254 | Identifying & Overcoming Burnout with Valerie Hamaker, Generation Xhausted
When burnout hits us on our entrepreneurship journey, it’s not only hard to see it coming, but is hard to manage and deal with it as well. In today’s episode, Valerie Hamaker joins us to share how you can identify the signs of burnout and if it’s happening due to underlying issues. Valerie Hamaker is a relationship and trauma therapist, who runs a membership community focused on helping individuals recover from issues of burnout. Listen in as Valerie shares two valuable and tangible ways that you can avoid burnout in your business.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product resource library, which includes my Delegating masterclass, my How to Know If Wholesale is Right for You class, my Booth Blueprint class, and even more resources we’ll be adding soon! Get access to all of these classes inside the Proof to Product resource library!
Identifying & Recognizing the Signs of Burnout
While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our society as a whole by amplifying burnout, recognizing the more traditional burnout can be a little trickier. A few symptoms to keep an eye out for include lack of interest, struggles with sleep, low grade depression, snappiness, shortness of temper, and struggles in relationships.
Addressing these more traditional burnout symptoms typically leads you to underlying struggles that are deeper than surface-level burnout. These could be psychological issues, past trauma, and deeper relationship struggles that go beyond work.
Do You Need a Quick Hack or Deep Work?
While burnout can come from working too hard or often, it also can come from something deeper. There are plenty of life hacks and quick fixes to alleviate the burnout, but it might be deeper than that—determining which type you have is so important if you want to heal the problem long-term.
Our coping strategies that we’ve relied on for our entire lives were ripped away from us during the pandemic, forcing us to face burnout, depression, or trauma head on. While this may feel like bad news, it’s actually great for healing ourselves. Now we’re able to toss aside these adaptations and coping mechanisms and fix the underlying issues.
Avoiding Burnout as a Small Business Owner
In Valerie’s work as a therapist, she works with a group of entrepreneurs who have all faced burnout. There are two primary themes that she sees at the root cause for burnout in entrepreneurs: boundaries and understanding their worth.
Lack of Boundaries Leads to Burnout
As entrepreneurs, we know that our work is never done, so it can be easy to forget to set boundaries. You have to set these boundaries in order to be your best self for your clients. This means that sometimes you will have to choose yourself, and in doing so, you may lose a few sales—that’s okay. Otherwise, the price you pay to not lose those sales will be your peace.
One of the biggest boundaries you could consider setting includes a boundary around your phone and how accessible you are to your customers. Putting a boundary in place to respect your personal time will ensure your clients are respecting you as well. You have a life outside of your work. When you don’t set boundaries, you’re clients may realize that and exploit it by unconsciously following your lead. By answering a late night call from a client, they’ll expect you to each and every time.
Your Worth Is Not Attached to Your Success
Additionally, we are often known to attach our worth to our success or our work. If you are placing your worth in your annual income or your last sale or whatever you’re measuring it by for success, then you are consistently exhausting yourself as a business owner. When you're using a measuring stick inside your business for your worth, then it is constantly going to make you feel like you’re not enough.
When you believe in what you’re doing and know that despite your work and success, you are worthy of so much, you will continue to exude excellence!
If you’re dealing with burnout or you continue to find yourself feeling that way, make sure you check out Generation Xhausted, where Valerie leads a community of others who are going through the same experiences.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product resource library, which includes my Delegating masterclass, my How to Know If Wholesale is Right for You class, my Booth Blueprint class, and even more resources we’ll be adding soon! Get access to all of these classes inside the Proof to Product resource library!
Download These Quotables to Save and Share
MEET VALERIE:
Valerie Hamaker is a relationship and trauma therapist, private practice owner, podcaster, public speaker, and runs a membership community focused on helping individuals recover from issues of burnout. Her concepts help people achieve not just recovery from burnout but more permanent psychological health.
CONNECT WITH VALERIE
WEBSITE: ExhaustedGen.com | INSTAGRAM: @valeriehamakertherapy | FACEBOOK: @valhamaker | PODCAST: valeriehamaker.com/episodes
Connect with Katie Hunt
Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.
Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct
you might also like:
