Burnout in Barbering: How to Spot It, Stop It, and Step into a Healthier Future

Barbering is a high-energy, people-focused profession that demands precision, creativity, and connection — often all day, every day. But what happens when the tank runs dry?

BURNOUT.

It creeps in quietly: You feel flat, disconnected, easily irritated. Maybe your passion fades. Your body starts giving you signals - fatigue, sleep issues, gut trouble, brain fog. You might start skipping meals, relying on caffeine or crutches just to get through the day. And if you’re also a business owner, the pressure only magnifies.

I’ve lived this, both personally and professionally. And I’ve learned that if we want to show up as strong leaders, great teammates, and creative artists, we have to honour our health - physical, mental, and emotional.

How to Spot Burnout

Burnout doesn’t always look like a full breakdown. It can look like:

- Constant tiredness even after rest

- Losing interest in what you once loved

- Struggling to regulate emotions

- Avoiding conversations or clients

- Escaping into substances, screens, or emotional eating

These are not flaws. They are signals. And if we listen early, we can intervene before we break.

The Barber’s Toolbox for Wellbeing

1. Nutrition is Fuel, Not an Afterthought

Skipping meals or surviving on energy drinks and takeaway might be common in the shop — but long term, it’s a fast track to exhaustion. Our brain and body require nutrients to function well. Eating protein-rich breakfasts, hydrating through the day, and avoiding processed sugar highs and crashes can transform your energy and mental clarity.

2. Rest and Recovery Are Productive

I know hustle culture tells us to grind 24/7. But true performance comes from recovery. Whether it’s a full day off, a walk on the beach, or just unplugging from your phone after hours - it matters. Burnout doesn’t build businesses; rest does.

3. Mindfulness and Meditation

This isn’t just for monks. Even five minutes of stillness before you start the day can reset your nervous system. Practices like journaling, deep breathing, or guided meditations are tools to sharpen your awareness and ground your energy before you walk into the shop.

4. Connection and Real Conversations

Who are your people? The ones who lift you up and hold you accountable? Being in business - or just life - without connection can feel lonely. Find your circle or create one. A regular catch-up, a shared training session, even a quick phone call can realign your energy.

5. Boundaries Are Not Optional

Your time, your energy, your values - they need guardrails. Whether it’s setting hours where you don’t respond to messages or saying no to overcommitting, boundaries protect what matters. And once you set them, honour them. You’ll teach others to do the same.

Energy Is Your Currency

As barbers and business owners, our energy walks in the door before we do. It’s a frequency. When you’re burnt out, scattered, or running on fumes, that frequency affects your clients, your team, your brand. But when you’re aligned, grounded, and nourished - you’re magnetic.

That’s why I often say: Study the lifestyle of the people you admire. Not just their haircuts or awards - study their sleep, how they eat, how they train, how they think. Especially if you didn’t grow up around people who modelled those things. You can break cycles. You can lead new ones.

Ditch the Crutches

Many of us have relied on something to take the edge off - a glass of wine, a vape, a scroll, a joint. I’ve been there too. And I write this without judgment - only encouragement. Because the truth is: those crutches are often a plaster over unprocessed pain.

My mother passed away when I was in my twenties, she was a brilliant, beautiful strong Irish woman, highly educated, worked full time with 5 children, but was described to me by the doctor as what is known as a functioning alcoholic. A term I think most women or men would be mortified to be classified as, I know she would have! it is a thing, and it is so common.

Google the term - She gave until there was nothing left. She was too tired to keep being strong. I say this with reverence, not shame. It was burnout, the unhealed pain of losing my brother in a crash Christmas Eve 1996, and with no real support afterwards she returned to work and pushed through anyway.

We all know people that we work with are walking through problems at home. If coming to work can be an inspiration to be more health aware then that is an amazing opportunity.

We have a chance to do better. That’s our mission.

Your Body Knows

I’m someone who takes their health seriously and loves moving, but the high intensity stuff only ha-ha. In March, after a full-on Muay Thai camp in Thailand with my family, my body shut down. Total fatigue. I’d pushed too hard, for the last 2 years of training I’d been under-fuelled and underrested, and I paid for it. But with the help of an incredible naturopath and a homeopathic specialist, I’ve learned how to listen again. I’m healing.

And I’m not alone - this is the story of so many barbers and hairdressers working long days, skipping meals, carrying emotional labour. What you don’t feel now, you’ll feel later - in the form of anxiety, adrenal fatigue, addiction, or worse.

So, let’s make our health a priority - not a luxury. Because when we’re well, we create well. We lead well. We live well. Let this be a reminder: you’re allowed to slow down. To breathe. To heal. You are your most important tool - take care of yourself like you would your finest clippers.

Stay strong, Laura Banford

Multi award winning barber, head of vision at Hearts & Minds