78. The Impact of Burnout on your Mind and Business

The stress of running a business can take a toll on even the most seasoned of business owners. 

let's be real about the less glamorous issues that come with the territory. On this week's episode of the High-Performance Marketing podcast, we're getting into the nitty-gritty of burnout, its effects on your emotional and mental health and how not to feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. 

Transcript

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

In 2010, I worked a corporate 9-5. At the time I had a young daughter and I remember thinking how magical working from home seemed. I imagined taking care of my little girl, hopping onto my laptop and working while switching loads of laundry. Working from home was a goal I wanted so badly. It just seemed like it was the perfect way to be a parent and add some income to my family. I’ve always been extremely self disciplined and never really needed anyone to manage me, so again I just felt like I could get the job done from anywhere.

In 2013, when I asked my manager to let me work from home, she said no. Because if they did it for me they’d have to do it for everyone else. So I left. Started my own thing and have been in the space of entrepreneurship for 10 years. I didn’t immediately start working from home because I was in a new business and needed to surround myself with an environment of other real estate agents that could teach me how to grow my business.

But in 2020 something changed. Not only did I transition into growing a second business - the one I own now is Write Brand Marketing, a freelance marketing agency. Of course the pandemic happened too. And instead of going into the office for a few hours a day, the way I was accustomed to doing - the world completely shut down. 

Working from home became the normal, and it seemed - finally my dream of wearing sweatpants to work had come true. Over time though, and without realizing it something happened. It didn’t happen all at once though. It came on slowly and has slowly grown into a deep, massive feeling of burnout. 

Burnout appeared in small ways. Ways I brushed off as - oh we moved into a new house and I’m just having a harder time waking up early. Politics is stressful and dark, the world is fighting and deeply divided, sugary foods will cure me. My workouts became sluggish, but the worst of it all - was when I couldn’t sleep anymore.

I’d have a few days  a month, where I’d stay in bed for hours without the ability to fall asleep, and just say “well if I can’t sleep, I might as well get some work done.” I’d work through the night and by 6:30 in the morning, my body finally shut down and I slept for two or three hours.

When I tried to sleep my mind couldn’t shut down. It was racing. It was thinking, analyzing all the moments of the day, the ways I felt like I was falling behind. Telling myself I wasn’t good enough so I just worked harder. My anxiety and depression increased. Which is odd for me, because I’ve never been a depressed person or had any issues with mental health, and yet there I was, feeling like my life had no meaning.

How could it? I had allowed a vision of work from home flexibility to completely overtake my life and drive me into almost complete isolation. There were days I wouldn’t even leave my house. Because I have a gym in my basement, I’d work out, go to bed, wake up and walk across the hall into the room I’ve dedicated into my office.

It wasn’t until recently that I moved into a new office space, that I started sleeping again. Dreaming. You have no idea how glorious sleep and dreaming feel until you’re unable to do it. The separation of work spaces has allowed my body to recognize the difference and to shut down from the busyness of the day.

So today’s episode of the podcast is a simple opinionated rant around burnout. Burnout isn’t just a bad day at the office. It’s a chronic state of physical and emotional exhaustion. And that’s where it hit me the hardest. The toll it took on my mental health and emotional exhaustion was something I’d never experienced.

It also affected my weight. I’ve gained 20lbs since 2020 and up until I realized I was dealing with burnout, I believed it was my hormones, or the effects of aging – I am 46 now - so I kept chalking it up to getting older.

I wanted to spend a few minutes with you to bring this to your attention and make you aware of burnout. It’s real and it’s not just a trendy buzz word. It’s a significant threat to your mental and physical health.

I understand growing a small business is the hardest job we choose. But don’t let it become so hard that it effects your well being. Or the meaningful relationships in your life.

My one piece of advice for avoiding burnout is to work outside of your home a few days a week and to remove as many distractions from your life so that you’re as efficient as possible during your work day.

I’m not saying you can’t have fun, but let yourself focus on the tasks at hand, time block and use a task management system of some kind even if it’s as simple as using a checklist outlining the one thing you must get done to make that day a success.

Your business is a reflection of you. It can’t soar and run the way you dream of, if things with you as the leader are off. 

Take care of yourself and prioritze sleep - your body and mind will thank you.

I’m cheering you on.

Thanks for joining me today. I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.