Jo Britton, PACE development

Business leaders should do everything they can to look after themselves and their teams during these challenging times, says Jo Britton.

She says: “We are seeing massive amounts of burnout right now. There are quite a lot of very successful entrepreneurs that have been working flat out for so long that they have got to the state of burnout. They feel burdened but feel they can’t share it with their family or their team. They feel lost and start to wonder why they are running their business.”

Jo says it is not surprising that so many SME leaders are feeling this way: “In the last year we have seen so much transformation and change but as human beings we are not wired for change; we are wired for protection and safety. We can tolerate periods of change in small doses, but what is happening now is that we have been exposed to very fast paced change over the last 12-18 months and it is having a profound effect on people’s minds and bodies.”

Business leaders are at particular risk of burnout because they often thrive under pressure, she says. “A lot of high achieving business leaders have very high levels of stress tolerance, which means they are able to work under pressure, but they also have the tendency to take too much on.”

For that reason it is vital to be on the lookout for signs that you may be struggling. Jo says: “Be aware of how your body is feeling. If your heart is racing and you feel tension in your chest or have contracted muscles, or you are getting a lot of headaches, you are most likely running your body in a stressed state. That is ok when it is temporary but if you are doing that for a prolonged period of time without realising it, it is not good for you and is what leads to burnout. So being aware is massively important.”

She points out that operating in a state of stress over a long period can also trigger horrible but preventable problems such as heart disease or Type 2 diabetes.

It is therefore vital to build in some breaks into your working day, no matter how busy you are, she says.

“Entrepreneurs often keep going all the time and miss breaks and lunch. But if you are constantly running at a fast pace and on tasks which require a lot of thinking and focused attention, then you are exhausting the pre-frontal cortex part of your brain. It will exhaust and you will experience the consequences – foggy thinking, an inability to problem-solve effectively, or to think rationally or creatively. You may also notice that you quickly become frustrated, short tempered or even angry. To optimise your performance, get rest, go for a walk, take exercise, eat nutritious food. ”

It is also vital to ensure that you are getting enough sleep, she says.

“Entrepreneurs might think they only need four or five hours sleep a night but if you are only sleeping for that amount, you are not functioning optimally and your capacity to make decisions well and to think logically and analytically will be reduced. Sleep is really important.”

Jo says it is vital to take action as early as possible to avoid long term damage: “Burnout is really hard to recover from so spotting the early warning signals of how you are feeling is massively important.”

Jo’s top tips

1. Be aware of how your body is feeling and stay alert for physical signs such as frequent headaches, a tight feeling in your chest, a racy heart or feeling constantly exhausted.

2. Make it a priority to get enough sleep and to engage in other activities. Working too much without getting enough sleep and without making time to relax are contributing factors.

3. In the moments where you may be feeling stressed or overwhelmed, practise 6-8 deep breaths. Take these in through the nose and out through the mouth as if you are breathing through a straw. This helps to calm the circuits and bring your body back to its natural rest and digest state.

4. Reach out and talk to a professional to get help if you’re experiencing emotional or behavioural signs such as an on-going and prolonged sense of failure, self-doubt, loss of motivation, withdrawing from others, getting easily frustrated or using alcohol, food or drugs as a way of coping.