life control work”.

Gustaf knows he now has the tools to cope if things don’t go to plan. He’s learned to see things from different perspectives and appreciate that things aren’t black and white, life and work are complicated and it’s important to see the whole picture.

He has a strong belief that monitoring people’s mental health and work/life balance is key to not letting things get to breaking point, like it did for him. He uses a speed camera analogy; they remind you that there’s a limit, and if you break it, there is a consequence. But by then it’s too late.  Gustaf points out that what’s far more important, is to track everyone’s average speed over time and act before they reach the limit.

“For a limited time, you can drive fast and it’s all good but when the average starts to creep up you never have the time to relax and slowdown. The higher average becomes the new normal, meaning you feel that you need to increase the speed even more to be something, to be valuable. It’s a vicious cycle”.