Joe Philpott: My wake-up call at a GP appointment led to a ‘second mountain’ moment

Cork musician Joe Philpott had a realisation after 50: that instead of trying to chase back towards his 20s or push harder, there was another way forward. He tells Helen O'Callaghan about how he stepped back from trying to do everything at once and chose more carefully where he put his time and energy

Joe Philpott of Ruby Horse and The White Horse Guitar Club relaxing at home near Ballinora, Co Cork. Pictures: Eddie O'Hare

Two years ago, I paid a visit to my GP when I was 51. I wasn’t feeling great, my energy was lower. Nothing dramatic but I felt flat, burnt out. Anytime I had downtime my default was collapse, rather than doing anything outside my obligations.

The thing was, my feelings didn’t match my overall health — because I was fine, yet I wasn’t. The doctor asked me to describe my normal week, month. He was quite shocked at the pace; everything was at a level of optimum, going full tilt in multiple lanes, particularly from a work point of view.