The Silent Struggle of Burnout for Women Entrepreneurs

Anam
Jul 15
4 min read

a woman experiencing burnout lying facedown in bed with her hair covering most of her face.

Exploring the cause and possible prevention of burnout for women entrepreneurs.

This article does not advocate for feminism, which perpetuates the inequalities in women's lives. Rather, this article explores women’s role as entrepreneurs and discusses the common challenges many women entrepreneurs go through while juggling many roles at the same time. Even though being an entrepreneur is a fulfilling and rewarding journey, at the same time, it's challenging as many women find themselves competing against social barriers. The struggle between work-life balance, maintaining a healthy personal life, and flourishing meaningful relationships is real. Women entrepreneurs face significant challenges and pressure to balance their roles as entrepreneurs, mothers, partners, and, in some cases, daughters. All of this leads to excessive pressure, which in turn can lead to burnout.

In this article, we will be exploring the cause and possible ways to prevent burnout for women entrepreneurs.

A burnout usually occurs when physical and mental symptoms such as fatigue, stress, and exhaustion persist for a longer period of time and are ignored. That may be caused by poor work-life balance, overwork, unhealthy working environments, and lack of boundaries. Becoming aware of these behaviors and identifying these situations early on can help you to avoid getting to a stage where you would completely collapse.

Here are some strategies to help you prevent and overcome burnout, enabling you to continue being the best version of yourself for yourself, your loved ones, and your business.

Prioritize Your To-Do List

Especially as an early-stage entrepreneur or small business, it is common to feel overwhelmed with having to do everything from conducting meetings with the fundraisers to faxing and printing by yourself. However, during my sessions, I have spoken to many social entrepreneurs who are experienced and have teams, yet they feel extremely overwhelmed because of their workload. “This is because they are trying to do everything at the same time.”

Prioritize your tasks and complete them in a timely manner.

It’s always a good idea to remember that if you leave the unimportant and unurgent tasks for tomorrow, the world will still go on, and you can always finish them later with a fresh set of eyes.

Lean into Your Support System

As a female entrepreneur, it can be excessive pressure to prove yourself to your community and even the world. The thought of failure is unimaginable. Sometimes business owners get scared of delegating the tasks because they worry about the quality of the work.

Learning to trust others and leaning on them for support by delegating tasks can help you take the burden off your shoulders. It also provides an opportunity for your team members to contribute to the organization more and a chance for growth in their role.

Having a support system outside work is also crucial; this includes your family, friends, mentors, and professional support groups. Staying connected to your support allies outside of work ensures your mental health and emotional stability.

Prioritize Your Mental and Physical Health

Mental and physical health are the most crucial and yet the most commonly ignored priorities among professionals. If your mental or physical health is suffering, you won't be able to work anyways. Start prioritizing your mental and physical health among the most important and basic necessities in your life.

Depending on your lifestyle and current mental and physical health condition, this can mean different things for everyone. The baseline should include some level of awareness regarding your stress levels and responding to them instead of ignoring them until an alarming stage. Being mindful about nourishing your body with the right food and including some form of basic exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce your mental stress.

Self-care is not a time that's wasted; instead, it's an investment that enables you to think and do better!

Seek Professional Help

Entrepreneurship can be an isolating journey. Working long hours and turning days into nights can make it difficult to connect with family and friends and share your experience. Seek professional help for emotional support and to keep things in perspective. Often, the unbiased support acts as a barrier between the stress and our emotions. These sessions, whether therapy or coaching, can also provide you with the opportunity to explore solutions to the problems where you might be feeling stuck.

Have a Life Outside of Your Work

One of the biggest problems with most entrepreneurs is that they often neglect their lives outside of their work. This does not just include their family and social life but also their hobbies, things that bring them joy. And eventually, the life of an entrepreneur becomes robotic, with an overwhelming workload and overly committed deadlines.

Finding work-play and work-life balance is crucial for living a holistic life. Living in harmony with all aspects of your life naturally makes you your best self in all areas.

You don’t have to wait until the fall to pick yourself up. Prevention is always better than the cure. Choose to live a mindful, balanced life where you know what your stressors are and how they affect you. You must create routines and systems that support your entrepreneurial journey and reduce your stress levels. Working hard is not the same as working smart. Recognize the early signs of burnout and take a step back to implement discussed strategies and prioritize your well-being.

If you are a HerMeNow participant or alumni, book your free coaching session now through the HerMeNow website https://www.hermenow.com/wellness.