Sustaining Capacity Is The New Resilience
Resilience is not the same as capacity – why L&D professionals need to understand the difference and what to do about it
According to Deloitte, burnout affects 50% of all UK employees, are you one of them? Gallup estimates that employees experiencing burnout are 63% more likely to take sick days… though perhaps more worrying are those who don’t.
Harvard Business Review estimates that burnout costs the global economy an eye-watering £323 billion each year, a number so big it’s hard to even imagine. Closer to home, Perkbox research suggests that divorce rates are on the rise. Ponder on this; “who, in your life is getting the best of you?”.
In this ‘always on, fast-paced, highly competitive and pressured’ culture we’ve created, a quiet epidemic is growing. Smart, capable, sensible people are burning out, not because they’re weak, but because their bodies and minds are doing exactly what they’re designed to do when faced with constant pressure and emotionally toxic environments.
It’s time to take this seriously, and look at it differently.
We often talk about “resilience” as if it’s about toughing it out, pushing on no matter what. But what if true strength lies not in ignoring the signs, but in tuning into them, and giving ourselves permission to pause, restore, and renew?
Enter the 4R model
The 4R model was developed by Professor Chris Beedie, (Director of Science and Honorary Professor of Cognition & Neuroscience at the University of Kent), and evolved by CHX Performance founders Damien Stork and Jonathan Hook who we are proud to partner with.
The model is based on the paper “The 4R Model of Mood and Emotion for Sustainable Mental Health in Organisational Settings” published in the journal ‘Sustainability’ (link here for those who would like to geek out!). It provides a simple, but very powerful way of understanding the critical link between mood & emotion, and sustained high performance.
Mood and emotion are biological signals from our internal and external environments that something is a bit off, we are low on resources, and quite simply, if we attend to whatever is needed, we restore capacity. If we don’t, we deplete capacity, which over time, yes, you’ve guessed it, leads to burnout!
Imagine if we all started listening more deeply to these signals, what might change in how we work, live, and lead?
Here’s a quick look at the 4Rs:
Recognise
First, learn to notice: is it a mood (internal, persistent) or an emotion (external, reactive)? Just this awareness can be transformational.
How often do we rush past these signals, telling ourselves “it’s fine” or “I just need to get on with it”? The simple act of noticing is already a step towards self-care.
Restore
Mood signals usually mean your system is off balance (you might be tired, hungry, thirsty, lacking daylight or movement). Restoring can be as simple as eating well, hydrating, getting fresh air or taking a real break. It sounds obvious yet so often overlooked, especially by high achievers.
Think of how different your day feels after a good meal, a walk in fresh air, or a moment to stretch and breathe. Restoration is not a luxury — it’s a vital reset.
Resolve
Emotional signals are responses to external triggers: an overflowing inbox, constant interruptions, tricky conversations, unfair feedback. Resolving means addressing the trigger directly, having that conversation, setting boundaries, or speaking up where it matters.
While it can feel uncomfortable, choosing to resolve rather than suppress can open up space for clarity, calm, and deeper connection.
Regulate
Sometimes, neither immediate restoration nor resolution is possible. In these moments, we turn to regulation: breathing exercises, reframing, a walk, a chat with a trusted colleague. These can help manage intensity in the short term but aren’t a long-term fix on their own.
We all have our go-to ways of regulating, some helpful, some less so. The key is to notice what truly supports you, rather than just numbs or distracts.
Why do we ignore these signals?
Each of us will have our own reasons, but from my own lived experience, and what we hear time and again from our clients, these are the most common:
- Ignorance – we know more about our mobile phones than our own bodies.
- Immense pressure – both personally and professionally, to be somehow superhuman.
- Confusion – we’re bombarded by so much conflicting information, it’s hard to know what to believe.
We’re not failing; we’re human. And these reasons are all part of why it feels so difficult to slow down and truly listen.
The good news? The 4R model gives us a clear language and framework to move from well-intentioned but reactive wellbeing efforts, to building proactive, capacity-supporting cultures.
We all know how much better we feel when we get good sleep, eat well, move, spend time in nature, and connect with people we care about. The science-backed 4R model empowers us to take these simple but crucial basics seriously, for ourselves and our teams.
Three questions for you and your organisation
- Do your leaders and managers know how to spot the difference between mood and emotion in themselves and their teams?
- Does your culture reward “pushing through,” or genuinely support restoration?
- Are your wellbeing efforts enabling sustainable high performance? Or are your most “resilient” people simply masking a toxic environment?
These questions aren’t meant to add more pressure, they’re an invitation to pause and reflect on what truly sustains us.
This summer, protect what matters most: your capacity to lead and live well. Contact us to explore how we can support your leaders and teams to create healthier, high-performing cultures.
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