The Health Portrait of High Performers: When the Pressure to Succeed Costs You Everything
Victoria Canham • 19 February 2025 • 5 min read
"I define high performance as reaching and sustaining long-term success, while also maintaining well-being and positive relationships." - Brendon Burchard
When people think of high performers, they picture confidence, sharp suits, and ambitious goals. But what often lies beneath the surface is a very different story—a person stretched to breaking point, battling the weight of relentless expectations, and quietly watching their physical and mental health take the fall.I know this because I’ve been there.
The Unseen Reality of High Performance
Burnout is no stranger to high performers. The very drive that makes you successful can also become your undoing. You’re juggling impossible demands—smashing targets, leading teams, growing businesses—while battling a backdrop of instability. Think return-to-office policies stripping away your flexibility or the economic uncertainty that makes every decision feel like a high-stakes gamble.
And let’s not forget the silent toll of global stressors: wars, polarisation, and the doomscrolling that makes “switching off” feel like an impossible luxury.
High performance, for many, has become less about thriving and more about surviving.
The Health Costs No One Talks About
Physical Health: The long hours, the late nights, and the stress eating/ drinking add up. You’re sitting more, moving less, and probably relying on caffeine (or something stronger) to get through the day. If you’re like many professionals, you’ve traded gym sessions for work calls, home-cooked meals for Deliveroo, and proper sleep for “just one more email.”
For me, a back injury (thanks "one more email") turned into surgery, which impacted my mental health and came with some long-term physical challenges, which I am finally, two years later, able to tackle. It’s a vicious cycle: stress impacts your body, and when your body fails, it impacts your mind.
Mental Health: Behind the polished exterior, how many high performers are dealing with anxiety, self-doubt, or flat-out depression? We live in a world where asking for help feels like admitting weakness. So, we push harder. Until we can’t.
This unrelenting pressure breeds a reliance on quick fixes—alcohol to unwind, stimulants to focus, or screens to distract. All of it numbs the problem but doesn’t solve it.
The Role of Relationships: Even high performers need support systems; one might argue that high performers especially need support systems. The weight of “doing it all” often isolates us from the people who matter most. Yet, strong, positive relationships are fundamental to resilience.
Whether it’s your partner, colleagues, or a trusted friend, these relationships aren’t just “nice to have.” They’re your safety net when everything else feels unstable. Prioritising connection is as critical as prioritising your next big project.
Holistic Health Isn’t Just for Kombucha Enthusiasts
Let’s address the elephant in the room: “holistic health” has been hijacked by Instagram wellness influencers and moon-howling retreats. But real holistic health isn’t about swilling kombucha or chanting in a drum circle. It’s about treating your whole self—mind, body, and relationships—as one interconnected system.
Holistic health means:
1. Taking care of your body: movement, nutrition, and rest
2. Protecting your mind: boundaries, mindfulness, and recovery
3. Investing in relationships: nurturing those who fill your cup instead of draining it
This isn’t about “woo-woo” habits. It’s about recognising that you can’t perform at your peak when any part of your health—physical, mental, or relational—is out of balance.
Why We’re Stuck
The societal narrative isn’t helping. You’re told to “be resilient,” to “pivot,” and to “keep pushing forward.” But what about when pushing forward feels like being shoved off a cliff?
You’re expected to give 110% without ever asking for flexibility in return. “Return to office” policies drag you back to commutes and rigid schedules, despite years of proving you’re more productive at home. Add the pressure of inflation, a shaky economy, soaring rail prices and the constant noise of bad news, and it’s no wonder high performers are hitting their limits.
Turning the Tide: What Needs to Change
The truth is, high performance starts with health. You can’t operate at your best if you’re running on empty. Here are three ways to shift the narrative (don’t worry, there are no lectures about alcohol coming your way, you’re an adult you can make adult decisions):
1. Redefine Success Success isn’t just about numbers, titles, or promotions. It’s about sustainability. Are you thriving or just surviving? Take a step back and ask: Am I creating a life I can maintain long-term?
