Burnout is real. Here’s how to spot it.
How founders can prevent emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion
There is a perception that founders should sacrifice themselves and their lives on the startup alter. It’s common for founders to be called ‘animals’, and for this to be said in a complementary manner. Although startups are hard and require a tremendous amount of energy, founders should respect their physical and emotional health in pursuit of their startup goals.
The best analogy I can think of is Eliud Kipchoge who recently broke the 2-hour marathon record, a feat no human has ever done before. I feel this is appropriate because firstly a marathon is a really long way but he’s also running like crazy. That is what it feels like sometimes, running a marathon at sprint pace.
Kipchoge did regular recovery during his training (although his recovery is most peoples’ active) and is taking a long break to restore himself mentally and physically after this challenge. Founders should do the same.
There is an incorrect and dangerous view that burnout is an ‘emotional state’, where people just get to the point where they’ve ‘had enough’ and don’t want to do it anymore. This is simply not correct. Long-standing and/or intense stress has a significant impact on the way our body functions. And this is not just limited to physical stressors. The mind affects the body as much as the body affects the mind.
What is stress?
Cortisol, sometimes called ‘the stress hormone’ is produced by a small gland that sits above your kidneys, the adrenal gland. It is an essential part of bodily function. In fact, you would die without it.
It has a direct effect on many bodily functions including regulating blood pressure, regulating the immune system, controlling insulin (which controls blood sugar), memory function, protein metabolism, to name a few. It also has an indirect effect on many other systems.
Cortisol is one of the hormones that would be released if you were in an acute stress reaction i.e danger and needed to escape and run or fight. With adrenaline and other hormones, cortisol works to increase your heart rate, breathing rate, increase blood to your muscles, release glucose, preparing you for battle.
However when stress is felt over a prolonged period of time, cortisol is consistently raised and these normal, protective mechanisms become pathological — that is, they cause disease.
Signs of stress
In my experience founders tend to be very poor at spotting the signs of stress (or perhaps admitting them). Here are some of the signs that should make you carefully consider your levels of stress. However please be aware that everyone will have a different experience and this is an indicator rather than diagnostic criteria.
Warning signs
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty ‘switching off’
- Changes in appetite
- Weight gain or occasionally weight loss
- Impaired memory function
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling low in mood or emotional
- Feeling tired all the time
- Low libido
- Change in bowel function
Potential later stage signs of stress
- Teeth grinding (often heard by a partner or evident from having flat teeth)
- Hair loss
- Getting ill regularly
- Early morning waking (sometimes linked to depression)
- Negative impact on your relationships
- Changes in your menstrual cycle
- Sexual dysfunction
While most of us probably know stress is bad for us the consequences can be severe including raised blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, increased chance of stroke, obesity, diabetes and more.
Some founders may be more motivated by the fact stress has also been linked to reduced memory function, an increase in risky decision making, poorer decisions, and decreased creativity.
What about burnout?
Burnout is not a medically recognised diagnosis, yet. However, the symptoms are certainly real. The scary thing is that if you ignore the signs of chronic stress and reach burnout it is very difficult to recover from except with consistent and intentional rest.
Dr Ionita, founder of Akesio* and a doctor experienced in treating people in chronically stressed states said it is not uncommon for high performers to wake up one morning to find they are simply physically unable to get out of bed. This is sometimes referred to as ‘adrenal fatigue’ or dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. (Where the parts of the brain controlling the adrenal gland don’t function properly, called the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.)
It takes 6 months or more to recover once you have reached this stage. And it is not uncommon to speak to people who said it took them a year or longer to recover from being a founder. This was certainly my experience. I cringe when I remember thinking ‘I’ll take a day off/have a break/relax after I’ve finished Entrepreneur First and we’ve raised funding”. It was such a misguided view and overall was detrimental to me and the business.
Why is this important to founders?
As a founder, you have a unique responsibility to employees, shareholders, and the vision of the company that you are trying to create. Rarely do early-stage venture-backed founders have the luxury of taking long swathes of time off for rest and relaxation. If they do, the impact on the company could be significant. The key, therefore, is to recognise stress early, before it reaches the extreme of burnout and do something to prevent it.
In the same way an athlete rests, takes ice baths, goes to physiotherapy, and recovers in order to be able to train intensely and single-mindedly founders should view making time for regular relaxation as their responsibility and as an important factor in the overall success of the company.
*Dr Ionita is kindly offering a discount to founders who have read this blog - get in touch with her for more details: lavinia@akesio.com
