I have learnt a valuable lesson recently which I thought I would share with you. In reality, I didn’t really understand what was happening until it was almost too late and believe me I will not be making the same mistakes again.
18 months ago I set up my own business, it was exciting, motivating and exactly what I wanted to be doing. Working for myself and setting my own hours all seemed like the perfect solution for my working life in the future. And it still is!
I wasn’t completely naïve, I knew it would be hard work, I would be stressed and that I would be working long hours all the while trying to fit in family time around it all. However, I was not prepared for how bad it would eventually make me feel physically.
There came a point where I was exhausted, I would go to bed, sleep for 8 hours and still wake up feeling as tired as I did before I went to bed. I was anxious every minute of the day, couldn’t concentrate, felt sick pretty much all the time and would burst into tears at random moments! Things were coming to a head and I knew that I could no longer continue as I was. Luckily, I had booked a family holiday which was coming up, so in my head I just had to keep going until then.
It was great and I completely switched off, it was just what I needed and I came home feeling much better. However, I knew that if I did not change my ways I would end up back in the very same position in a few months, so I did some reflecting on where I had gone wrong.
It became very clear to me that it was my working life that was the problem and realisation dawned that I had been on the brink of burning out. I am sure that this happens to many people when setting up their new business but I did not want it to happen again. So since I have been home I have changed the way I am managing work and more importantly the way I am managing myself.
So here are some of my tips to help you not burn out!
- Eat well – Food can play such an important part in how we feel and our physical wellbeing. We all know this but for some reason a lot of us still don’t make the effort to eat better. Cut down on the processed food, bread, chocolate and yes unfortunately wine and eat fresh fruit and vegetables. Have a balanced diet, there is no truer phrase than “You are what you eat” and it really does make a difference to your energy levels.
- Take a break – your motivation can suffer a huge blow when you are stressed, mine did. So, take a break, give yourself a few days off and don’t feel guilty about it. Unfortunately, it seems that most self-employed people feel guilty if they are not working on their business 24/7. But being in the situation where you are unable to concentrate, therefore not producing your best results is not ideal for you, your clients or your business.
- Exercise – I personally loath exercise with a passion but I drag myself off to a spin class and the gym each week because I know that it will help. I had been neglecting this in the run up to my holiday, I will not make that mistake again. I might hate it but I do feel better for it. So, whether it is a walk for half an hour a day or regular trips to the gym, do something that gets you moving.
- Deal with the overwhelm – I was finding that I had so many jobs to do but I wasn’t managing to do any of them. I couldn’t understand it, I was working just as hard but not achieving anywhere near as much. Every area of my life was suffering. Since being home I have set very clear goals and am trying not to expect too much of myself. And this has worked. I achieved more in the week and a half after my holiday than I had the whole month before. I gave myself tasks for the day and I make sure I complete them. If you are only knocking one thing off your list a day, you are still achieving.
- Manage your time – I have written a blog on this and I help my clients with this on a daily basis. Unfortunately, that does not make it any easier when you are doing it for yourself. It does make a huge difference if you can get into the habit of ensuring your time is managed properly but the trick is to maintain it. Check out the blog, I hope it is useful.
https://theumbrellatree.co.uk/time-management-problem/
- Ask for help – We have a network, it is up to us how we use it. There will always be those around you that can help and taking the time to talk through things with another professional, friend or family member will help.
- Take the pressure off – Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. We are all capable of different things but we need to know our limits. I have definitely learnt mine. It might mean that it takes me a little longer to get to where I would like to be but as long as I get there I don’t mind. We all have different priorities and commitments and sometimes work has to take a back seat.
I hope that you have found this blog useful. This is of course a very personal view about my own experiences and what has helped me to reduce my stress levels and the risk of burning out.
As a self-employed individual everything is your responsibility. The trick is knowing when it is becoming too much and doing something about it.
For more information about how I help my clients reduce their risk of burn out, please contact me at emma@theumbrellatree.co.uk or check out www.theumbrellatree.co.uk.