The events industry is one of the few places where exhaustion is celebrated. We don’t just accept long nights, countless coffees, self-neglect, and seven-day work weeks – we wear them like trophies. The problem is, behind the applause and adrenaline, this lifestyle slowly erodes our health.
This column isn’t about burnout alone. Burnout is part of the picture, but the real issue is self-neglect. We work so hard in one of the most stressful industries in the world that we forget ourselves entirely. We slip into patterns – cycles – that overlap and compound until they turn into something slippery and dangerous, with potentially disastrous consequences.
Starting off, we have the caffeine cycle: coffee or tea to start the day, another to keep going, another when you should be winding down, and a few more in between. You’re wired, but permanently tired. Then there’s the sugar cycle: quick carb fixes on site, followed by crashes that leave you more drained than before, and wanting more. And I’m not only talking about chocolate bars; think breads and pastas. Also, the nightcap cycle: the adult beverage to ‘switch off’, which completely wrecks sleep quality along with myriad other things.
How about the workaholism cycle? Weekend ‘check-ins’, 2am emails, and the unspoken rule that being always available equals being good at what you do. Or the minimal sleep cycle, forcing your body to function on scraps of rest. You convince yourself you’re a night owl, but in reality you’re just sleep-deprived.
Getting sick nearly every month? Constantly putting off that doctor’s checkup because you’re just too busy? Ignoring the pain from your knee, it’ll surely go away at some point, ‘inshallah’. Sound familiar? You tell yourself “I’ll get around to it after this project.” The neglect cycle.
And, of course, the dopamine cycle of chasing highs of client praise, project wins, social media doom scrolling, nicotine, alcohol, and other hidden addictive traps that rewire your brain until you become numb to ordinary joys like an evening walking with your kids.
On their own, each cycle might look harmless, but when combined, they create a toxic ‘master cycle’ of neglect. That’s when the damage compounds: weight gain, visceral fat around the organs, stress hormones out of control, creeping illnesses like diabetes or heart disease, depression, and so on.
A hard wake-up call
For me, it wasn’t one thing; it was a series of wake-up calls I could no longer ignore. Friends my age were having heart attacks or being diagnosed with cancer. On a beach holiday, my wife pointed at my belly and said, “This has gone too far”. Around the same time, we were preparing to welcome our second daughter. The fears I had buried of not being around for my family flooded in and became the catalyst of change.
The first step I took was drastically changing and outsourcing my diet. I tried several meal plans before settling on one that actually works, Nourishing Dubai, which I genuinely believe is the best in the city. Their food literally cured multiple health issues I had. The plan is simple: high protein, high fat (good fat), low carb, no sugar or gluten, no snacks in between meals, all top-quality ingredients – very tasty, and very filling. No, this is not a promo, but I made it a point to mention names here because I believe in supporting quality businesses that work.
And then, at just the right moment, Coach Carl Baird appeared, asking me one question that shattered my excuses: “Are you really saying you can’t dedicate three hours a week to your fitness?” Shortly after I started intense strength training three to four times per week. The logic is simple: build your muscles and let the muscle do the fat burning for you while you sleep. Carl introduced accountability to my journey – the pressure of reporting to someone kept me in line while new habits were forming. It worked.
Next was caffeine. I didn’t quit completely, but I cut it off at 2pm and reduced the intake by 90%. With less caffeine, I wasn’t wired, which meant I didn’t need anything to unwind at night. I could finally improve my sleep, averaging seven to eight hours per night. Better sleep gave me my mornings back. Mornings gave me the gym. Gym made me sleep better.
I can’t stress enough just how important sleep is. I learned that eight hours is a non-negotiable. The science is clear – read Why We Sleep if you haven’t already – every single system in your body suffers when you get less. Weight gain, energy, memory, immunity, long-term health, the list goes on.
I learned the importance of intermittent fasting, something I could never do before – now made possible with the new lifestyle. I prefer 16:8 fasts (fast for 16 hours and then eat your daily caloric needs in an eight-hour window).
The benefits have been remarkable, and it’s supercharged my entire health transformation.
Then came the dopamine traps. Netflix marathons, social media doomscrolling, nightcaps, gone. Instead, I started reading for 30 to 45 minutes a night. I set a goal of 15 books a year – something I’d wanted to do my whole adult life but never managed.
And finally, the stress. I had to teach myself to destress (an ongoing process), to remember that nothing we do is worth destroying myself over. We’re not at war, nobody’s shooting at us. Perspective is everything. I learned to stop giving things more importance than they deserved.
These changes combined to form new cycles – positive ones, with one healthy habit supporting the next.
The results
In just one year, I dropped 21kg – from 92kg to 71kg. My body fat went from 30% to 15%. More importantly, I am cured of hypoglycaemia, a condition I had developed from years of bad habits. I vanquished all visceral fat, and I healed a chronic inflammation condition that I had. I rarely get sick anymore – immunity supercharged. My energy soared and my mind sharpened.
I became a better father, husband, business owner, and friend. I can be the best version of me now. And the influence has spread. Friends and colleagues noticed, asked what I’d done, and started making changes themselves. It became contagious.
I’m no monk. I’ll happily enjoy life’s pleasures when they’re worth it – an irresistible dessert, a night out with friends, a burger here and there. The difference now is I measure the benefit against the trade-off and I enjoy the special occasion so much more because, it’s now an occasion.
A call to the industry
This is the industry that raised me. I love it, and I love the people in it. But we are running ourselves into the ground. We can deliver incredible events and still look after ourselves. It doesn’t have to be either/or.
The barrier to entry doesn’t have to be high. Switch out the onsite junk food with something healthier. No time for the gym? Start doing 20-minute exercises at home before work. Gradually shift your sleep time forward wherever possible (coupled with less caffeine during the day) and become more productive in the morning. Walk or move as much as you can. Make these part of your lifestyle no matter what. Small steps to usher in big changes. Break cycles one by one.
Let’s redefine what it means to ‘make it’ in this industry, not by how busy we are, but by how well we are while building these incredible experiences for others.
We’re not invincible; something eventually will give, and there’s no point in being the most successful person in the industry if you’re not well enough, or alive, to enjoy this success.
Photo: eventlab
