Fabian Lucas Luijckx's perfectionism, combined with his role as chairman of the student rowing association Thêta, proved to be a challenging mix. In mid-2024, the bachelor's student hit burnout after ignoring earlier warning signs from his body. Now recovered, Fabian is determined to help others by sharing his story.
First, serving as chairman of Thêta for a year was a wonderful and profoundly educational experience for the bachelor's student of Industrial Engineering, Fabian Lucas Luijckx. The student rowing association-boasting its boathouse on the Eindhoven Canal and even Olympic medalists among its ranks-has around 400 members, ranging from recreational rowers to top international competitors. Last academic year, the association was his club.
What he hadn't anticipated, however, was that this intensive and enriching board year would also teach him invaluable lessons about himself-where his limits lie, how to navigate them, and how to protect himself from another burnout.
Perfectionism
Since September 2023, Fabian has been on call 24/7 as chairman of the 49th board. "It was an amazing experience, but it also took up a huge amount of my time. Because of my perfectionism, I kept investing more and more hours. I loved it and found it so important that, at first, I didn't even realize I was pushing myself to my limits."
Warnings
His body had warned him earlier that he was overdoing it. During a training camp in February, he noticed extreme fatigue. He slept a lot and tried to take breaks but kept pushing forward.
The second warning came during the board holiday in May. "Some days, I struggled to get out of bed. My body had been pushed too far for too long, but I found it hard to change. In my head, I kept thinking, 'This still needs to get done,' and 'I still want to do that.' I wanted to start new, exciting projects and focus on them. As long as I stayed busy, it kept me going."
Olympics
The Olympic Games in Paris, at the end of Fabian's board year, were a great success for his club-but for him, they were the final blow. Thêtans Sander de Graaf and Lisa Scheenaard won silver and finished fourth, respectively. Fabian was there.
