How to Avoid Burnout as a Female Entrepreneur
As an entrepreneur, you probably have a lot on your plate. As a female and an entrepreneur, you have all of the entrepreneurial duties plus the added stress of proving yourself to be just as good, or even better than your male counterparts.
With all of the daily tasks of creating and running a successful business, the added pressure of proving yourself, plus the need to show the world we’ve got it all together – it can be extremely stressful. So, how do you do it all while also avoiding burnout as a female entrepreneur?
What is Burnout?
A Burnout is a “state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.”
You may begin to feel overwhelmed by things happening in your life, and it may feel like a challenge to keep up. It happens to the best of us, and knowing that it’s okay can put us more at ease.
Before you experience burnout, you may start to see some signs. Going to dinner with friends after work just seems like too much or calling your sister back keeps getting pushed to “tomorrow”. Your motivation may just begin to go away slowly. You also may start to lose interest in the things you love doing or be constantly tired, but not able to sleep well. If you’re noticing these things beginning to happen, there are things you can do to help.
Experiencing burnout can affect your social life, your home life, and even your career. So preventing this from happening is essential, and there are ways to avoid burnout.
How to Avoid Burnout
Take Care of Yourself
This one may seem obvious, but a lot of people push self-care to the back burner when they are so career-driven. Taking care of yourself is so important, though! You don’t have to get massages every week or go visit a spa each weekend. There are a million ways you can take care of yourself, and doing so will only help you be a better you.
Start with the little things first. Give yourself 20 minutes a day to meditate, read, take a hot bath or shower, listen to a podcast, the possibilities are endless!
Here are ten simple and easy self-care habits to start!
Ask for Help
A lot of people avoid asking for help, because they feel like it may make them appear weak or like they actually don’t have it all together. First things first, no one has it all together – no matter how good their Instagram looks.
If you need help in your career, ask. If you just can’t get all of the cleaning done, ask for help. Even just getting someone else to do simple tasks for you can relieve some of that built-up stress. You can get a meal service delivery kit to help with dinners; you can get your groceries delivered or have someone else do the shopping, and you just pick them up. There are so many ways to get everything done without doing it all.
Talk About It
Yeah, you’ve heard it before, “talking about your feelings makes things better.” But it actually does! Studies confirm that talking to someone who genuinely understands what you are going through can significantly help.
Sometimes just venting to your best friend or mom can be super beneficial, too. However, if this isn’t something you are comfortable doing, there are other options. Therapy is excellent for people who just want someone to talk to or an opportunity to vent. Ryan Howes, P.h.D. even states, “the benefits of therapy extend far beyond periods of crisis.” Meaning, there doesn’t have to be a crisis in your life for therapy to help. If you are feeling stressed or as though you are the brink of burnout, this could be something to look into.
If going to a therapy session isn’t really your thing (and it isn’t everyone’s), there are also online therapists. You can call in or “FaceTime” with a therapist from the comfort of your own couch, or anywhere for that matter! There are many ways to let it out, and you definitely should!
Burnout is serious and bound to happen if you’re career-driven, but there are ways to avoid it. Hopefully, these steps can help you prevent burnout from interfering with your life. If you have other tips, let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
Alyson Pittman is a contributing writer for WBD and a JR marketing associate for Excite Creative Studios, an Atlanta-based creative agency.
Alyson graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelors of Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. She was in multiple organizations at KSU where she held leadership positions. As a part of the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, Alyson held the Social Coordinator position and planned/promoted large events.
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