2. Prioritise Recovery High performers often treat recovery like a luxury, not a necessity. It’s not optional. Whether it’s sleep, exercise, mindfulness, or therapy—these aren’t indulgences; they’re investments in your longevity.
For me, recovery started with accepting that I couldn’t “push through” physical pain or mental exhaustion. It required setting boundaries, seeking help, and recognising that rest isn’t weakness—it’s part of the strategy.
3. Strengthen Relationships You can’t perform in isolation. Strong, positive relationships provide the stability, encouragement, and reality checks you need to keep going. Don’t neglect the people who genuinely care about you—they’re an integral part of your growth and happiness strategy.
A Hard Look in the Mirror
Let’s be honest: many of us know what we should be doing. Eat better. Sleep more. Drink less. Move more. Scroll less. Drink more water. Build meaningful relationships. But knowing and doing are worlds apart.
The first step isn’t adding another “to-do” to your list; it’s asking yourself:
❇️ What’s one thing I can do today that my future self will thank me for?
❇️ Am I willing to prioritise my health with the same intensity I give my work?
The Truth About Instagram Wellness: It’s Not About Your Health
Scroll through social media, and you’ll find influencers peddling “essential” supplements for energy, focus, or performance. Let’s be clear: these people don’t care about your health—they care about selling a product, even if it doesn't work and sometimes, regardless of whether or not it will harm you.
Supplements have their place, but they’re not a replacement for the fundamentals. You can’t buy your way out of poor habits, and no influencer-sponsored magic pill will help you achieve genuine high performance. What you really need is far less glamorous: proper rest, nutritious meals, consistent movement, and a mindset that prioritises sustainable progress.
High performers don’t rely on gimmicks—they build their health through intention, discipline, and meaningful routines. It might not come in pretty packaging or promise overnight results, but the payoff is real, lasting transformation.
You’re Not Alone in This
The pressure to perform is real, but so is the opportunity to rewrite the story. It starts with recognising that your health isn’t a cost of success—it’s the foundation of it.
If you’re reading this and feeling that pull, that voice saying, 'Something has to change', then maybe it’s time to start. Let’s talk about where you are and how you can regain control of your health, your performance, and your life.
Book a confidential conversation with me, and let’s explore how we can rebuild your performance from the ground up—without sacrificing your health along the way—I can help you more than you may think.
Recommended Reading
Fast Asleep: How to get a really good night's rest by Dr Michael Mosley
A good night's sleep is essential for a healthy brain and body. So why do so many of us struggle to sleep well? In Fast Asleep, Dr Michael Mosley explains what happens when we sleep, what triggers common sleep problems and why standard advice rarely works.
Prone to insomnia, he has taken part in numerous sleep experiments and tested every remedy going. The result is a radical, four-week programme, based on the latest science, designed to help you re-establish a healthy sleep pattern in record time.
With plenty of surprising recommendations - including tips for teenagers, people working night shifts and those prone to jet lag - plus recipes which will boost your deep sleep by improving your gut microbiome, Fast Asleep provides the tools you need to sleep better, reduce stress and feel happier.
We’re not just about overcoming obstacles, we’re about transforming lives.
Book Recommendation
Victoria Canham - Your Performance Partner
Victoria is an ICF-accredited certified professional coach, who offers personalised performance coaching. With a background in change management and countless hours of professional coaching training and experience, I made the big switch to full-time coaching in 2020. I know what it is like to suddenly have the rug pulled out from under you while you're busy making other plans, as a result, I now help people like you to bounce back from adversity and major setbacks to emerge stronger and better than ever before. Our clients have transformed from feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges to confident, goal-driven individuals who navigate life's obstacles with ease. They've achieved their personal and professional objectives and embodied peak performance in all aspects of life. You too can experience this transformation. This is your moment. Your chance to take control, to choose growth over stagnation, achievement over inaction. This is your opportunity to prove to yourself that you're not defined by your challenges—you're defined by how you rise above them. Are you ready to transform your life and achieve peak performance?
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