Business, Wedding Planning Tips, Your Event Career
The Wedding Planner’s Guide to Surviving Burnout
What is burnout? Is it a term tossed around to exaggerate the desire for a holiday escape to some far-off tropical destination? Is it what we say to validate that fourth cup of coffee? While it may sound like the buzzword du jour, for wedding planners, burning out is a very real threat.
At its most debilitating, burnout is a condition that can bring an otherwise healthy individual to a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. Demanding clients, constant deadlines—wedding planners really do give so much of their energy to their vocation. For these reasons, you have to be extremely vigilant about having a good strategy to avoid a physical, emotional, and mental crisis.
Feel like you just can’t bounce back to your normal energetic self? You don’t have to give up on what you love to do forever! We’ve put together a list of important ways you can recover from burnout. If you take the adequate time and measures to practice self-care, you’ll be back to the next event venue in no time. So stop, take a deep breath, and continue reading…
Prioritize your health
One of the quickest ways a wedding planner will unravel is by neglecting their own physical well-being. Sometimes a whole day will go by before you realize that the only thing getting you by is the bagel you had for breakfast—consumed 7 hours earlier for a 5:00 am wakeup call.
No one can run on fumes. Event planners cannot run on coffee alone. Make sure you are taking care of the basics: nutrition and sleep. If you know that you won’t have time for a proper meal during an event, carry quick snacks that will stop you from crashing. Talk to your doctor about taking a multivitamin. If you’re in the first stages of recovery and in the process of declining events, now is the time to really look into what you can do to practice self-care. Saunas, yoga, massages—self-care doesn’t have to be boring!
Space out your events
There are so many days when every moment on your schedule is accounted for. Running from task to task, how often do you stop to check in with your own wants and needs? Event planners are notorious overachievers, who often stretch themselves thin trying to make the impossible happen. As you go above and beyond for your client, though, don’t forget to include yourself in that equation.
Taking a breather between events will help you recover from crashing. You might even have to say ‘no’ to more clients. Whatever you do, don’t overcommit. In the ideal world a work-life balance is easy to achieve. Try to create a healthy separation between work and your personal life.
Lean on your support network
Sometimes you just have to take off your wedding planner hat. Do you have people in your life who value you outside of a business context? Whether you turn to friends or family, taking the time to develop positive and meaningful relationships is an important part of your survival strategy.
No, things aren’t always going to go according to plan, but sometimes just having someone else listen is a helpful way of coping with frustrating setbacks. And not everything has to be so heavy all the time. Sometimes laughter truly is the best medicine. Connecting with your support network will help you keep it all in perspective.
Make time for a stress outlet
Of course, a wedding planner is a people person. And putting together beautiful events is your creative outlet. But do you have stress outlet just for you? Now is the time to implement one. Whether it’s scrapbooking, going for a long walk, having dinner out with a friend, or catching the latest comedy, every planner should set aside time for an activity they like– purely for the enjoyment of it!
Yes, leaving your work at “the office” is a particular challenge for event planners. But you should have a set amount of time during your week for fun and relaxation—without fear of the next notification that goes off on your phone.
Even if you don’t feel anywhere near meltdown mode, finding healthy ways to manage stress will allow you to reconnect with your goals, making you a more well-rounded and better balanced wedding planner.
Re-identify your goals
Keep on top of your real-life wedding planning ambitions. You can make these goals more attainable by actually writing them down. Re-evaluate your everyday business: Do you need to learn how to delegate more? Are you looking into providing additional event planning services anytime soon?
Create a goal chart. Taking a step back will ultimately make you more productive. After all, you generate endless task sheets for the events you plan. Why not be as diligent about verbalizing the hopes and dreams you have for your event planning business? Don’t leave it for sleepless nights.
