Recovery Guide For Burned Out Business Women

If you're a baby boomer and you've been a woman in business for 20 plus years now, it's likely that you're feeling the pain.

We're the generation that was taught to over-achieve, particularly business women. And like most women in business who are in their late 40s to late 50s, you may be feeling burnout syndrome caused by overworking, over-stressing, and under-relaxing.

Stop it...just RELAX!

But, I can hear you now. Are you kidding? How can I relax when I've got the freakin' company business to take care of PLUS my family who needs me? (am I close?)

I feel your pressure. But it's time we pay attention to what scientist have identified as the major obstacle to success for women in business. That is, we work too hard and when we do we actually set ourselves up to fail. That's because our minds and hearts just shut down.

According to Ulrich Kraft, in the Scientific American Mind, July 2006 issue “It tends to hit the best employees, those with enthusiasm who accept responsibility readily.”

They actually documented the process.
1. compulsion to prove oneself
2. working harder to meet their own personal expectations
3. neglecting their needs
4. displacement of conflicts (you're so frustrated you want to blame everyone)
5. revising your values so socialization, hobbies, friends are completely dismissed.
After all....we're just too busy!

Mr. Kraft goes on to say that if taken too far it ends in depression and inability to work at all.

If you recognize you in this description, take this advice to heart. Relaxing helps you stay heathier, happier and refreshes your brain so that you can actually create ideas and solutions for your business even faster. You'll accomplish more with less effort.

You're not really living if your nose is to the grindstone all the time or you're running around to drop off kids here there and yonder. So you need to begin to participate in your own life by slowing down enough to enjoy it.

It takes practice but it can be done. If you find it hard to resist working then go away, literally. Work through lunch if you like, but then book the spa treatment at 3:00 and don't go back to work. Go away to a resort, the lakehouse or mountain cabin on Friday afternoon. Do whatever it takes to find a way to give up the taskmaster ways and relax.

Remember, the life and business you save may just be your own.

For more ideas, coaching and strategies go to WomenCorp