It’s a pretty commonly used term in any business these days. Burnout!!

What does it mean for you and what does it mean for those around you?

We’ve all had that feeling from time to time,“I don’t want to be here”.

You know the scenario, the works piling up faster than you can deal with it, the bills keep coming, a sick staff member doesn’t turn up for work, the body corporate chairperson wants to argue about everything, overbearing guests or clients demand more & more, the inevitable breakdown of a vital piece of equipment and that’s before you deal with your home and personal life. Stress. Stress. Stress. Burnout.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Get me out of here!!!

It is amazing to see how different people handle stress far, far better than others.

We see managers that take every comment from their committee as a personal insult about how they are doing their job. They get their backs up and are rude or go off and sulk about it.

There are business owners that ride their staff too hard and only end up transferring the stress from themselves to their employees, resulting in quality staff leaving and therefore increasing the stress and workload onto others..

People handle stress in very different ways,for example.

– There are those who want to hurl their computer through the window.

– Those who want to punch someone or something.

– Some just curl up in the foetal position and cry.

– Some take it out on their spouse or employees.

– Some have a Bex and a lie down. (For those who remember what a Bex is)

– Others walk away and don’t come back.

– Many people sell up and try to find a less stressful business.

– In worst case scenarios, some will have a breakdown.

Stress and burnout are quite often responsible for divorce, domestic violence, bankruptcy, breakdown, a feeling of hopelessness, ill health and in worst case scenarios, death.

So why do we allow things to get under our skin and stress us to the point of burnout?

For many it’s because they don’t trust another person (even their spouse) to do the job and refuse to delegate responsibility, therefore taking the full burden upon themselves for everything that goes wrong.

In larger businesses, where staff are involved they can either be a great blessing or a cause for more stress at times. Are they the right staff?

What you need to do is stand back for a moment and reassess the situation.

Have a good hard look at yourself and how you are going about your business.

If you have a spouse or business partner involved in the business, then they should also participate in this exercise.

There are also experienced industry professionals who can help you do this.

You need to be honest with yourself and take any comments or criticism from the other party without hitting the roof.

Ask yourself:

Am I my own worst enemy by taking everything personally?

Do I create stress in others around me that I work with?

Do I consult others before attacking a problem?

Am I constantly blaming others for things that go wrong?

Do I take my problems and stress home with me at night?

Am I properly suited to the business I am in?

What are my priorities, work, money or family?

Do I just want to pack up and go?

So what are the answers?

In many cases a lot of our stress can be solved pretty quickly by finally taking a long overdue holiday. Get a way from the centre of the stress and just forget about work for a time.

One of the best holidays my wife and I ever took was a holiday at home. Strange but true but quite creative. With 3 kids under 7 years of age at the time it was always going to be tough and stressful to get away somewhere exotic and rest.

A friend came up with a great solution,rather than go away travelling with 3 young kids, we employed a 7am to 10pm nanny to look after them at home whilst we spent the week doing day trips, eating out every day and generally having much needed and appreciated free time to enjoy each others company and just rest.

It ended up being half the cost of holiday had we flown to another city somewhere.

For some the idea of leaving our business with another person is cause for even more stress because they don’t trust anyone to run their business while they are away. If that’s your problem then it may be time to sell up and get out, have a holiday and come back refreshed to look at a new opportunity.

It’s far better to have your health and sanity than to end up having a triple bypass or wrapped up in a straight jacket in ward 9 somewhere.

If you are having an AHHHHHHH!!! moment in your life then it may be time to have a good hard and serious look at just how you are going about your business.

It may be a great money spinner, but is it really worth dying or getting divorced for?