Julie Bee is the author of “Burned: How Business Owners Can Overcome Burnout and Fuel Success.” A business owner burnout strategist, Bee has been dubbed the “small business fixer” by her clients and peers. With over 15 years in the entrepreneurial field, she has solidified her reputation as a dynamic consultant, a riveting speaker and a leader who sheds light on the darker side of business ownership. Having been celebrated by Fast Company and Forbes, her insights are in high demand across the industry. For more information, please visit thejuliebee.com. 

Entrepreneurs don’t have easy lives. The endless string of 60-hour work weeks can take its toll. But if you’re expecting that long-awaited summer vacation to “fix” your exhaustion and lagging motivation, think again. You might come back from that week of ocean breezes or mountain air dreading the screech of the alarm clock more than ever.

A recent nationwide study found that 41% of employed Americans report experiencing burnout after taking time off — and entrepreneurs are particularly at risk.

Expecting a vacation to stave off burnout isn’t realistic because time away doesn’t solve the problems that were causing your stress. Not only will those problems be waiting when you return, there may also be a whole new set of fires for you to put out.

You didn’t become this overwhelmed and disengaged in a week, so a week-long break is unlikely to be a cure-all. Chances are you’ve been ignoring your stress, exceeding your bandwidth and prioritizing your business over your own needs for quite a while.

To be clear, I’m pro vacation — and yes, self-care can temporarily relieve some of the pressure. But if you don’t want burnout to take a serious toll, you need to get to the root of what’s causing it. I speak from 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur — and from the other side of my own business owner burnout. My book “Burned” acknowledges that periodic stress and even burnout are givens when you own a business. The book provides tactical advice on how to make space for addressing burnout, fix any problems it has caused and leverage its lessons while running a company.

That said, here are some things to know about burnout (post-vacation or otherwise):

If there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s stress. If you’re stuck in the dark, it’s burnout. How can a spread-thin entrepreneur distinguish stress from burnout? While stress can feel acute, it’s temporary. There’s often a deadline to look forward to. With burnout, you have little or no energy left to move forward. The passion you once felt for your business has turned to dread. When faced with a challenge, you may feel “stuck” or just plain indifferent. Your responsibilities feel like a burden — and you can’t see an end in sight to being in this state.

Know your red flags: You’re sleep deprived, snappy and buying stock in dry shampoo. Most of us don’t go from “fine” to “running on fumes” overnight. There are usually red flags that indicate you’re headed toward burnout: actions, habits, or behaviors that indicate you’re off-balance, stressed and working unsustainably. For instance:

• You’re having trouble sleeping (or sleeping too much).
• Your interactions with others have become more contentious.
• You’ve started to socially withdraw.
• You’re finding it difficult to focus, make decisions and/or come up with new ideas.
• Your self-care (e.g., grooming, nutrition, exercise, etc.) has slipped.
• You’re leaning harder into a coping mechanism (e.g., alcohol, medication, etc.).
• You’re clinging to the belief that if you can “just get through” a particular deadline or challenge, everything will magically get better.

Be alert for trigger warnings: Scour your schedule for stressors. Triggers differ from red flags because they are external to you. They tend to be other people, places or situations that cause you immediate stress, and can thus hasten burnout. The more you’re exposed to (or even think about) your triggers, the more your dread, anxiety and sense of feeling overwhelmed ratchet up.

Burnout triggers are often seemingly small things like hearing the phone ring or seeing a difficult client’s name appear in your inbox. They don’t even have to be work-related: A spouse’s bad mood or the sight of your overgrown lawn can also cause your stress to spike. It’s important to identify burnout triggers so you can eliminate, limit or deal with them.

Your triggers might be extra stressful if you’re returning to your business after a vacation. Instead of dealing with your triggers from a Zen-like mindset you cultivated while relaxing poolside, it’s likely they’ll seem even more intrusive as you frantically play catch-up.

Master your new mantra: “NO!” (for now). If you’re close to (or in the throes of) burnout, you must make space to deal with it. My top tip is to temporarily say “no” to new. Just for a while, stop chasing new opportunities, developing new ideas, and forging new partnerships. Think of this as saying “no for now”— not necessarily “no forever.” Maybe you do have a fantastic idea that is right in your business’s sweet spot — but first you have to make space to properly develop and execute it.

Run the “why” test to pinpoint what’s causing your symptoms. First, think of something that’s causing you stress (burnout triggers are a good place to start) and list three thoughts or feelings you have about that stressor. Now ask “why” — three times — about each thought or feeling and answer as honestly as you can. Here’s an example with the feeling “frustrated:”

• Why am I frustrated? Because I have zero enjoyment in my business.
• Why do I have zero enjoyment at work? I’m always putting out fires and never get to the important work.
• Why am I always putting out fires? Because someone has to do it (aha!), and, if I’m honest, I don’t manage my time well (aha again!). I prioritize putting out fires over doing important work, because in the moment, they feel more urgent.

As you apply this exercise to various stressors and your thoughts and feelings about them, you’ll probably see a few themes pop up. Maybe you feel like you must solve all problems yourself, or maybe you lack firm boundaries. These themes are probably major causes of your burnout.

Now that you’ve diagnosed your burnout, treat it! In the “frustration” example above, you might carve out more time for important work by determining which daily tasks you can eliminate, delegate or save until later. If the pile of minor emergencies that cropped up while you were on vacation tipped you over the edge from “stress” to “burnout,” you need to create a plan for more effectively covering your absence next time.

Don’t do this alone. You need a team to support and advise you: key employees, business partners, loved ones … even a therapist! When you’re in a state of burnout, it’s hard to see things clearly. Outsiders may see something you haven’t noticed and offer a fresh perspective.

Then, focus on your personal recovery. Being burned out means that you’ve been depleted faster than you could replenish. Now that you’re on the other side of the urgent fire, you can focus on the personal toll it has taken. To start, identify an action or activity that will comfort and replenish you that can be accomplished in the next 30 days. For example, you might go on a hike, book an appointment with your therapist or splurge on a weighted blanket to help you sleep more soundly. These types of self-care actions won’t cure your burnout. But you need to capture a few quick wins so you’ll have the attitude and energy to make bigger, more impactful changes that will help mitigate future burnout.

Put a prevention plan in place. Create thoughtful guardrails designed to keep you from traveling too far into your red-flag danger zone. One anti-burnout strategy I recommend is to define your ideal workweek.

For instance, on what days of the week will you work and at what times? When will you work on big-picture, visionary tasks? When will you invest time with your staff? When will you do tasks you do not enjoy? How often will you network? How will you handle personal calls, texts, etc., while you’re working? Answering questions like these can help you set boundaries, prioritize effectively, work efficiently and communicate clearly — all of which will give you more bandwidth to deal with stress and setbacks.

Make peace with the fact that burnout is like a bad penny — albeit one you can still spend wisely! Burnout often isn’t a one-and-done event — you’ll probably encounter it several times throughout your career. Circumstances can appear out of nowhere that will take a wrecking ball to even the best-laid prevention plan. But not all burnout has to fully deplete you, set your business back or impact your health.

If you’ve just returned from vacation and are feeling charred to a crisp (and not just from sunburn), attempting to power through your exhaustion and disengagement won’t be sustainable. The good news is that if you do the hard work of addressing your burnout now, you stand a much greater chance of actually enjoying your next vacation … and of climbing smoothly back into the saddle once it’s over. C&IT