You might be headed for burnout.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re drowning in overwhelm, frustration, or just plain exhaustion while tackling the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, you’re not alone.
Pushing yourself too hard for too long, making sure everything is running smoothly in your business, for your customers, for your family while putting your own needs on the back burner, and frantically trying to keep up with all parts of your life can lead to burnout.
Business can be exhausting. But I know you’re thinking if you just keep pushing through, it’ll only be a few months or a year and then you can give yourself some more space to take care of yourself properly or be creative again. You just don’t have time for that right now because you have to make this work.
To be fair, sometimes a season of hustling is required to get your business off the ground, or to grow it to the next level. So, how do you know when to push through and embrace a season of hustle and when you’re headed for burn out?
I know you’re thinking if you just keep pushing through, it’ll only be a few months or a year and then you can give yourself some more space to take care of yourself properly or be creative again.
As a former Social Worker and Counsellor with over 10 years of experience, & Business Owner for 8 years, I’ve not only been through burnout myself, but I’ve also dedicated my time to learning about the intricacies of the nervous system and the art of setting healthy boundaries.
If you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, confused, discouraged & tired of spinning your wheels, it’s definitely time to pay attention.
In hindsight, here’s what I know:
- Hustling might be ok for short bursts, but hustling for an extended amount of time is a quick way to crash and burn.
- Survival mode isn’t a sustainable place to be. You can’t maintain it. Survival mode heads only in one direction unless you do something to interrupt it.
- Taking care of yourself, making space for rest or fun, and protecting your mind’s ability to be creative is as much a part of business as your systems and it’s part of what allows you to make money.
- Suffering in silence isn’t good. It just brings feelings of shame and discouragement. Sharing your discouragements and frustrations with someone who gets it helps a lot.
Let’s explore three warning signs that might mean you’re headed for burnout.
3 Warning Signs of Burnout
- Persistent Exhaustion: One of the most prominent signs of burnout is a constant feeling of exhaustion that doesn’t seem to go away, even after a good night’s sleep. If you find yourself feeling drained, both mentally and physically, day after day, it’s important to address this fatigue before it escalates into burnout and you crash & burn.
- Loss of Passion and Motivation: you once felt enthusiastic and passionate about your business but now find yourself struggling to stay motivated, frustrated with small tasks, resentful of the work you used to love, it’s a red flag for burnout.
- Decreased Productivity and Creativity: Burnout can lead to a significant decline in your productivity and creativity. If you find yourself struggling to complete tasks, lacking focus, pushing tasks around but not getting anything accomplished or lacking creativity, it’s time to pay attention.
If you’re reaching the end of a work day or week (or you work day or work week never quite ends) and you’re starting to feel more like you’re in survival mode than anything else – you no longer have that “good tired” feeling like you’ve accomplished so much, but that drowning feeling because you can’t quite keep up – this is the time to start making some changes.
The good news is, if you’re catching your warning signs now it could just take a few small, consistent tweaks to prevent burn out and put you back on a healthier, more sustainable path.
Self-care, setting boundaries, and seeking support are essential strategies to keep burnout at bay.
Recognizing the warning signs of burnout is crucial for maintaining your well-being and the success of your business. Because if you burn out fully, everything is going to shut down and it’s going to stay that way for a long time as you build your health back up.
If this is all sounding a little too familiar to you and you’re looking for more support, grab a copy of The Preventing Burnout Workbook to help you pay attention to your warning signs and uncover strategies that can help you find more balance, clarity & energy and stop burnout from taking over.
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If you need more support I can partner with you to create some custom strategies and help you incorporate some new practices that will get you back on track and away from burn out with an Alignment Coaching session.
Burnout Sucks, but you’re not alone. I hope you find these resources helpful.
