By Jochem Bossenbroek | Executive in Life Sciences & Health | IMAGINE leader

This question forced me to take responsibility for my situation. It pushed me to start with a baseline analysis, to think about the desirable outcome, and to design a process that would bridge the gap. It also allowed me to trust that a well-structured process would automatically lead to the desired result. Finally, it turned out that asking this question would lead me to full recovery.

Step 1: Baseline analysis

I began with a baseline analysis, including a medical examination to rule out other health issues. Fortunately, no illness was found. A comprehensive blood test revealed no serious

deficiencies—other than low Vitamin B12, which I addressed with a simple supplement. From there, I knew my symptoms were solely attributable to burnout. But what is burnout, really, on a biophysical level?

The little energy I had in those first weeks went into a deep dive into burnout and mental health literature, along with guidance from my GP and an excellent physiotherapist. Three fundamental insights from these sources proved extremely helpful:

1. Chronic stress can cause irreversible brain damage. When the brain is overloaded, it produces excessive cortisol. If this continues for too long, it can lead to permanent (brain) damage. I had always assumed stress symptoms were easy to overcome but had never realised how serious it could be. This was my wake-up call. Fortunately, my GP assured me that my condition was still reversible.

2. Over-breathing exacerbates stress. Under high mental load, we tend to breathe too much air, leading to various detrimental health effects. The good news? This can be controlled with specific breathing techniques that have an immediate positive impact. The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown explains this very well. I started walking in nature while practising the breathing exercises, which brought instant relief.

3. The mind plays tricks on us. Left unchecked, our thinking is riddled with illusions, blind spots, and unhelpful mental loops. Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer at Google X, explains this brilliantly in Solve for Happy, illustrating how joy can be engineered. I wish I had read this book when I was 24. It helped me begin unravelling and rewiring my thinking towards joy.

Step 2: Defining the desired outcome

Once I accepted and understood my situation at both a mental and biophysical level, I considered my desired outcome. My first thought was full recovery, but to what extent? How I felt last summer? In 2023? 2022? Defining those states proved difficult. A more tangible goal was simply to feel full of energy again, with a smile on my face for no reason, ready to embark on new missions. That became my new focus. I also set a timeline: on my birthday, 1st March, I would conduct an intermediate progress check and fine-tune my approach if needed.

Step 3: Defining the process

With a clear understanding of my situation and a measurable objective, I needed to design a process to make the desired outcome inevitable. In practice, I didn’t map it all out from the start; rather, the process evolved along the way. Looking back, it followed these key steps:

1. Stepping down as CEO. I had no choice but to replace myself and communicate this to my colleagues and shareholders. This was by far the hardest step, but I believe it was the right and honest thing to do. I remain deeply grateful for the support and understanding I received, particularly from my business coach, who helped me see what was necessary.

2. Allowing my body to rest. After making the tough decision, my energy levels dropped drastically—almost to survival mode. During this phase, I bonded with our cat, watched a lot of Netflix and Disney documentaries (Limitless with Chris Hemsworth is highly recommended), practised breathing techniques, and took short walks. The patience of my wife and the love of my kids were the real treatment here.

3. Walking and reflecting. As my energy crept back to 20-25%, I took longer walks in the beautiful Dutch forests (De Veluwe). Each walk was an opportunity to practise Oxygen Advantage breathing techniques and reflect on the root cause of my burnout. Eventually, I realised the uncomfortable truth: a misalignment between my mind, heart, and gut.

4. Journaling. I made it a habit to capture insights on paper. My notebook has been with me constantly, helping me clear my mind and revisit my thoughts later.

5. Priotising sleep and nutrition. I aimed for eight hours of sleep, which usually follows sufficient physical activity during the day and mindful evening routine. Nutrition-wise I mostly follow the Mediterranean diet principles, tuned to my gluten intolerance and personal nutrition needs. No big changes here.

6. Creating a ‘happy list’. I listed activities that bring me joy. My happy list now includes 26 items such as playing with my kids, making a wood fire and learning something new. Whenever I need a happiness boost, I pick an activity from this list.

7. Systemic constellations. With rising energy levels I did something that was slightly uncomfortable first, but a huge game changer overall: I enrolled to a sequence of two individual sessions and a three-day retreat with a focus on systemic constellations, under expert guidance. This helped reveal and dissolve energy leaks, obstructive patterns, and other negative distortions in my system. It also helped (re-)surfacing my true personal mission for this life. Never have I gained so much relief and clarity in such a short time frame. After day one of the retreat I found myself smiling again – for no apparent reason.

8. Listening to music. Music can be enjoyed at any moment, at any energy level and even with closed eyes. Whenever I felt like it, I put on my noise-cancelling headphones and let the music transport me.

9. Adjusting physical exercise. Here’s something I overlooked. Under the impression that physical exercise would bring me closer to my objective, I returned to resistance training too soon. I quickly discovered that high intensity workouts had a draining rather than a supportive effect. On my physiotherapist’s advice, I refrained from intense exercise for two months, focusing instead on lighter activities.

10. Studying the Yoga Sutras. For a reason I can’t recall, I ordered a book by Dr. Taimni explaining the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali – originating from the period 200 – 500 AD. It contains 196 sutras (concise statements with a deep meaning) that reflect true wisdom on a range of worldly and spiritual topics, including mental wellbeing. Submerging myself in this ancient wisdom created space to deepen my thinking and build on the insights from the systemic constellations sessions.

11. Re-introducing my Yoga breathing routine. Inspired by the Yoga Sutras, I picked-up the breathing routine I learned years ago during courses offered by The Art of Living Foundation. Pranayama, SKY Breathing and other techniques nicely complement The Oxygen Advantage exercises. The breath, I discovered, is a remote control for the nervous system—allowing me to shift from stress to clarity within minutes. It’s now a daily habit.

12. Meditation. Though new to me, meditation has proven invaluable. I still have a long way to go, but even now, I notice its calming effect and the clarity it brings afterward.

The outcome

Fortunately, the process has brought me to the desired outcome. On March 1 I already woke up with 70-80% of my target energy level and today I’m fully charged again, with much more clarity, and, most importantly, a smile on my face. Looking back, this journey has been about more than recovery. It has been a recalibration—aligning my mind, heart, and gut in ways I had never considered before. That has brought me to the wonderful position of co-initiating a novel mental performance platform, and launching the Sublime Coherence blog, where I share stories of courageous leaders working towards positive impact.