Contrary to the common perception of having a flexible and easy-going lifestyle, entrepreneurs are often ultra hard-working. There is no paid annual or sick leave, often no weekend, an ever-growing to-do list, one important task comes after another… 

“After this project I will rest” turns into “I will rest next week”… and before you know it, 6 months have gone by. You sleep less, you eat less healthy, you are tired and close to a burnout. The pressure is still the same, but you feel less energetic.

This is further amplified by the “work-from-home” situation. In most start-ups, money is an issue, and you are likely to live in a small space. Or maybe your co-working space is either closed or working with a mask on is not your thing. 

Perhaps you don’t even have a separate home office and you work out of your living room or you might live in a studio, which means there is absolutely no separation from work and downtime. 

Logically you likely know that without you your business will fail, because there is no one else to do it. You yourself are your most important asset. If your health suffers, your business will suffer as well. Yet it often feels difficult to live it.

From an economic perspective, prevention of illness is much, much cheaper (and less time-intensive) than any treatment. To stay healthy and prevent burnout should therefore be your highest priority. 

Signs of a burnout looming around the corner or that your health is suffering can be:

• not able to concentrate 
• too tired for private life
• not being able to wind down or enjoy time off
• not sleeping well anymore
• using uppers (coffee, energy drinks) and downers (alcohol, medication)
• you have digestive issues such as burping, farting, reflux due to poor diet
• headaches, migraines, neck, shoulder, back pain duet to stress and lack of exercise
• you feel constantly stressed, overwhelmed, and overworked – means your body is telling you need a break

It doesn’t have to be this way! You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. 

Let’s go back to basics: 

• Eat in a place separate from your work. Pleeeease don’t eat and work at the same time. 
• Sit down to eat. Seriously. Do not eat standing. Just don’t. 
• Drink 2-2.5l of clean mineral water. Use a jug or water bottle. If you don’t like the taste of water, you can infuse it with herbs, slices of orange, lemon or cucumber (use organic if you don’t want your water to taste like chemicals).
• Pro tip for water: add a few crumbs of a good salt (not table salt) such as Himalaya or sea salt into 1l water to make your own mineral water
• Eat real food. It doesn’t need to be expensive. Go for fresh (wet) market produce. Learn some quick and easy, but super healthy meals. If you need inspiration, follow me on IG (@panakaya_naturopathy) or facebook (panakaya).

Every little thing that you do makes a difference to your body. It’s like a piggy bank for your health. A little bit every day can make a huge difference in a month or two… or a year!

If you feel like you are stressed, overworked, and could need some help in preventing a burnout so you can bring your business forward, schedule a discovery call to find out whether I am the right person to support you.

About Jennifer:

Jennifer Eisenecker is an ex-banker, naturopath, and business owner. She is passionate about helping stressed entrepreneurs boost the performance of their business by optimizing their health so they can enjoy a thriving business AND a fulfilled personal life.

02/11/20