Signs of Burnout and Practical Tips and Advice to Help Small Business Owners

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Signs of Burnout and Practical Tips and Advice to Help Small Business Owners

Not been feeling yourself lately? Tired? Losing the joy in things you used to love?

These could be signs of chronic stress aka burnout. And if you're a small business owner, you're more at risk than most.

Burnout is a very real problem in the world of small business, and it's one we don't talk about nearly enough. In this episode I'm joined by Lauren Young, Psychotherapist at The Burnout Therapist, who knows all too well how burnout can creep up on driven, passionate business owners often without them even realising it. Today we talk about signs of burnout and practical tips and advice to help.

We dig into how to recognise the early warning signs, what's actually happening in your body and mind when burnout takes hold, and, most importantly, how to avoid burning out in the first place.

Recognising symptoms of burnout

Burnout doesn't arrive overnight.

Lauren shares some of the most common signs to watch out for:

• Constant exhaustion, even after rest

• Losing passion for work you used to love

• Brain fog and difficulty concentrating

• Feeling detached or going through the motions

• Dreading Mondays (or every day)

• Withdrawing from people and things you enjoy

Practical tips for recognising and recovering from burnout

• Protect your boundaries early. Burnout is much easier to prevent than to recover from. Start setting limits around your time and energy before you hit the wall.

• Check in with yourself regularly. Build a simple self-check-in habit notice your energy levels, your mood, and your motivation before they hit rock bottom.

• Stop wearing busy as a badge of honour. Doing less, more intentionally, is a skill and it's one every small business owner needs to practise.

• Find your people. Isolation fuels burnout. Connecting with other business owners who truly get it can make a huge difference which is exactly why I created The Small Business Community

• Seek support without shame. Whether that's therapy, coaching, or community, reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Lauren Young — The Burnout Therapist

Lauren is a Psychotherapist who helps small business owners recognise, address, and recover from burnout. Her work is compassionate, practical, and deeply rooted in real lived experience.

Join a community to combat loneliness in self employment

If this episode resonated with you, you might want to consider joining a small business community to battle the loneliness that can often come with running a small business. I talk about the various types of business communities and memberships that are out there in this episode "Finding the right community for your small business" I host The Small Business Community which is a friendly, supportive space for small business owners to learn, connect and grow without burning themselves out. It's where real conversations happen, real support is given, and you'll find people who genuinely understand what you're going through.

More info on The Small Business Community here.