Effective Burnout Reduction Strategies for Female Business Owners

Photo courtesy of the Now Morning Show

 

Burnout is something that we all suffer with from time to time. Let’s be clear, burnout does not affect a specific gender or age it can happen to anyone, especially when you are struggling to balance life and work.

I’ve had my fair share of encounters with burnout until I discovered the source. For me, it was taking responsibility for far too much and then not being able to manage it. I also discovered that I needed to learn to say NO to the things I didn’t want to do.

For you, it may be something different but it helps to identify the source of your burnout so you can overcome it, you don’t need to be treating the symptoms of your stress, you need to find the solution! Especially as burnout can negatively affect your health.

What is Burnout?

 

Mental Health UK defines burnout as a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. In simple terms, burnout means being exhausted, mentally and physically to the stage where you cannot cope.

The World Health Organization recognizes burnout as “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” These definitions tell you that burnout harms your health and life.

As a mother, a partner to a male business owner, a female business owner, and a very active person, it’s obvious that I lead a hectic life. There were times when I found it hard to cope, and over time my health, both mentally and physically, began fading. I was so focused on building a successful business to achieve the life I envisioned for myself and my family that I just kept going, ignoring how tired I felt but finding it more difficult to cope daily.

My youngest child noticed a change in me and brought it to my attention. She firmly told me that I had no time for my children and that my sole focus was on my business. She reminded me that my reason for leaving the corporate world was to have more time with my family and she even pointed out how grumpy and tired I have been.

This was when the little bulb in my head went on and I realized I was suffering from burnout.

Right then and there, I decided that I had to make a huge change in the way I was balancing my life and my business.

I immediately started implementing little changes in my business operations and my life which eventually helped me cope.

These are the changes that helped me to overcome burnout in my life. I hope you will find this information helpful so you too can recognize and overcome burnout.

 

A morning routine that includes gratitude and prayer. 

The first thing I do every morning is say “Thank you Lord for this day”.

We are not promised another day of life so I thank him for all that I have and all that he continues to bless me with. This simple act of gratitude caused a great change in my life. Instead of looking at what I don’t have and wanting to work myself to the bone to achieve it, I am thankful for what I have and place my trust in the Lord to open the door for me to receive more.

After this, I read my daily devotional. I have committed to putting God first in my life. By doing these things and trusting him to make a way for me has brought a great sense of peace and calm to my life. I do these things daily before I speak to anyone, take phone calls, or check emails. 

 

Build a business around your life and not vice versa.

Yes, you read that line correctly. I know we all started a business to build a better life but somewhere along the line, business becomes our life!

I realized this when my lack of work-life balance began affecting my health. I spent so many hours focused on building my business to achieve income goals that I  neglected everyone and everything else. My life was about work, work, work! I had to sit back and assess where I could start making small changes to my business and then gradually increase over time.

This wasn’t an overnight success but I made it a goal to have flexibility in my business so my life in turn could be more flexible and, after a while, I achieved this goal. Like any goal, you have to create a plan to achieve it. Make sure it’s a SMART goal and not just a dream. 

 

Ask for help when you need it.

Now this a tough one for a lot of us but it is something we MUST learn to do. No man is an island and we must accept that there is NOTHING WRONG with asking for help.

Identify what areas of your life and business you need help with and make a list of the people you can ask for help. This is what I did:

• I asked my kids to help more with chores when I needed to put extra time into the business.
• I invested in a mindset coach to help me reframe my negative thinking.
• I outsourced some tasks to a Virtual Assistant so I could free up some time to focus on the more important aspects of business. I also trained my older daughter in some aspects of the business so she could earn a little cash and learn tasks that can help her when she is ready for the world of work.
• I learned to communicate more with my partner about my business ideas and the things that frustrated me.
• I created a group with some trusted friends who are also female business owners. We bounce ideas off each other, cheer each other on, and sometimes we just talk, hang out, and have a good time. They are a big part of my support system.

 

Build a team so you can focus on the main aspect of your business 

Build your team by outsourcing tasks to competent and trustworthy people.

Although you may think your business is not financially able to hire help, you should sit with pen and paper or your laptop and map out where you need help.

Next, look at your income and expenditure and see what you can afford to pay. If the figure is really low or you simply can’t afford a Virtual Assistant then you can explore an intern or a barter system.

An intern will do the work without getting paid to their experience and if all goes well, when the internship is completed, you should be in a better position to pay them.

If you choose to do a barter arrangement, be sure to quantify both sides of the barter arrangement to make it fair, i.e. if you are asking for $500 worth of services then make sure you are offering $500 worth of service.

 

Have a strong support system 

As mentioned, I created a support circle with my female friends who are business owners and since then my circle has grown and created new circles. You would be surprised to find that many women desire support for their life and business and it’s easy to make connections.

Who can you identify to create a support circle with? It doesn’t necessarily have to be other female business owners, this can be friends, family or a group that you already belong to.

I am sure there is someone or some people in your life that you can count on and if there really isn’t then you can explore online groups for women. I found a few Christian groups and Facebook that are very supportive.

 

Remember that you need time to relax 

Building a business is not easy, there will be good and bad days but I am thankful for every day.

Some days you can be on a work high and be very productive while some days you may lack motivation and feel like you can’t make it today.

On my low days, I prioritize rest and relaxation, on those days my focus and energy are low so I work in gaps or when I have bursts of energy. I work as long as my focus lasts. Sometimes I need a short nap and then back to work again. This goes on for some time until I am back to my normal self. This is how I have learned to cope with my changing physical health.

You need to find what works for you, your family, and your business. I appropriately structured my business for my life and ensured that the overwhelm and stress were kept at a minimum. It may not be possible for you at this time but it can be something you work towards achieving.

Look at your life now and think of where you want to be in the next five years. Write down actionable goals that you can start taking to move towards your vision. You deserve the life you dream about and you can achieve it, don’t give up!

I hope these six points I discussed help you to overcome burnout and find your work-life balance. Here’s a summary:

1. Have a morning routine to set the tone for your day
2. Build your business around your life and not the other way around so that your business does not become your life!
3. Ask for help when you need it. There is nothing wrong with asking for help.
4. Build a team so you can focus on the main aspects of your business while they perform the tasks that they are good at
5. Have a strong support system so you can talk when you need to or find encouragement in your family and friends.
6. Make relaxation a priority so you can recharge and rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit.

 

If you would like to listen to my live interview on this topic with the Now Morning Show please click here.

 

Photo credits to The Now Morning Show, Pexels and Pixabay