“Success only comes to those that work hard, and grind long hours at the office.” It may be true if you work in a mine, however in today’s office the ones who have the sharpest minds win and win by a mile. When we are sharp and diligent, innovative and alert we do enter certain mental states where of mind, where we manage distractions well, focus on what is the most important at that moment.
Focusing on too many things for too long will get you burned
If you live in the UK, you probably heard about Vanessa Ford, a former 47-year-old partner at the law firm Pinsent Masons in the City, who died at a train collision in 2023. Her husband stated that she was an exhausted lawyer and mother working 18-hour days on the deal and feeling guilty about not spending time with her children. While the exact cause of death was a train collision during a mental health crisis, her excessive work schedule was a significant contributing factor, sparking debate about the intense work culture in the legal industry.
Karoshi – Japanese term of dying at the work
My name is Audrius, I have been doing extensive business development globally, working with over 70 countries in high performance industries such as Banking, Aviation, Energy. I remember those nights, where I was on my Blackberry (yes, baby!) chasing those last deals before the end of the quarter.
I burned out several times not even realising it, until my health succumbed so much and I couldn’t speak, move my neck, back, had gastric reflux etc. I was cooked. I lost attention had several accidents and that has helped me to get back on track but with different mental aptitude and work on solving that cripples our businesses and talents around the world.
When we get too much stress or burnout we want to escape: plan another business trip, book a holiday or change what seems to be the source of stress – the job
Senior managers now change their positions every 2-3 years. And as they leave, they take their Know-How, Commercial Secrets etc with them.
By leaving they allow themselves a month or two break and then join the new company and enjoy a honeymoon period. But ever so often they bring their exhaustion with them and burnout again and again.
Hard Truth
- 27% of all sick leaves in the EU were attributed to mental health reasons in 2024 (Euronews)
- 66% of the European employees and 77% of the US employees are experiencing chronic work related stress and burnout, especially in high-pressure sectors (ClinicalSocialWork, Apa)
- in the US, 57% reported negative impacts of work stress, including emotional exhaustion (31%), reduced motivation (26%), and a desire to quit (23%), which are all markers associated with burnout (Apa).
- 33-200% of annual salary, that is how much it now costs to replacing a single employee in Europe: for a worker earning €40,000, replacement costs may reach €15,000 or more (Randstad, Inspirus and Sparkbay).
- In Europe, adults identified stress (53%) and sleep (40%) as the lifestyle factors with the largest impact on mental health, with younger adults (18-34 years old) particularly affected (Stress.org, Psychiatry.org).
It is wrong to separate personal and work life
If you feel stress at work, you will bring it home and your relationships will suffer and vice versa – domestic stress will echo at work.
We carry emotional load and discharge it in one way or another, often treating our loved ones or colleagues worst, because they were near when the bubble bursts
I have had a chance to work with some of the worlds largest and notorious companies as their employee, service provider or a client and saw exactly how exhaustion and stress affect their employees, company’s internal culture, team morale and financial results.
But there is also good news. With ever increasing body of research on causes of anxiety and stress, we get more and more insights on what works in such situation.
Despite the availability of effective treatments, WHO estimates that only about 1 in 4 people with an anxiety disorder receive any form of treatment, with barriers including low awareness, lack of services, and stigma. (WHO)
Winds of Change
Based on the latest studies, hypnosis is widely recognised as highly effective tool to manage stress, anxiety, anger and boost confidence:
- A 2025 study in Frontiers in Psychology showed that a single brief hypnosis session during a normal working day significantly reduced objective sympathetic stress responses (skin conductance reactivity) and improved subjective stress ratings in 18 of 20 participants, supporting the idea that short hypnosis or self‑hypnosis breaks can down‑regulate workplace stress physiology. (Frontiers In Psychology)
- A randomized trial of “mindful hypnotherapy” (8 weekly sessions + self‑hypnosis practice) in highly stressed adults reported large reductions in perceived stress and psychological distress, with big effect sizes on anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and anger, and high adherence to home practice. (Taylor and Francis)
- Clinical and survey data indicate that practitioners regard hypnosis as especially effective for stress reduction, anxiety, enhancing confidence, and supporting mindfulness and emotional regulation – core capacities for entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals facing high responsibility and constant decision pressure. (Apa, Frontiers in Psychology)
I have asked myself what can be done to make business world to be more aware and respond to the challenge. Talking about it is one, then demonstrating the power of change is the most important, because in business we are tied up to specific outcomes. That is how BrainReco concept was created. Consider it to be a SPA for business minds.
What is BrainReco?
BrainReco is a methodology that deals with work related anxiety, stress, loss of purpose as well as looks into personal matters that, when transformed increase general performance, productivity and wellbeing.
The aim is to provide necessary tools and support for future leaders to reach their goals on their own terms, without sacrificing their health, families and wellbeing.
BrainReco – is an individual 3 week course to recover body and mind from prolonged exposure to stress, anxiety, loss of purpose and thoughts that are pressing most. Each week during a one-on-one session the most pressing matters will be addressed and worked on. A Client takes a simple test before and after the course evaluating the success.
BrainReco Advanced – is an individual comprehensive 8 week course with Self Hypnosis Practices for those who want not only overcome their challenges but also excell far beyond in what they are good at. A series of short 1 min tests are taken before each session allowing to adjust the trajectory and benefit from the course most.
The results? Motivation, emotional wellbeing, mental clarity and confidence to achieve set goals.
Be it personal or business, if it affects overall performance, we can address it.
What we won’t do ⛔️: clinical depression or other clinical diseases won’t be treated.
This programme is designed to enhance performance not to diagnose or treat mental disease.
If you are overgoing stress, anxiety or have some work related fears, lost your purpose, let’s discuss what you are going through in a 15 min meeting, which you can book here: https://calendly.com/soulfulb/15
or email audrius@soulfulb.com
Yours,
Audrius Kazlauskas
PS. below are some photos from my past. Despite the appearance I was going fast into a burnout.
