Recent studies show that depression and burnout are on the rise in the general workforce. Burnout can affect anyone, regardless of their profession or years of experience. However, it seems that entrepreneurs are more likely to experience it. 

Why?

Because, according to research, people most likely to experience burnout are those who are highly devoted to their work, work remotely and in high uncertainty. 

Developing and maintaining your own business in a somewhat socially isolated environment is an intense endeavor. Entrepreneurs are typically ambitious and passionate about what they do. While there is nothing wrong with being passionate about your business, it’s a fine line between passion and obsession. 

It is often difficult to separate the self from the business, and many entrepreneurs can’t help taking professional setbacks as personal failures, feeling out of balance, depressed, and exhausted.

Burnout may cause you to struggle to find meaning in your profession, neglect your personal life, and lose connection with colleagues and clients. In addition, you may experience mental health issues or addiction in battling to stay creative and in the loop at work.

But what is burnout in the first place?

Burnout and Its Most Common Symptoms

On a conscious level, most of us know that excessive or ongoing stress can have adverse effects on our health. Unfortunately, however, we keep pushing ourselves to the limits, obsessing about our projects and deadlines, taking on ourselves much more than we can accomplish, and becoming addicted to stress. 

If you constantly feel stressed out, helpless, and emotionally drained, you may be experiencing entrepreneur burnout. 

Burnout is a state of complete exhaustion caused by persistent or extreme stress caused by day-to-day demands in personal and professional life. 

Along with the outside factors, your mindset may also contribute to stress that leads to burnout. Namely, some entrepreneurs struggle with perfectionism issues, feeling lazy and lethargic if they are not overstretched. 

Also, a fixed mindset about your profession (viewing entrepreneurship as the only possible career path) can increase your risk of burnout. 

Burnout can drain your energy, reduce motivation and productivity, and damage your mental and physical health. 

Emotional Symptoms of Burnout:

• Loss of energy and motivation 
• Feeling helpless and hopeless most of the time
• A lack of life satisfaction 
• A sense of detachment and isolation
• Anxiety
• Depression

Physical Symptoms of Burnout:

• Feeling exhausted most of the time 
• Damaged immune system 
• Frequent aches and pains
• Appetite changes
• Insomnia

Social Aspects of Burnout 

Burnout may cause you to withdraw and isolate from friends and family, finding it challenging to maintain healthy relationships. You may also lose interest in work you once enjoyed, start avoiding responsibilities, become irritable and aggressive, or use drugs and alcohol to cope. 

What Causes Entrepreneur Burnout

Entrepreneurial burnout is not something that happens overnight. This is a gradual, sneaky process, often difficult to distinguish from stress or fatigue. Ultimately, this chronic worn-out state can cause long-term damage to your health and well-being, so it is essential to recognize and address it on time. 

Common factors of entrepreneurial burnout include:

• Work overload – taking on more than a person can handle at work
• Inability to handle professional stressors 
• Working in high uncertainty 
• Poor self-care
• Lack of adequate support
• Long hours at work
• Seeing professional setbacks as a personal debacle
• Working in a socially isolated environment
• Ardent passion for work

How to Manage Entrepreneur Burnout

Making specific lifestyle changes can boost your resilience and help you make your mental health a priority to your business. 

Here are three strategies to avoid entrepreneur burnout or alleviate its symptoms. 

1. Nurture a Growth Mindset

Entrepreneurs with a fixed mindset view entrepreneurship as the ideal and only possible career, defining their whole life around their job. Being so immersed in your career can easily lead to obsession, eventually causing burnout. 

People with a growth mindset, on the other hand, tend to see their skills, intelligence, and traits as qualities that can improve with effort and time. Entrepreneurs with growth or flexible mindset enjoy their job but firmly believe that other careers would be equally fitting for them. They don’t see entrepreneurship as the only possible career path. 

In other words, having a flexible view of your career can make you less prone to burnout.  

• Set Boundaries

Accepting more gigs than you can handle can leave you drained at the end of the day. Constant multitasking can cause ongoing stress and burn you out, so try organizing your daily assignments:

• Reevaluate your priorities 
• Set SMART goals
• Make a checklist of the most important things to do
• Try not to take on more tasks that you can manage 
• Communicate regularly with your clients 
• Learn to say “no” to unreasonable demands or requests 
• Take regular breaks during your working hours

•  Make Self-Care Priority

Self-care is the backbone of emotional and physical well-being. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs are so immersed in their daily schedule at work, finding little to no time to practice self-care.

To avoid entrepreneur burnout:

• Make sure you get enough sleep.
• Eat nutritious food regularly.
• Try to exercise for at least half an hour each day. Regular physical activity helps manage stress and burnout. In addition, exercise can boost your mood and help you relax.
• Practice mindfulness. Studies show that mindfulness meditation can help you focus on your thoughts without self-judgment, boosting your resilience and alleviating stress and burnout.

In Conclusion 

Burnout is a state of complete emotional and physical exhaustion caused by accumulated stress. It is a slowly developing process, often hard to discriminate from being overly stressed or tired. 

Burnout can damage your health, strain your relationships, reduce productivity, and threaten your future ventures, so it is essential to recognize it and keep an eye on it. 

To manage burnout and mitigate its impact, be aware that your passion for work can be a double-edged sword. So, be mindful of your work motivation. Also, learning to think more flexibly about your career can lead to greater professional satisfaction while preventing burnout.