Being an entrepreneur is more than a lifestyle. It’s a trend that has been portrayed as having a lot of benefits on social media. Indeed, having your own business allows you to have more freedom and more flexibility, and be your own boss who sounds cool. But what no one tells you about being an entrepreneur is that it can burn you out easily and impact your mental health. If you don’t know how to handle the downsides, they will outweigh the benefits so it’s important to learn how to prevent mental exhaustion before it wears you down.
But first…
What Is a Burnout?
Burnout can be defined as a state of mental and physical exhaustion that prevents you from achieving your goals—significantly impacting your mental health. Burnout leads to poor performance and loss of motivation and can make you wonder if what you’re doing is the right path for you. It can also look like: a loss of passion, increased anxiety when thinking about work, feeling not good enough, having doubts, and finding it hard to make decisions. As it’s so difficult to treat, it’s better to learn how to prevent it before it’s too late.
Why Is It Important to Prevent a Burnout and Protect Your Mental Health?
Burnout isn’t easy to reverse and if you’re not well enough to take care of your business, you’re not making money and not providing for yourself. Additionally, it can lead to more severe mental issues that can prevent you from working and enjoying life for a long time if left untreated.
So here are a few tips that can help you avoid the faith many female entrepreneurs face:
1. Prepare stress-management strategies to rely on:
While stress itself isn’t synonymous with burnout, being under chronic stress can make you more likely to experience it. Luckily, it also means that implementing stress-management strategies can be an effective way to avoid it. While there isn’t one strategy that works great for everyone, in the case of entrepreneurs and mental health, it’s important to learn to be in the present. Since running your own business means you don’t have set working hours and you’re almost required to think about it every minute of your day, it might be difficult for you to slow down and silence your mind. And this is when mindfulness becomes very handy.
Mindfulness is a practice derived from Buddhism and commonly used in psychological therapies because of the array of benefits it has. You don’t have to be a therapist to practice it though. The easiest way to begin is by starting to notice the world around you. For example, if you’re on your way to do your weekly shopping, you should try to focus on nature, the noises, and the way your feet move on the pavement instead of worrying about your next business move. It will be challenging but if you’re consistent, you’ll notice the improvement fast.
2. Remember to include self-care in your routine and maintain work/life balance:
It’s true that you must be driven to run your own business and that it must be your passion. But it doesn’t mean that it’s all you should care about because while it might seem to be productive, it will often have the opposite effect. Achieving goals is important to keep your business afloat but devoting all your time to work can cost you your health.
For this reason, you should remember to cultivate your interests outside of work and even if you don’t have any, it’s important that you include self-care in your routine and put your feet up not occasionally but regularly. See it as an investment instead of being lazy – if you keep your mind healthy, you’ll be able to work more efficiently and earn more money.
While one thing entrepreneurs have in common is the ‘hustle mentality’, it’s unrealistic to expect yourself to be at your best all the time. Sometimes it’s best to step out and return with a clearer mind. So, before you write your goals down for the next week, make some space for ‘me time’. Plan an activity whose only aim is to make you feel good and relaxed. Don’t be afraid to pamper yourself.
Additionally, you should remember to put aside some time to socialize with your friends and family. There’s nothing wrong with putting your work first but remember that a strong support network can help you increase resilience and deal with life’s adversities more effectively. If you fail or feel like you’re not doing enough, your loved ones will be ready to cheer you up, not your followers, employees, or achievements, so don’t neglect your relationships.
3. Make sure your self-esteem is stable:
When you run your own business and your earnings can’t always be guaranteed, everything is personal. It might be easy to let your setbacks define you and you might blame yourself for not doing enough even if you work as hard as you can. At the same time, it’s easy to forget that you’re doing what most people can’t even dream of – you’re in charge of a business, you’re taking risks. This isn’t simple to do and the road to success isn’t smooth. Additionally, you might face a lot of judgement as a female professional so it’s important for you to know your worth.
So, to prevent burnout and protect your mental health, you should keep your self-esteem stable. One way to do this is by writing down even the smallest achievement, even if the only one you can think of is surviving a previous day or not giving up when you meet obstacles.
Remind yourself that you’re an amazing professional that decided to do her own thing despite a high possibility of ‘not making it’. Don’t be hard on yourself and treat yourself with compassion instead. It’s also a good idea to keep a gratitude diary where you write down everything, you’re grateful for – this can help you appreciate simple things in life and understand that it’s possible to feel joy even when you don’t achieve your goals.
