How To:
Recognize—And Avoid—the Signs of Barber Burnout
Sometimes, barbering can be a freakin’ rough career path. You’re always on your feet, you’re always dealing with people, and you’re always in demand. Those on-the-go ingredients sound like the perfect recipe for burnout, ya’ll.
Yeah, we said it—burnout.
Burnout is a real thing, people, and if you’re not careful, it could come for you next.
OK, OK, let’s back up for a hot second before we head down this burnout path—we’re not trying to start off this blog post with some spooky story about how you can’t escape barber burnout no matter how fast you run or how well you hide. Freaking you out and stressing you out aren’t our intentions—trust us, we know you have plenty to deal with, we’re definitely not trying to add to that.
What we are trying to do is normalize burnout—because it is real and it is tough and it probably will happen to you. But burnout doesn’t have to look and feel like you’ve seen in the movies, read about in books, or even seen in some of your colleague.
Burnout doesn’t have to mean stress freakouts, panic attacks, and overwhelming depression. Burnout—when recognized and managed well—can simply be a warning sign that you take note of, react to, and stop in its tracks before it gets out of hand.
But how do you get to that point, exactly? How do you start recognizing burnout signs before the big barbering burnout happens, and further, what can you do when you’re feeling the weight of it all piling up on you?
Keep reading—we’re about to give you the ultimate low-down on barbering burnout.
Know Your Burnout Signs Beforehand
This is where self-love and self-work come into play.
If you really want to avoid a full-fledged burnout nightmare, you need to know yourself well enough to recognize some of the early signs of a burnout attack. This can be tricky for a lot of reasons. As people, we’re constantly changing and our boundaries are constantly shifting—what we can handle one week we might not be able to handle the next. That’s why it’s important to check in with ourselves—not just our workload.
Make it a point to check-in with yourself every single day. Evaluate. Assess. Try to tap into your mental state as often as possible.
Why is this an important step? Because even if you know exactly what your usual tells of burnout might be, it’s possible that you’re not being totally honest with yourself—if you’re doing an honest check-in every single day, you’re bound to uncover some of those personal warning signs.
Take a deep breath, close your eyes, check-in, and evaluate. Are you feeling depressed? Overwhelmed? Complacent? Has this hellish year been way too much for you?
No matter what the answer is, be honest—that’s the first step toward ensuring you’re doing the right thing for you.
Honestly Reflect on Reality
If you’re not taking into account that 2020 was straight from the Twilight Zone, we can tell you that you’re not taking a look at the past year rooted in reality. You guys, no matter how your year ended (in survival mode or in a thriving period), this year was freaking crazy—if you’re not burnout by the end of it, for the love of God, tell us your secrets.
We’re not saying you should be a train wreck because it’s been a tough year, but we do think it’s important to realize that realistically things have been a little hellish—remind yourself that it’s OK to feel burnout, especially after a wild adventure this past year has been. Then, grant yourself some serious grace and cut yourself some actual slack.
Schedule Free Time—Vacations, Too
If you don’t schedule your breaks, off-days, and vacays, you’re not going to take them—that’s a fact. Don’t get us wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being a hard worker and a dedicated barber, but if you’re letting your career get in the way of your life, then you’re bound to run into some hardcore burnout sooner or later.
Avoid being burnt out by taking actual breaks, days off, and vacations—it might feel weird when you’re literally writing down that trip to the beach or that stay-cation on your couch in your planner, but trust us, if you don’t do it, you’ll never take it. And trust us again—you freakin’ need it.
Make Time For Your Health
Self-care isn’t all bubble baths and pedicures—well, sometimes, but we digress. Self-care isn’t self-soothing. While there’s a place for those de-stress methods (seriously, those are important, too), self-care is a much more critical part of avoiding burnout. You need to take care of your mind, your body, and your spirit, and often, that involves doing things that aren’t super fun. Eat right, drink tons of water, move your body, and talk to your therapist.
No, these things aren’t super glamorous, but if you’re not taking care of yourself, it’s bound to catch up with you—and then it’s bound to affect your career.
Pursue the Other Things You Care About
Barbering is great, don’t get us wrong. C’mon, we obviously think the world of this career path (we’ve built our careers on helping you with yours, so we’re clearly on board). But it’s crucial to realize that even if it’s your passion—it’s not your only passion.
Yes, pursue the heck out of your passion for barbering, but don’t forget your other passions in the meantime. Focusing on other things you love can actually help you keep the fiery passion for barbering more alive than ever. You know what they say, right—absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Give barbering tiny breaks when you can and pursue your other passions in your spare time. We can bet your love for barbering will only grow as a result.
Do you have some of your own anti-burnout tips to share with the barbering community? Good! Let’s hear it!
Drop your comments below in our reply section—we can bet the barbering community will love to hear what you’ve got to say.
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