Prince Harry has told how he “experienced burnout” which left him “getting to the very end of everything that I had”.
The royal, 37, made the comments during a live stream alongside tennis star Serena Williams hosted by BetterUp, a mental health company he has been part of since last year.
The Duke of Sussex said he was “literally getting to the very end of everything that I had, any fuel or any steam in the engine just like I was burning the candle at both ends”.
He added: “And it was like boom, that is when you are forced to look inside yourself, because with everything else around you seemingly, you feel as though it’s working against you, the only way that you could really combat it.”
The duke told viewers about the importance of “self care” but said he knew how difficult it could be to find time.
He said: “The self care is the first thing that drops away. I’m happy to admit that as a husband, as a dad.”
During the conversation, Williams revealed her close relationship with the duke and how the royal is “always solving all my life’s problems.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, 40, said the pair talked for “hours” and he was a “coach” to her.
The platform, which matches clients with “coaches” who offer guidance for personal development, took on Harry as chief impact officer in March 2021, a year after be stepped down as a working member of the royal family.
The duke admitted he had used the service himself and spoke regularly with his coach.
During a conversation about seeking guidance from others, the duke said: “I think people are gonna need to rely on each other and on professional help, but also not just professional help. Also friends, family, maybe complete strangers. Anyone can actually help you in that coaching process.”
Williams replied: “Yeah. And I’m glad you said it’s not only professional help, Harry, because it could be a friend or it could be someone that has, like, experience or just gives you some good insight and that you can give good feedback on.
“And I know I joke a lot, but Harry’s actually one of my coaches. Whenever I see him, he’s always solving all my life’s problems.”
The athlete also spoke about how her losses eventually helped her become successful.
She said: “And then when it comes to losing, like, I even hate that word. It’s so much that I wanna coin it different as like a growing experience because for me, I experience that if I do have a loss, I actually learn so much from it to a point where as much as I hate it, some of my best growth has come from a loss.
“And for me to actually get to the next level, like, I would’ve never won that Grand Slam or that tournament had I not lost to that person on that day, no matter how much it hurt.”
Signs and symptoms of burnout
According to the NHS, these can all be signs of burnout and stress.
- feel overwhelmed
- have racing thoughts or difficulty concentrating
- be irritable
- feel constantly worried, anxious or scared
- feel a lack of self-confidence
- have trouble sleeping or feel tired all the time
- avoid things or people you are having problems with
- be eating more or less than usual
- drink or smoke more than usual
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