As a business owner, you’re likely to be under a lot of pressure. You have to keep up with the latest trends, make sure your team is happy and productive and make sure that customers are satisfied.
It’s no wonder that many entrepreneurs suffer from burnout; it’s estimated that 50% of small businesses fail within five years because their owners become exhausted or depressed by the workload.
However, there are ways for you to avoid this fate! In this blog we’ll look at why emotional wellbeing is essential for business owners and how you can prioritise it in your life so that you don’t burn out before your company does!
The Benefits of Investing in Your Mental Health
It’s no secret that mental health is an important part of overall wellness. But what many people don’t realise is how much their mental health affects their business and vice-versa.
When you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed it can be hard to focus on your work and get things done. You may find yourself making bad decisions that affect your clients or colleagues in a negative way (or even just being more irritable than usual). Your mood can also impact how well you communicate with others at work, and even affect your personal relationships at home; if you’re feeling down it might be harder for people around you to understand what’s going on in your head because they don’t know how much better off they’d be if only they had some time off from work too!
The good news is that investing in self-care doesn’t have to cost anything other than maybe an hour per week (which we’ll talk about more later). And there are plenty of ways for entrepreneurs to overcome the stresses and strains of running a business in today’s challenging world.
Identifying the Warning Signs of Burnout
Burnout is a real phenomenon. It’s not just something that happens to other people, and it’s not something you can fix by simply trying harder or being more motivated. Burnout is a state of physical and mental exhaustion that occurs when you’ve pushed yourself too far for too long without taking time off or getting help from others.
The warning signs of burnout include:
* Feeling overwhelmed by your workload
* Difficulty concentrating on tasks at hand
* Physical exhaustion (feeling tired all the time)
* Loss of motivation to do anything at all – even small things like brushing your teeth or making coffee in the morning!
Strategies to Avoid Burnout
* Take regular breaks.
* Practice self-care.
* Prioritise sleep, even if it means cutting back on other things in your life, like working late or going out with friends.
* Set boundaries with clients and colleagues so that you can take time off when needed without feeling guilty about it (and vice-versa).
* Create a support network of friends who understand what you’re going through and are happy to lend an ear when you need one or, just hang out with them for fun! You’ll be surprised how much it helps just knowing there are people out there who get what it’s like being an entrepreneur (and will remind you not to take yourself too seriously).
Creating a Balanced Work Schedule
* Schedule regular breaks: The first step to creating a balanced work schedule is to plan ahead. You should know when you’ll take your breaks and how long they will be, so that when it comes time for them, you don’t have any excuses for not taking them. Your body needs time away from the computer screen and desk chair in order to stay healthy and focused on the task at hand.
* Make time for yourself: It’s important not only that you take breaks from work but also make sure these breaks are taking place outside of the office environment as well! This gives us a chance to recharge our batteries by spending quality time with friends or family members who may be able to help lift our spirits after being bogged down by stressors throughout our day-to-day lives as business owners (or even just regular employees).
Tips for Improving Your Mental Health
* Set achievable goals
* Practice mindfulness
* Stay organized
* Practice gratitude
* Exercise regularly (for at least 30 minutes per day) and eat a balanced diet
The Benefits of Emotional Resilience
* Increased confidence. When you’re resilient, you can handle challenges with aplomb and bounce back from failure. This will make you feel like a rock star in your own eyes and the eyes of others
* Better communication skills. When things go wrong and emotions run high, emotional resilience helps us communicate more clearly and effectively so that we can work through issues together instead of arguing or shutting down
* Improved problem solving skills. When we’re feeling frazzled and stressed out by life’s problems, it’s easy to get stuck in our heads without being able to see solutions clearly enough to take action on them, but when we’re calm and centred (thanks to emotional resilience), we have an easier time finding creative solutions that meet everyone’s needs.
Building Emotional Resilience
The first step to building emotional resilience is to acknowledge your emotions, even if they are negative. When you feel angry or sad, it’s important to let yourself be upset and express those feelings in a healthy way. Next, practice self-compassion by treating yourself with kindness and understanding when you’re struggling with stress or sadness – you may need extra support from friends and family members during these times!
Finally, find healthy outlets for stress such as exercise (it can help reduce cortisol levels), meditation/yoga/breathing exercises (they lower cortisol levels too) or talking things out with others who are supportive of your business goals. You’ll also want to make sure that you’re taking care of your physical health so that all systems are running smoothly: eat well; get enough sleep; drink plenty of water throughout the day; reduce your alcohol consumption if you drink, or cut it out altogether if you can, and avoid smoking cigarettes because they increase stress hormones like cortisol in the body which leads directly back into our previous point about building emotional resilience through healthy habits!
Free Discovery Session:
If you’d like to find out more about ways to thrive without burning yourself out, please get in touch by clicking HERE for a FREE no obligation Discovery Session – An informal chat, where we can discuss your circumstances, and plan the optimum strategy to help you and your business thrive! – I’m here to help you.