How finally paying attention to his physical and emotional pain helped a senior finance director reconnect with himself and support key relationships in work and life.
On the outside, Mark Harris had it all: he was a talented athlete, was an incredible student and had a successful career, wonderful girlfriend, and supportive family. He was used to keeping calm and performing in the most challenging situations, taking care of the people around him and carrying the burden of stress.
But when his relationships were disrupted, Mark began to experience a variety of things including panic attacks, memory loss, anxiety, depression and migraines. He discovered that he was staying busy with a crazy work schedule and social life to avoid those difficult feelings and realized that avoiding his own pain did not make it go away but instead increased it, manifesting in a variety of ways. When he finally paid attention to this struggle, he began to heal himself and be more deeply connected to his relationships.
In this episode, we explore the tendency to take care of others to avoid our own vulnerabilities, the role that high performance plays in aiding this avoidance, and how external success does not indicate inner invulnerability.
You can find out more about Mark by visiting https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-harris-cfa-82a18a10/. If you like what you've heard and want to be part of our podcast community, participate in special events, or discover the wisdom waking up in your own breakdown, check out our website at www.breakdownwakeup.com.
The Break Down. Wake Up. Season 1 podcast is sponsored by JAEC Foundation: Rethinking Mental Health.