Being an entrepreneur is a dream come true for me, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
I love the freedom of setting my own schedule and making my own rules, and I adore the customers I serve.
But life as an entrepreneur can also be very stressful. Being your own boss means that when things go wrong, it’s your responsibility to deal with them.
And those big, scary decisions about product launches, employee hires, which direction to take the company, and many more, are yours to make. Likewise, the consequences, for good or bad, are yours to manage.
The stress and anxiety of coping with deadlines, finances and product launches can be FULL ON – plus the mega distress of coping when things go wrong or you make mistakes – many other facets of life as an entrepreneur take their toll on even the most passionate and resilient women and men.
Burnout is no joke, and it must be addressed—or even better, prevented—if your journey as an entrepreneur is to remain as rewarding and fulfilling as it was when you started.
Here are five tips to help you overcome burnout.
1 ) Stay in touch with your ‘why’
In his best-selling book, High Performance Habits, high-performance coach, Brendon Burchard, talks about six habits of high-performing individuals.
Habit number one is staying in touch with your “why.”
I launched The Healthy Mummy business after gaining weight from pregnancy. Even though I worked in media at the time, I had a passion for health and fitness.
When I realised there was nothing out there to help mums safely lose weight and get healthy after pregnancy, I decided it was my time to step up and find a solution to empower mums and support mums to healthy living and healthy weight loss.
That is my “why,” and it’s kept me going on days when my motivation wavers.
Your “why” can be anything, and it may change as you grow, but it has to be meaningful to you. Dig deep, and look for the reason behind the reason.
For example, money is not a why. The things money will get you—power over your own life, freedom, the resources to provide for your family—those are the “whys.”
2) Find ways to process stress
Stress is an inevitable part of life, and entrepreneurs endure more than their fair share.
Processing your stress is crucial not only to success as an entrepreneur, it’s vital to your physical and mental health.
When we’re stressed, our bodies release the hormone cortisol, which pumps adrenalin into our bodies. This state, called fight or flight, is not something we’re meant to live in constantly, and when we do, it wreaks havoc.
Our bodies hold on to fat to protect us, making weight loss difficult. Our sleep suffers. We may become irritable, angry, anxious, restless, overwhelmed, and even depressed.
There are infinite ways to process stress. The best way is simply the one that works for you. It may be exercise, meditation, a vacation, a massage, with people you love—whatever helps you unwind and reset.
3 ) Take time for you
There will always be another task that needs completed and another fire that needs put out, and that is exactly why taking time for yourself is a non-negotiable.
Postponing it because there’s “never enough time” means you’ll never do it. Self-care has to be a priority, because without time for yourself, your “cup” becomes empty. You cannot pour from an empty cup!
And what’s the point of being your own boss if you never get to enjoy the benefits?
4 ) Set boundaries
Thanks to mobile phones and the Internet, we can be accessed anywhere. Heading to bed with your mobile phone nearby and interrupting designated family time to take business calls and answer texts or emails, is living your life based on the whims of others. It will drain the life out of you, if you let it.
Boundaries in both your personal life and professional life are a must. It may be an adjustment for the people around you, but they will adapt, and even come to appreciate your boundaries when they see how much happier you are!
5 ) Outsource as much as possible
Doing everything yourself is tempting, and it’s something a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with. We can be control freaks!
But the truth is, a lot of the stuff we insist on doing is not the highest use of our time, which is stretched thin as it is.
Take it from me: It’s a huge relief to outsource things you hate doing, aren’t good at doing, or just don’t have time to do. Best of all, it leaves you free to focus on building your business.
Make a real effort to seek out competent people who can take some of the workload. Hiring quality people who complement you and help you grow your business will make your life so much easier!
You can do this!
Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy, but when you find something you’re passionate about and committed to, the rewards far outweigh any downsides.
Just remember to take a step back and slow down once in a while. We entrepreneurs can get a little obsessed, and the idea of slowing down seems unthinkable, but it is crucial to avoiding burnout.
Even in difficult moments, your business should bring you joy, not feel like a chore.
P.S if you want to engage with me as a mentor or coach go here
