How to Know If I Have Burnout?
Top Five Symptoms Founders Should Be Aware Of To Recognize And Address Burnout
I'm Manuel Saez, I write to help founders master emotional intelligence to make decisions with clarity 🌻 EQ coach, 2X-founder & award-winning designer ➜ I love fixing old motorcycles 🛵 🏍
Reading time: 4 min.
Contents:
Constant Fatigue and Sleep Problems
Loss of Passion and Motivation
Feeling Overwhelmed by Everything
Procrastination and Decreased Productivity
Physical Symptoms and Neglect of Health
Many times, I asked myself if I was just being lazy or if I was experiencing burnout.
As we discussed burnout in the last couple of weeks, I realized that many founders are asking the same question, and now I know for sure that it is something that is happening more often than I expected.
If you have not done it yet, this may help.
Take the ➜ "Founder Burnout Assessment,” a tool that has effectively clarified for founders who are wondering if they experience burnout or are just feeling the blues.
Today, I want to describe in more detail the top five symptoms I personally experienced, explaining how they feel and ways for founders to gain clarity and identify if they are feeling and going through burnout or just the blues.
1. Constant Fatigue and Sleep Problems
One of the first signs you might be burning out is if you're always tired, no matter how much you try to rest, and you can't sleep well.
As someone who's started their own business, I've been there. My brain wouldn't stop thinking about all the work I had to do, making it hard to get any rest.
Being tired is part of working hard, but there's a difference between normal tiredness and the kind that doesn't go away. That's a big warning sign. When I ignored this, it made it hard for me to think clearly and be creative.
It's important to notice this sign early because it's your body's way of saying you need to change something.
2. Loss of Passion and Motivation
Another clear sign of founder burnout is a noticeable loss of passion and motivation for your work. This loss can sneak up on you, often disguised as temporary exhaustion or a simple slump. But when the fire that once fueled your ambition dwindles, it's time to pay attention.
Here are three tell-tale signs that your passion and motivation might be waning:
You start to dread the work that once excited you.
You feel overwhelmed more often than not.
You're experiencing reduced professional efficacy.
This loss of passion and motivation is crucial to business owner burnout. It's more than just feeling tired or stressed; it's a deep-seated disillusionment that can make even the simplest tasks feel monumental.
It's not just about feeling overwhelmed; it's about feeling like you're losing yourself. If you're experiencing this, remember it's okay to seek help. It's okay to step back and take care of yourself. Because your business needs you at your best, but more importantly, you need you.
3. Physical Symptoms and Neglect of Health
Neglecting personal health and experiencing physical symptoms are other alarming signs of founder burnout. As a founder, I've learned that burnout doesn't just affect my mental state; it wreaks havoc on my body, too.
It's easy to ignore these signs, but they clearly signal that I must step back and recharge.
Physical Symptoms: When I'm burned out, I often experience debilitating headaches that seem never to go away, insomnia or waking up in the middle of the night, re-enacting conversations that happened during the day, and digestive problems that burn my stomach. These physical symptoms are my body's way of telling me it's time to slow down.
Neglect of Health: I've noticed when I'm overwhelmed, I tend to skip meals, put off going to the gym, and neglect my overall well-being. "Pedro," the voice in my head was very successful at rationalizing why I should skip the gym and eat junk food. Beware of this internal rationalization of bad habits.
4. Procrastination and Decreased Productivity
Beyond the physical toll, burnout also drastically impacted my productivity, often leading to procrastination and a significant decrease in output.
Tasks that once took me an hour to complete now stretch for the entire day. As a busy founder, this decreased productivity isn't only frustrating but can also be detrimental to the growth and success of my business.
I find myself pushing deadlines, delaying tasks, and simply avoiding work altogether. This procrastination isn't due to laziness or a lack of passion but rather a clear symptom of founder burnout.
I've learned that when I'm experiencing excessive stress, my ability to focus and achieve my goals drops significantly. I start to dread even the simplest tasks, finding excuses to put them off.
It's a vicious cycle that continues to feed into itself: the more I procrastinate, the more stressed I become about the tasks piling up, leading to even more procrastination and further decreased productivity.
Recognizing and acknowledging these signs of burnout is the first step towards breaking this cycle and regaining control of my business and life.
5. Feeling Overwhelmed by Everything
Nearly every day, I was swamped with tasks that overwhelmed me, making me feel useless and guilty.
Feeling overwhelmed is more than just having a lot on your plate. It's when your responsibilities pile up to the point that they feel insurmountable, leaving you feeling trapped. It is a vicious circle, and you need some awareness to escape it.
To recognize and prevent burnout, consider these three steps:
Regularly awareness check in with yourself to gauge your stress levels. If you're constantly feeling overwhelmed, it's a sign you need to take a break.
Evaluate your workload. Are you trying to do too much? Delegate tasks where possible.
Prioritize self-care. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and enough sleep are crucial for reducing stress.
As entrepreneurs, it's essential to be aware of these signs and take action when necessary. Remember, it's not a sign of weakness to seek help. It's a step towards resilience.
Sometimes, we have a bad day, and that is all, but if you experience any of these symptoms for a prolonged time or have several of these symptoms manifesting in your daily life, you should consider it may be burnout.
That being said, I am not a Doctor, and I am not qualified to give medical advice; I am just someone who experienced burnout and figured out ways to get better, and I am just sharing my experience.
If you think you are experiencing burnout, please get professional help. If you need to talk to a fellow founder with experience in burnout, you can reach out to me HERE. I would be happy to help.
Sending you good vibes 🌻
Manuel Saez