What burnout looks like and what I learned from it
By: Dora Dora
Tags: Work Life Balance, Life Lessons, Startup Life, Burnout, Self Care

Several weeks ago, I was going for a run on a Monday morning when I just started crying. I had spent the whole weekend not touching my computer. I enjoyed one full day with friends and one full day of spa. Doesn’t sound like there’s anything to cry about on that Monday morning, right?

Except that this was the first time I had a weekend like that since I started working on my own thing two years ago.

So, on that Monday morning after a weekend full of fun and relaxation that was supposed to recharge me, I was feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted — in the exact same way I felt on the Friday before. I felt empty, numb and indifferent. I was lacking the motivation, enthusiasm and fulfillment that are the main drivers for my impact-focused startup. I didn’t feel the urge to do anything at all, which is not how I wake up since I’ve found the mission I want to serve in my life.

Well, a weekend off doesn’t do the job if it’s taken way too late. Many people who’ve witnessed my workaholism have warned me about the risk of burnout, but I never listened to anyone. I thought I can go on forever, I didn’t feel like there are any boundaries. My passion for what I’m building, my ambition and my perfectionism were my constant fuel. I also thought I need to go on just like that, because that’s how you build a startup. You work 100 hours a week (e.g. according to people like Adeo Ressi, the founder of Founder Institute that I graduated from this year).

Hell no.

Where there is desire there is gonna be a flame

Where there is a flame, someone’s bound to get burned

But just because it burns doesn’t mean you’re gonna die

Building a startup is a marathon, not a sprint. You can’t keep your foot on the gas forever. Even with a race car (which might just be the idea you have of yourself or your role in your startup), maintenance should be done weekly. What about the human being that you actually are?

You know, a lack of self-care is a lack of self-respect and self-love. That’s my burnout lesson number one.

Like, how can you forget about your human needs if you’re the person who’s supposed to pull it all off?

What kind of leader can you be if you do not respect and take care of yourself to start with?

How are you going to treat other people on the team if you’re treating yourself that badly?

What kind of culture are you going to create?

And why do you bother starting your own business if you’re becoming it’s slave? You should be creating a self-determined lifestyle. You should be happy and fulfilled, because you’re working on your dream.

And you can be. If you just start caring enough about yourself in the first place.

Here are the ‘side effects’ of taking care of yourself that you can expect:

– making better decisions;

– feeling less overwhelmed and more like you’ll manage whatever the day throws at you;

– being non-reactive and having conscious control over situations;

– inspiring and empowering others instead of stressing them;

– acknowledging, appreciating and enjoying the path you’re walking;

– and ultimately becoming a better person, which is what this path is all about: the kind of person you’re becoming on it.