Burn Out? Who me? Not Possible....

Hi All!

I was asked to contribute to this page in regards to health and wellness topics. As a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and an entrepreneur myself, I know very well that "wellness" starts in your head! So, I figured this was a great place to start!

I come from a family of stubborn, hard-headed women. If we have a dream, we won't rest until it becomes a reality. We don't believe in failure. We don't ask for help. We don't take "no" for an answer. If you say we can't do something, well, we are going to do it... not only because we want to, but also because now we need to prove you wrong. We take on the world, and although we may complain about it sometimes, it doesn't stop us from giving 100% of our focus to each and every task we endure. It's usually too much for one person. Don't get me wrong, we get S#!t done...but it's usually at the expense of our own mental health. There's nothing that's "too much" for us. There's always time to take on "just one more thing". Maybe you can relate.

I wanted to start my own business at a young age. If you're an entrepreneur, then you're an ENTREPRENEUR! It's in your blood. It's deep in your bones. You aren't complete until you spread your wings and fly. At least I was smart about it. I kept my full time job "just in case" things didn't go exactly as planned....and guess what, they didn't. Do they ever? I started a retail business that I assumed I could grow and step back from. But, as it turned out, people liked me; they really, really liked me. People trusted me. MY advice was the advice they wanted. So, I couldn't step back. I had to invest MORE of my time into that business. So what happened? Six years later I was working full time running two pharmacies, working 35 hours at my own retail health store, not making any money doing it and was utterly stressed.

Burn out? Who me? Not possible....

I had heard this "burn out" phrase over and over throughout the years, yet never quite understood it. "Oh my, you work that many hours? Don't burn yourself out". What the heck does that even mean? When you "burn out" are you just standing there, conducting business as usual and then you just fall over? Is "burn out" when you wake up in the morning and can't physically get out of bed? Do your legs just stop working? Is it a state of hysteria where you can't formulate sentences and those around you question your mental stability and then lock you away in the crazy house? Wait, am I going to go up in flames???  Because none of this has happened to me before ...

Turns out, I didn't recognize "burn out" until I found myself crawling out of it's deep end.

When the state of"busy" becomes your refuge from your own thoughts...

When your subconscious spends 100% of it's time wallowing in it's own messy sorrows from business pressure and stress...

When you can't step away from the madness and complexity of your business to enjoy a vacation, holiday, or just a few moments of peace and quiet....ever...

When you're in the midst of a conversation and you realize you haven't heard a word they were saying because your mind is always functioning two tasks ahead of itself...

When you pause to recognize and appreciate a stress-free moment and then the very fact that you aren't stressing makes you remember all that you should be stressing about, and suddenly, you are stressed...

When you go to sleep simply to not be awake anymore, and wake up nauseous every morning...

Does this sound like you?

Well, guess what? We have a lot in common. What you're going through is what a rising proportion of the entrepreneurial population is facing. It's the Burn Out Monster, and he's NOT your friend.

Here's my advice...

If it's slowly killing you, let it go.

If it's busy success, then hire someone to help you so you can step back a bit.

If it's stress from being unsuccessful, then let it go. I'm not saying today...I know very well it's not that easy. But make yourself an exit strategy. It's your baby, I know! I know the struggles of this concept better than anyone! But trust me, the world is a little clearer when you pull out of the "burn out" haze that you've been consciously or unconsciously drowning in.

It's not good for you. It's not good for anyone around you!

Don't let the Burn Out Monster get you!

Ruuuuuuunnnnnn!!!!

-Lindsay