What do you do if you're a social media manager experiencing burnout and need support?

Feeling the burn? Here's help for a burnt-out social media manager: 1.Set Boundaries & Disconnect: Schedule breaks, silence notifications after work. Allow yourself a digital detox to recharge. 2.Prioritize & Delegate: Focus on core tasks. Discuss workload with your manager. Delegate or outsource less crucial tasks. 3.Talk it Out: Open up to your manager about feeling overwhelmed. Explore workload adjustments or support options. 4.Self-Care is Key: Prioritize sleep, exercise, and healthy habits. Engage in hobbies, spend time with loved ones to de-stress. 5.Community for Support: Connect with other social media managers. Share experiences and find strategies for managing workload and stress.

If you're a social media manager facing burnout, prioritize self-care. Communicate with your supervisor about workload concerns. Seek support from colleagues or join online communities for advice. Delegate tasks when possible, and set boundaries for work-life balance. Take regular breaks, engage in stress-relief activities, and consider professional counseling if needed. Remember, your well-being matters.

SMM's often don't realise that they are burning out, which means they can't take the steps to reverse the condition. My top three signs would be: 1. Feeling reluctance to engage with social media, whether for yourself or customers. Endless doom scrolling instead of actually doing any work is a sure sign of burnout. 2. Not getting excited about landing new clients or not feeling bothered about keeping the ones you already have. 3. Switching off from socials and spending time procrastinating on other tasks (but not really doing much of anything) is a definite sign that you need to take a break.

Setting boundaries means defining limits on your work responsibilities, availability, and communication. It involves clearly communicating when you're off-duty, not checking emails or messages outside work hours, and saying no to tasks that exceed your capacity. It's essential for maintaining work-life balance and preventing burnout.

Setting expectations is crucial. If you are not specific in your client contracts, you will be switched on 24-7. Responding to non-crises posts and messages outside of your normal working hours is fine on the odd occasion, but beware of mission creep! If you communicate with customers via WhatsApp, Slack or similar, ensure that you have an automated message set for non-working hours and don't make the mistake of looking at messages at 11 o'clock or midnight - it will just make you anxious and unable to sleep.

Delegating tasks involves assigning responsibilities to team members based on their skills and workload capacity. It lightens your workload, allowing you to focus on high-priority tasks and prevents burnout. Effective delegation requires clear communication, trust in your team, and providing necessary guidance and support.

Again, communication is key here. If you trust your team and you communicate effectively with them, you will not feel anxious and will not need to be switched on 24/7. Make sure you surround yourself - whether that's employees or freelancers/contractors - with people that you trust and who you know are up to the task. Remember that using people who know more than you is a benefit, not a drawback!

Some people find it difficult to reach out, but connecting with other social media industry players can alleviate stress and make you feel less isolated. Learn from others, but beware of comparison, which is the thief of joy. We are all different and do things in different ways - don't start comparing yourself to others or you will feel a million times worse.

Connecting with peers involves seeking support and advice from colleagues in similar roles. It provides a platform to share experiences, exchange ideas, and offer mutual support in navigating challenges like burnout. Joining professional networks, attending industry events, or participating in online communities fosters collaboration, learning, and helps combat feelings of isolation.

Practicing self-care entails prioritizing your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. It involves activities like exercise, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and mindfulness practices to reduce stress. Engaging in hobbies, spending time with loved ones, and setting aside relaxation time are vital. Recognize when you need a break and allow yourself to recharge to prevent burnout and maintain overall health.

Regardless of being a social media manager or a busy stay-at-home mum experiencing burnout - self-care is best. And self-care isn't bubble baths and lovely massages! Self-care is really (!) looking after your health and well-being - ideally on a daily basis. My biggest recommendation, as it's the most innate - is to look into TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) - it's TREmendously amazing and will give your body a great outlet to release tension, stress, aches, pains, anxiety ... and whatever you don't need. The best thing is - once learned safely, it's your tool for life and it'll save you time and money. Burnout prevention and building resilience are so important, let's talk about how to achieve both.