7 signs you’re experiencing burnout as a small business owner & what to do about it.
I've definitely been noticing several signs of burnout recently. So I thought I'd do a blog about it in case any of you have been feeling like this too. As small business owners, we work really hard, we do a lot ourselves and we don't tend to let ourselves slow down because we know it all needs to get done!
Don’t get me wrong, I love running my own business, but it's important to be honest with you guys because I'm sure you experience many of the bad sides, just like me. And I want this to be a place where small business owners and entrepreneurs can relate to one another and help each other out with the good and the bad.
I've been working REALLY hard for the last few months to get my new business up and running, I've been juggling this alongside a number of stressful things in my personal life too. And somehow I Just. Keep. Going. Because I feel like if I don’t, my business will fail.
But I'm feeling drained, I get distracted, I'm really irritable and overwhelmed and I'm not sleeping the best either. And for my business to thrive, these things definitely need to change! So I've decided I need to take a break. Usually taking a little break just gives me the boost of energy I need to get back on it. To find my motivation and passion again and ultimately be better for my business and my mental health.
As a small business owner or entrepreneur, It’s really important to notice when you’re feeling the signs of burnout, so you can do something about it before it gets too bad. So here are 7 signs to look out for…
Feeling drained.
Are you feeling drained ALL. THE. TIME? Low in energy, tired and lethargic?
Procrastination.
Have you been procrastinating a lot recently? Do things take you much longer than usual? Are you getting easily distracted from the task at hand?
Feeling irritable.
Have you noticed yourself getting irritated by things more easily or more often? Do little things bother you way more than they should?
Bad sleep.
Have you been struggling to sleep well recently? Lying awake with things on your mind? Finding it really hard to get up in the morning?
Feeling helpless.
Do you find yourself feeling low and helpless? Not seeing the point in things or feeling like you're trapped?
Easily overwhelmed.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by everything at the moment? Like you've just got too much on your plate and each new thing feels like the final straw?
Less motivated.
Are you feeling a lack of motivation? Are you uninspired and not as passionate as you usually are?
If like me, you're feeling any of these things, it's probably time to take a break. Even if it's just a little one, a afternoon, a day, a week, whatever you need. The only way to recover from burnout is to slow down & rest. So take the time you need and when you're feeling a bit stronger, review what may have made you feel this way & try to learn from it, to help yourself prevent burnout in the future. Of course if things don’t get better, maybe you should speak to a professional as these could also be signs for other mental health issues (and I’m not an expert!)
I’ve decided to take the rest of the week off. I'm going to have a little holiday to celebrate my partner's birthday and I'm going to turn my phone off too so I don’t get tempted to use social media (which, let’s be real, is basically work when you’re a small business owner!)
I had planned to share something exciting with you at the begging of July but instead, I've decided to save it for when I'm back next week. This way I can come back with a bang and have something exciting to help me get back into the swing of things!
I can't wait to share this exciting thing with you next week. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and watch out for these signs of burnout.
Lisa x