“13 {95388bbb2e9df0f2b3d26445fc24fe82185b1b567dbb094bc3a45074083d0a2b} of the Dutch workforce suffers from burnout symptoms,” Hidde de Vries said. In the United States it is around 53 {95388bbb2e9df0f2b3d26445fc24fe82185b1b567dbb094bc3a45074083d0a2b}. “Why have we not found a way yet to deal effectively with work stress?”
For most of his career De Vries has had strong ties with marketing and communication, beginning with obtaining his bachelor’s degree in this field. After attaining his diploma he became an account manager for a printing company, but after a couple of years he went back to the field of communication and public relations. His main focus was to help various brands garner more awareness, and even founded his own agency. He currently works for Google, and has founded a new company called 7 Day Recharge.
De Vries searched for the antidote after almost suffering from a burnout himself. His company had not managed to survive the economic crisis, and though he managed to close it without debt, he felt like he was indebted to himself. He found the antidote to be composed of three elements: “Energy, focus and happiness.”
“Use your energy to focus on one thing, something that makes you happy,” he said. De Vries tried various methods to help get more energy and stay better focussed through a combination of healthy nutrition, yoga and mindfulness. He settled on a series of good practices, healthy breakfast, regular breaks and no electronic appliances after 9 pm. By balancing these three elements and taking care of himself, he had more energy and better focus. Soon he found himself reinvigorated. “And I am still a workaholic.”