4. Set realistic goals:
Building your business is gradual and things usually don’t get significantly better overnight. If you set yourself goals that are too ambitious, the only thing you’ll achieve is making yourself overworked and this can quickly result in burnout. Instead of hoping to receive gratification fast, learn how to appreciate the process and start setting more realistic goals.
To do that, you should first evaluate your current working style and see if you manage to meet your expectations. If you don’t or if you’re under constant stress, it means you should lower those expectations. There’s nothing wrong with taking things slow because steady progress is better than intense ups and downs.
5. Don’t compare your progress to other people’s progress:
You don’t have to look far to find successful entrepreneurs on social media which has its benefits as many of them are very inspiring and share some strategies that can help you improve. At the same time, social media is designed to show successes, not struggles, so comparing your journey to other people’s journey can mess with your mental health and affect your progress.
Instead, it can be worth looking into podcasts that are dedicated to entrepreneurs where you can hear real-life stories and get motivated by people achieving their goals despite obstacles. Additionally, you should remember that no single journey is the same and while working towards a goal is important, sometimes it takes a certain amount of luck, so don’t get discouraged if it takes you longer than others. You can consider joining a support group for female entrepreneurs where you can connect with people who understand your struggles.
6. Take advantage of your workspace:
Working from home can make it difficult to separate your personal and professional life, which can affect your productivity and mental health. At the same time, you can use it to your advantage and create a space that inspires you to achieve what you want in life. For example, you could prepare a vision board that visualizes your success or invest in a sun lamp that can boost your mood and improve your productivity as a result. You can even write down your current and previous goals and leave them in a visible place to serve as a motivator. This will help you remember how far you’ve come and that achieving more is possible.
7. Prioritize your health:
First, improve your sleep schedule. A lot of entrepreneurs might neglect their sleep because they think extra hours spent working will make them more productive. However, remember that your body needs sleep to function and not allowing it to rest can cause burnout. While some people might be able to work efficiently without sleep, that’s not the case for most. Lack of sleep puts you at risk of getting ill more often and makes it more difficult to concentrate – long work hours mean nothing if they aren’t productive. So, before you prepare your work schedule, make sure your sleep schedule is on point. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time too, and make sure you create a healthy sleep environment that promotes rest.
Secondly, have a look at your diet. When you’re under stress, it’s tempting to rely on unhealthy food, but a poor diet can make you feel tired and decrease your motivation. Remember, everything you do is an investment in yourself and your success. It’s okay to treat yourself occasionally but try to eat more fruits and vegetables instead of sugar.
Lastly, protect your mental health by staying away from people who don’t believe in you or those with a negative outlook. Being an entrepreneur is difficult as it is, and you don’t need to be weighed down by someone else’s insecurities. If it’s your family that doesn’t cheer on you, try to refrain from spending too much on talking about your business and if it’s your friends, it might be time to make new connections.
8. Set working hours to increase productivity:
The best way to ensure your business grows is to find the balance between work and rest and the first step to doing that is to set a work schedule that resembles that of an employee. If you work all day, you’ll only tire yourself out. Instead, you should choose the number of hours you’re willing to do in a day and then clock out whether you’re done with your work or not. This will increase your productivity and give you a sense of achievement.
It will also make you feel less trapped as without work/life balance, it’s easy to feel like the work never ends. And indeed, there’s always more to be achieved and always an improvement to make, which is why you should work smart, not hard and preserve your energy levels.
9. Keep your mind healthy by working out:
Exercising can do wonders for your mental health as it causes your body to produce feel-good hormones that boost your mood. It doesn’t matter what kind of physical activity you choose but there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction you get after a run or intense yoga – your mind becomes so much clearer, and your body feels stronger. You should also consider taking a walk at least once per day – this can also help you practice mindfulness and increase productivity.
10. Consider seeking professional help:
Just because you’re struggling, it doesn’t mean you’re not meant to run your own business or that you’ve failed. Life isn’t easy and you’ll face obstacles that aren’t even related to your work life so don’t be ashamed to ask for some specialist help.
A good therapist can help you identify what prevents you from working efficiently and keeping your stress at bay and can offer you strategies to better cope with setbacks. It’s better to invest in professional help now than when it’s your last resort.
So how do you prevent burnout, improve your mental health, and practice mindfulness?
You must take care of yourself first before you can care for your business.
