We have to start defining — what is burnout? According to Healthline, “burnout is a state of mental and physical exhaustion that can zap the joy out of your career, friendships, and family interactions. Continual exposure to stressful situations, like caring for an ill family member, working long hours, or witnessing upsetting news related to politics and school safety can lead to this stress condition”. According to Harvard Business Review, “Entrepreneurs are more at risk of burnout, because they tend to be extremely passionate about their work, can be more socially isolated, and can operate in high uncertainty.” These are 3 signs you are burning out.

YIKES. Sound familiar?

As entrepreneurs, our businesses are an extension of us — our unique magic — creativity, passion, and purpose. This makes it easy for us to relate our sense of self to how our business is faring. 

We can’t say we’ve experienced major bouts of burnout, but when we recall our own personal experiences with burnout, we know inching towards it is scary! Maybe you can relate. Maybe you feel like your sense of self ebbs and flows. So, how do you pinpoint symptoms of burnout — or that you’re heading toward burnout?

Here are 3 Signs You Are Burning Out:

• You generally feel overwhelmed. You’ve probably heard of the Sunday scaries — you know that feeling of anxiety about the upcoming workweek. Perhaps you experience anxiety or overwhelm in the lead-up to EVERY workday. Maybe your feeling of doom and overwhelm during your workday, leave you feeling hopeless. Or like one more to-do feels like too much to manage. Your business hours might have become around the clock, hoping the more you work, the less overwhelmed you’ll feel.
• You feel like you’re running on empty. Remember when you first started? You brought energy and excitement to your workday — but now your creativity is lacking and you aren’t very excited about the mountain to work you have to do. You feel like your business is unmanageable. If you’re anything like us, you may even be extra hard on yourself. 
• You can’t see the big picture. We’re big picture thinkers and we know how scary it can get when you’re so immersed in day-to-day to-dos, you’re unable to see the big picture. If you aren’t sure how to bring your best self to your workday, because you’re so focused on simply showing up and getting through your to-do list you might be burning out. You’re starting to overlooking the passion and purpose behind your business.

The truth often is, you know when you’re currently experiencing burnout. Did you identify with one or more of these 3 signs? — you’re just a decision away from changing these feelings. We want to support and encourage you in any way possible.

Here are 2 beginner steps to banishing burnout:

Small business owners or entrepreneurs have the luxury of managing or create their own schedules. Let’s ensure we’re confidently embracing rest and time away from our businesses. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, we are right?

• Changing things up can boost your creativity. Have you ever realized you get the best ideas when you’re out for a walk, or when you’re going for a long drive? A change of pace (or a change of scenery) can often change your attitude or approach to your work. When you’re too immersed in your work, chances are, doing more won’t help you. In our experience taking a hike in nature and disconnecting can lead to a major breakthrough in creativity. Although it may feel counterintuitive, next time you have a creative block try stepping away from your work and doing something else. Like our GPS often says “rerouting!” 
• Taking more breaks can make you more productive and restore your mental energy. In our experience, when we’re unable to detach from work, we lose productivity. On the other hand, when we disengage from our work, we can become more resilient in the face of stress. In other words, when you strengthen your life outside of your work, you can show up as your best self at work. 

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We know, first hand, how difficult it can be to reframe your approach to your business. However, these surprising benefits of resting and disconnecting can be truly life-altering. 

We are so hopeful this post helps you confidently banish burnout — knowing your time and life are precious in and outside of your business. Need someone to talk to or help in the right direction? We’re here for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.