Burnout is real. It’s huge within many industries and lots of people think Aesthetics is different, it’s a glamorised industry where everything is perfect! It’s not though and tough times still happen as an aesthetic clinic owner.
As a business owner the plates are constantly being juggled. You juggle being a business women and a nurse, a boss and a colleague every single day. However, what people don’t see is the behind the scenes; trying to be Mum, partner, run a home, be a daughter, a sister and a friend. The switching roles can become exhausting and that’s when burnout sets in. I will admit, a few weeks ago I felt burnt out. I knew I was walking the burnout bridge, telling myself to keep going when I knew the destination I was heading wasn’t fun!
Personally for me, I can recognise signs of burnout when I start to avoid everything and everyone. I don’t want to work, I don’t want to go out, I don’t want to answer phone calls, I just want to be left alone at home. I lose all interest in my life, and then the anxiety creeps in. Last Monday I spent the day adding tasks to my to-do list (which was already about 30 tasks deep). I was on an admin day, I was supposed to be doing these tasks, but instead I avoided them and just wrote them on my list. Every time I added to the list my anxiety increased, but I felt like I had a mental block. I mentally just couldn’t start working! For me when I start to struggle to meet the constant demands I feel myself check out emotionally and physically!
So I wanted to pop some tips for dealing with burn out and how to recognise it!
Burn out can feel like but isn’t limited to;
everyday is a bad day, no matter what you do.
Constant headaches
Reduced ability to sleep or restlessness
Lacking motivation and interest in every area/ some area’s of your life
Feeling like a failure and self doubt
Feeling tired and drained all the time
Isolating yourself
Skipping work or avoiding work
Procrastinating
So how can we help reduce burnout as business owners in this busy industry!
DELEGATE! Ask for help! We physically cannot be the injector, business owner, social media expert, admin and cleaner whilst also having other life commitments and roles. Sit down and assess where you can out source help, and what can be taken from your to-do lists. I know as a new business owner this can be hard, but if your reaching burn out it’s likely things aren’t being managed as well as you hoped and a fresh pair of eyes can often help! I now take a set admin day, where my son is in nursery but I don’t book in any patients, I have a full day to complete admin style jobs! I’ve also out sourced some of my social media work!
PRIORITISE! Not all tasks are equal, in importance or time required! Work through the list and choose tasks that are priority or tasks that can wait until you have more time. I’ve parked some new changes that I want to make to our clinic, as the time needed is more than I have right now and its importance is lower down on my list. The old saying, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Not everything needs to be done right now, you matter, some tasks can wait.
BOUNDARIES! I found this to be challenging, but hugely important. I am a people pleaser, and often will say yes as I don’t want to let anyone down! Boundaries are so important to protect your time and sanity. Working set hours, answering messages in set hours and not agreeing to every request! Before agreeing to something really consider whether doing it offer values to you, if it doesn’t press that pause button. Sometimes you just need to step away from the phone and have a break!
Finally, BE KIND to yourself. It’s easy when a friend is feeling overwhelmed, we offer advice and tell them to take some time. Yet we don’t grant any free time or the same compassion to ourselves. It’s easy to slip into thoughts of being a failure or that you’re not as good as other business owners. I often find myself thinking I’m not doing as well or reaching my goals as quick! When really it’s much easier to work efficiently and achieve your goals when you aren’t running on empty.
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