The Mid-year Burnout
Burnout. Every business owner knows it, tries to avoid it, and inevitably falls into it. We push, push, push through the spring market season and do our best to get the year started out strong, but oftentimes we don’t realize we’ve pushed ourselves too far until about mid June when running our business feels 10x harder than it normally does and we lose nearly all interest in our work. Sound familiar? I don’t think anyone is a stranger to burnout. Small business owner or not, we’ve all had our brush with it. You can absolutely love what you do, and wake up dreading it at the same time. We love taking care of our kids, but can’t we just have one day to ourselves? We thrive in our fast-paced work environment, but man, could we use a week-long nap. We adore interacting with people for a living, but if we have to put on a smile for one more client, it might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Why do we get burnt out doing what we love?
Because we don’t know how to rest.
Resting is not just sitting down and doing nothing. It is also an active effort that requires our planning, intentionality, and time. I often fall into the trap of laying down on the couch and then scrolling on my phone. Oddly enough, time flies by and I don’t feel rested at all. If anything, I feel more groggy and less pleased with myself. If I try to take a nap, my body and mind get restless thinking about all the things I could or should be doing with this time. Yet if I try to push through my tasks, I find myself getting frozen in decision making, finding random tasks to do instead of what actually needs my attention, and even shut down completely sometimes. Burnout is unfortunately a very familiar feeling for me, and I always feel it this time of year.
This past Spring was certainly nothing short of eventful. I had markets that were practically back to back, some of which failed miserably. However, around this time, I went viral on my Instagram which brought in a ton of orders all around the same time. I made over $2,000 in one day at one point. More than I had ever made at a single market. But this also meant I had several thousands of dollars worth of product to make and ship. I did my best to navigate this unforeseen load, including emailing my customers to inform them of the longer turnaround time, finding consistent childcare, and finishing the market season out strong. I put my head down, and I worked. I worked hard, every weekday, for as long as I could. I sent out anywhere between 10 and 15 orders a week. I showed up to my markets smiling. I responded to emails inquiring after order statuses promptly. From April until June, Macrame consumed my life.
Oh, also I found out I was pregnant in the middle of all this.
You can imagine my growing fatigue. I was frustrated at my lack of energy due to the first trimester, and I was doing my best to continue to care for my daughter and husband through this crazy season as well. I was extremely grateful for the increase in business though. I had been working hard to get my online platform to become self-sustaining, and it finally took off. I was able to use the money I made to invest in my business, but also help make the final payments on our car. In hindsight, I truly think the most overwhelming part of it was the fact that I had an influx of online orders in the middle of Spring Market season. Had it been at a different time of the year, it would have been more manageable. All that being said, I truly believe I managed the increase in business as well as I could have. I had to remind myself that it is just me running this business, and there’s only so much one person can do in a day. Thankfully, my customers were beyond understanding. I never had one rude comment, I was met with incredible encouragement, and the responses of excitement when their orders arrived gave me so much joy.
So here we are in August. Hard to believe it’s already time to start working on Fall and Holiday merchandise. Thankfully, I can feel myself coming out of the Burnout. I took July slow. I spent time traveling with family, taking extra naps, and not stressing about my business. I did things other than macrame that bring me joy, such as baking, thrifting, seeing friends and family, and going to the beach. It’s good to take a break from things that take up a lot of your time— even if you love doing them— to take up other things that bring you joy to remind you of the breadth of things that make you, you.
If you’re feeling burnt out around this time of year, I hear you, and I feel you. Take some time to find little ways to get connected back with yourself, even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day! There’s no “One Right Way” to cure burnout, since it looks different for everyone, but we can start by acknowledging it and not being ashamed of it. Take your time until you feel like you again!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go Driftwood Hunting with my daughter so I can hit the creative space next week with a fresh wind and inspiration!
Happy Summer from My Family and Me!