As a coach, you guide and support individuals in achieving their personal and professional goals. You have a fulfilling profession and you are passionate about helping others overcome their challenges. You may often neglect your own needs and well-being.
Your work may lead you to feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or even frustrated. You may forget to prioritize your own needs. This may lead to burnout and affect your performance. This blog talks about how you can manage stress, and burnout as a coach. It is crucial to understand how burnout can affect your performance and well-being.
Let’s quickly deep dive and explore burnout as a coach and how self-care and stress management can help recover from it.
What is burnout for a coach?
A little infrequent dose of stress does not do much harm. However frequent and excessive stress has adverse effects on physical and mental well-being. Your work can be the source of prolonged stress which can lead to burnout. According to WHO (World Health Organization), burnout is an “occupational phenomenon that results from unsuccessfully managed chronic workplace stress”
There is a need to identify stress when it is too high and too often.
When you start your coaching business, you feel you have found your passion. You are enthusiastic and happy to solve your clients’ problems. You are thrilled that with your coaching you can create a difference in your client's lives. Then one day you start feeling that your work is meaningless. You are always stressed. You feel sick often. This could be due to burnout.
As a coach, you can feel burnout as your role is physically and emotionally draining. It could also be that your work is not giving the desired result to the client. Your hard work failed to produce the desired result for your client.
Therefore burnout is chronic stress that leads to physical, mental as well and emotional exhaustion.
Certain symptoms of burnout in coaches could be
Feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, self-doubt, lack of motivation, lack of sleep, thinking more negative than positive.
You feel no joy in your work, you start losing your patience easily, procrastinating projects, and not completing your to-do list.
Physically you feel headaches, stomach problems, anxiety, tiredness, and low immunity. You feel exhausted most of the time
You must be self-aware about these symptoms and bring changes in your life to overcome them. It is difficult to get back on track but you need to reset your mind and body to overcome it.
What contributes to burnout in coaches?
Not listening to your body
Not having proper boundaries with your clients
Getting attached to the clients at an emotional level
Overbooking clients than you can manage
Not prioritizing and managing time well.
Getting affected by clients' results.
6 Stress management techniques to recover from burnout as a coach
Set boundaries to manage your coaching workload
Set a time for yourself to rejuvenate
Seek supervision and support
Digital Detox
Take a break
Outsource and automate repeated tasks
1. Set Boundaries to manage your coaching workload
You may tend to have a flexible coaching schedule which can lead to overworking and less personal or ‘ME’ time. Try to limit the number of coaching sessions per day and learn to say a polite ‘no’. This might be challenging but you can do it diplomatically.
Establish clear boundaries regarding working hours and calls. Set limits to your working hours. Ensure you get enough time for rest, and leisure as well as for your learnings between your client work. Communicate effectively to protect your time and energy.
Remember you are not responsible for helping others even when you are tired. You cannot fill others' cups when you are yourself empty. Setting boundaries will help you feel in control.
2. Set Time for yourself to rejuvenate
Set aside some time for personal hobbies and relaxation. Also be aware of physical symptoms such as headaches, lack of sleep, and stomach issues. Indulge in activities that help you de-stress and relax.
You can read a book, listen to music, or engage in activities that bring you joy. Set up a morning and bedtime routine. Engage in some sort of physical exercise such as walking in the park, yoga, or exercise. Take short breaks between your work. Don’t forget to meditate and set positive intentions for the day.
Create a daily schedule, book your calendar for each activity you do and even break time for rejuvenation. It is important to keep a schedule for rest too. Take care of your physical and emotional well-being.
3. Seek supervision and support
It is time to understand that as a coach you also might need support, just like your client. Seek regular mentoring to discuss challenges. Create a safe space for yourself to discuss your learnings and personal and professional growth.
Connect with a supportive network and ask for feedback and support from people who understand your work and challenges. Share your struggles and experiences and learn from other coaches’ experiences too. Join various forums and groups for coaches. When you seek support, you feel less alone and avoid burnout with the guidance and support of mentors.
4. Digital Detox
Constantly checking your emails and mobile phones may also lead to burnout. Set a designated time to check the emails and messages. Turn off the notifications on the phone to avoid distractions during work. Disconnect from the technology for some time during the day, especially before bedtime. You can limit the use of social media to prevent information overload and constant comparison with others.
5. Take a break
Being a helpful professional coach, you tend to neglect break time. It is important to take regular breaks to recharge and prevent stress and burnout. Schedule breaks and vacations to reconnect with your passion for coaching. Taking regular breaks helps to recharge and refocus
6. Outsource and automate repeated tasks
It takes a lot of tasks and responsibility to run a coaching business. If you are having consistent stress, try to delegate or automate some of your business tasks. A lot of stress can be eliminated by outsourcing and delegating tasks which require most of your time but do not help you focus on core business activity.
Conclusion
These are a few of the ways you can reduce the stress and burnout you might feel as a coach. To start feeling like yourself again you need to address the issue of stress and burnout and focus on self-care and stress management.
As a coach, you need to prioritize your well-being while helping people achieve their goals and resolve their problems. While you are in the business of helping others you too require care and attention. Prioritize self-care and stress management to deliver better coaching sessions and support. Explore these essential techniques to excel in coaching.
About the author
Ritu Sharma
Ritu is a freelance blogger. Blogging is her passion. Writing is something that makes her feel alive. She is an avid reader and she loves to write on topics related to productivity, time management, personal development, communication, and self-reflection.
Here is a link to contact her. Click Here.