It’s Monday morning, you sit down at your desk and let out a sigh. You’re already dreading the day, the week and all the work you have to do. You’re irritated, unmotivated and generally unhappy. Chances are, you’re on your way to burnout.

The term burnout refers to a state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion caused by excessive or prolonged stress. Burnout can occur when you are overwhelmed, drained and unable to meet the constant demands from your work and personal life.

Stress that contributes to burnout may come mostly from work, but can also be from your overall lifestyle. Given the current circumstances we are facing, stress levels are at an all-time high. As stress continues, you may begin to lose motivation, interest in the things you used to find joy in and feelings of helplessness. The negative effects of burnout can spill over into your personal life as well.

The good news? There are things you can do to prevent burnout. You can change the course and find ways to alleviate the stress and avoid a full-on burnout.

First of all, you need to know your breaking point. As business owners, it can be near impossible to unplug and step away from work which makes the chances of burnout fairly high. However, it’s essential when you feel yourself getting to that breaking point, you find a way to disconnect. It can be something simple like taking one whole day off, going for an extra-long bike ride, or having a night with family and having some fun.

When was the last time you added “free time” to your schedule? Scheduling free time into your day like you would a meeting, or task will help you to stick to it. It’s so crucial to take time just for yourself, even if it’s only 30 minutes. You will find the break remotivates and recharges you so you’ll go back to work more inspired and focused.

When you run a business, more often than not you will need to have a team behind you. The number of people does not matter, it’s the quality that is important. You need to have a strong team of people you can trust and depend on. You should be able to take time off and know with confidence that work is being done well and your business, customers or clients are well looked after.

As a Virtual Assistant, my main job is to take over tasks that you don’t have time to do, don’t like doing or just don’t want to do. In turn, this gives you the time to focus on the parts of your business that you love. Or take a vacation with your family. Or have a day off to unwind. There is no shortage of tasks you could pass off to a VA. Anything from basic administrative tasks, to managing your social media. A VA is there to make your life easier, help to grow and expand your business while helping you to manage your time and stress.

Running a business is not always easy, but with some tweaks and help from a strong team, you can avoid burnout.