Hello fellow biz owners. I’ve been an entrepreneur for the past 9 years, founding three separate companies during that time. When I first started (at age 28), I had an incredible amount of energy, creativity, focus and stamina to do so much. For a long time, I thought I was balancing it all (work/life) perfectly. But about two years ago, I started the process of what I now recognize as burn out. I didn’t really know what was happening at the time, but slowly I began to realize that I was losing my capacity to hold it all. I started to become sick, frustrated or weepy very easily. I also started to feel like no matter how much sleep I got, I would wake up tired. I became short tempered and defensive. My memory started to fail me, which felt super disorienting. Finally, a year ago, I hit a wall where I was unable to work for a few months, which meant I let a lot of important things slip through the cracks.
It’s been almost a year of pulling myself back together. I am finally feeling somewhat clear and energized again, but it has not been easy. As I emerge from this crisis, and begin talking about it with more and more fellow entrepreneurs, I realize that this experience is very common. Does anyone else have an experience of burnout to share? Have you been there? Do you feel like you’re on the brink? What systems or practices have you found to help?