By Heather Cherry—
Leaders are burned out, especially women. More than half of women in leadership positions report constant burnout. And women are more likely to suffer from it burnout than men with a percentage of 32% to 28%.
The 2022 McKinsey & Company study, Women in the workplace, suggests that this is because female leaders are overworked and undervalued. “Compared to men at their level, female leaders do more to support employee well-being and promote diversity, equity and inclusion, but are not formally rewarded in most companies,” the study said.
The research continues: “Spending time and energy on work that goes unrecognized can make it harder for women leaders to progress. It also means that women leaders are stretched thinner than men in leadership; it is not surprising that female leaders burn out much more often than men at their level.”
In addition, persistent overwhelming feelings can quickly lead to burnout – a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress – and affect your cognition. Being constantly overwhelmed can cause symptoms such as mental fogginess, forgetfulness, confusion, difficulty concentrating or thinking logically, a racing mind, or decreased problem-solving abilities.
Here are three tips leaders can use to avoid burnout during stressful times.
Set boundaries
Being a leader often comes with a long list of obligations, tasks and meetings. While these to-do lists are often necessary, they can also be exhausting and emotionally draining.
Avoid overextending yourself by setting limits on your time and workload. Boundaries are essential for mental well-being. They help you:
- Build confidence
- Identify your values and beliefs
- Focus on your well-being
- Avoid burnout
- Develop independence
- Create a greater sense of identity
Founding boundaries requires self-awareness and understanding your limits.
- Identify what is essential. When you think about the situation, what comes to mind – how does it make you feel? Use these insights to inform the purpose of setting (or having to set) a boundary.
- Prepare for relapse. If you set boundaries, you’ll probably get some backlash. This is especially true if others disagree with your boundary. Start with small boundaries and think about what might happen if you say “no” to something? For example, what would your colleagues say if you declined a meeting invitation?
- Be clear. A boundary is only effective if it is shared consistently. Express your boundaries as clearly and accurately as possible. For example, if you think starting a new project can wait, share this information as simply as possible with a brief explanation as to why and state the facts — try to avoid becoming emotionally charged.
- Avoid guilt. Setting healthy boundaries is essential for self-care and should not be accompanied by guilt. If you feel guilty about the limit you’ve set for yourself, consider why that might be happening and what that might tell you about the situation.
Set realistic goals
As a leader, you are used to setting goals – from professional to personal and health. But setting unrealistic goals can lead to overwhelm, stress, and increase the likelihood of burnout.
According to experts, goal setting should be about more than creating a goal or objective — goals are more about accepting the sacrifices required to achieve them. “Most goal-setting exercises start with questions about what success looks like and what you want to achieve. But if we’re serious about reaching our goals, we need to start with a completely different question,” says James Clear, author of Atomic habits. “Achieving a goal only changes your life in the moment. Instead of thinking about what kind of success we want, we should ask, “What kind of pain do I want?”
Clear continues, “Goal setting is not just about choosing the rewards you want to enjoy, but also the costs you are willing to pay. We think we need to change our results, but the results are not the issue What we really need to change is the systems that cause these results. When you fix problems at the result level, you only fix them temporarily. To improve for good, you need to fix problems at the system level – fix the input and the output fixes itself. “
Here’s how to set realistic goals.
- Prune your goals: It’s not a question of more time or fewer tasks, but more of selecting what’s important. Choose one target to make the most impact and ruthlessly eliminate the others.
- Stack your goals: You are three times more likely to stick to your goals if you make a specific plan for when, where and how you will achieve them. This tactic is known as implementation intent or habit stacking. “Habit stacking works well because you’re not only creating a specific plan for when and where you’re going to achieve your goals, but also linking your new goals to something you’re already doing every day,” says Clear.
- Raise your goals: When most people set goals, they go for the minimum – reaching the minimum is a good milestone measurement to begin with, as showing up is important to building the habit. But sticking to long-term goals and avoiding burnout requires reaching the “upper limit.” For example, I want to make at least ten sales calls today, but a maximum of twenty. “Upper limits make it easier for you to sustain your progress and keep showing up,” says Clear.
Practice self-care
Setting boundaries and realistic goals are important for avoiding burnout, but it can still happen if you don’t manage your stress. “If we experience stress for an extended period of time without being able to change, change, or improve it, we can begin to feel empty, numb, devoid of motivation, hopeless, and out of touch,” says Robert Ciampi, LCSW therapist and author. . “A person can become so burnt out that they become apathetic about everything, including self-care, which can lead to serious illness.”
Having healthy self-care routines and habits helps reduce stress and replenish your energy. Self-care also supports your productivity, increases feelings of happiness, strengthens your decision making and improves your mental, physical and emotional well-being.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Physical: A big part of self-care is understanding the connection between your mind and body – intellectually and experientially. Practice physical self-care by building a rest routine and incorporating 20-minute breaks into your day. Exercise is also important – take time for short periods of walking or stretching and get outside if possible. Studies show that just 10 minutes outdoors can significantly reduce physical and mental stress. Finally, consider how your food makes you feel and try to eat foods that help you feel better.
- Emotional: Being a leader can be very emotional. Practice self-care by being honest about your feelings. Use mindfulness or a journal to think compassionately and grace yourself for whatever you discover.
- mental: Mental self-care is more than getting away from work – it requires prioritizing your time and doing things you enjoy. Take the time to participate in activities that bring you joy, pursue a new hobby, or explore a new activity. Always check with yourself how you feel afterwards.
Being a leader requires you to care for others. And taking care of yourself should also be a priority – not an afterthought. “It is precisely when we are feeling stressed and overwhelmed that we would benefit most from slowing down to think big, innovate and solve the problems that stress us out,” says leadership coach Palena Neale, Ph.D.
Heather Cherry is a freelance health and wellness writer and content marketing coach. She helps companies create strategic, creative and conversational messages and build effective content teams. She has been published in Sleepopolis, SELF, Insider and author of Market your A$$ discount.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.