5 tips to help you manage your stressful life as an entrepreneur.
You got what you wished for: a thriving company. It was once a startup where every minute was a white-knuckled grind as you burned through cash and wondered how you’d keep the place alive. The next thing you know, you have hundreds of customers and dozens of employees running around in a rhythmic dance of organized chaos.
Those employees and customers, most of them you love, some not as much, all give you good days and bad days. On the good news days, everyone is making things happen and your customers love you. On the bad days, every single person around you within 1000 miles has found your last thread. It seems all at once they are tugging on that last thread, quickly unraveling the fabric that is your soul, pushing you over the edge.
Additional stress comes from knowing that you have to carry everything on your back. You are a job creator and you started a company that gave others access to wealth. From their first new car to buying their first home, you created a business that gave people an opportunity to earn and build a life.
And that is great, until you wake up at 2:00AM every night knowing that everyone is counting on you to pay their mortgage, to feed their kids, and to save for retirement. The stresses only build as you become larger and larger. At some point, the doctor will tell you that the dream you wished for is likely going to kill you if you don’t take care of your wellbeing.
What I have learned as a serial entrepreneur and from working with other business owners is that you have to find ways to deal with the stresses and insulate yourself from the daily rollercoaster of being an entrepreneur.
5 Quick Tips On Maintaining Your Wellness
· Learn to let things roll off your back. When a couple people around you are having a bad week and become negative, you will turn negative as well and will resort to complaining yourself just to vent. You have to tune out the noise and only pay attention to the things that really matter.
· You have seen it a hundred times, but exercise is very important. Even if your goal isn’t to get fit, just the act of exercise will relieve stress and release endorphins. I prefer something like boxing or weightlifting as it allows me to really unwind while others may enjoy a run or yoga. Whatever it is you like, just do it!
· Remove yourself from conversations with people that are known to not gel with you. If your business is large enough, make sure you hire an operations person to be your firewall to filter things.
· Money is always going to be an issue even when you have money. Staying up all night stressing about growth is a road to nowhere. If you must slow growth to have a peaceful mind, then do it. When waking up in a hospital bed, I am sure the first thing that you’re going to say is “I wish we could have grown another 12% last quarter.” Um, nope, you won’t say that, actually.
· Drink a lot of water, lay off the caffeine and sugar and find some healthy snacks throughout the day. They say 75% of people suffer from dehydration as it is so make a habit of not being part of that statistic. The last thing you want is your hormones on a rollercoaster throughout the day while you are trying to maintain stress and positivity. I keep a jar of natural peanut butter in my desk with a box of spoons. If I need an energy boost, I will grab a peanut butter spoon, snack on some almonds, or even eat a banana.
I know firsthand how hard it is to break these habits, but like anything in life or business, it’s a process. Keep chipping away at maintaining a positive state of mind and breaking the habits that can lead you down a dangerous road for your health, family, and business.
Originally published at medium.com