Need help dealing with entrepreneurial stress?
The struggle is REAL.
No true entrepreneur says starting your own business is easy…
Clients, deadlines, uncertainty, financial constraints…
You’ve got to be able to deal with stress or you’ll struggle to make it through the entrepreneurial journey.
And if you want an easy going work life balance, the startup lifestyle might not be for you. Entrepreneurs have to deal with a serious amount of stress! But if you’re willing to make sacrifices, you enjoy working hard and you’re ready to put in the hours, running your own business pays off big time.
See Also: HOW TO FIND A WORK LIFE BALANCE AND STRESS RESILIENCE Employee Wellness Post COVID-19; What do We do Next?
So in this guide, you’ll learn how to master the art of dealing with entrepreneurial stress and social interaction.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- What is entrepreneurial stress?
- Why stress is called the Silent Killer.
- The BIGGEST causes of entrepreneurial stress.
- Why you NEED to start dealing with entrepreneurial stress now.
- 7 powerful tricks for dealing with entrepreneurial stress like a boss.
- Is being an entrepreneur worth it?
- How to reduce stress quickly and painlessly
What is entrepreneurial stress?
Picture this:
You’re not making any decent money (yet)…
You have mountains of work to get through…
You have tons of demanding clients, customers & prospects all shouting for your attention…
You have seriously high standards for yourself but you’re not quite where you want to be…
And you actually have NO guarantee that your business is going to be successful…
Now sprinkle that with working 60+ hours a week and you can imagine just how stressful being an entrepreneur can become!
Real talk:
Being an entrepreneur is hard!
It can be a tough, lonely job.
And if you’re not careful, the game can take it’s toll on your mental health.
Whether you’re working online or you’re running an offline business – the challenge is the same…
You’re running the gauntlet of stress. Are you up to the challenge?
The Silent Killer
Stress affects your body in powerful ways:
High blood pressure. Out of kilter hormones. Heart problems.
Just check out this eye opening study from the University Of California.
There’s a reason why they call stress the silent killer…
Sure, a little bit of stress will get you motivated to hit your goals hard.
But excessively high stress levels over your whole life could really hurt you. And the problem with being an entrepreneur is that it’s a stressful lifestyle that spans over many, many years.
So that’s why you’ve got to nail dealing with entrepreneurial stress now – before it becomes a problem…
Stress isn’t a weakness. It’s an illness.
Feeling burnout is 100% human. After all, you’re not a robot!
Now here’s the other thing:
Loads of entrepreneurs see stress as a sign of weakness. As if burnout or depression are signs that they can’t hack the lifestyle.
Entrepreneurs don’t want to open up about it – they don’t want to admit struggling with it.
You see, stress isn’t a weakness. It’s an illness.
…And it comes loaded with a negative stigma. But that’s extremely wrong.
I gained a massive respect for lifestyle entrepreneur Tim Ferriss when he opened up about his battles with depression. It shows that no matter how upbeat, motivated and successful you are, you’re not invincible.
Useful Resources:
- Depression Awareness
- Understanding Anxiety
- Managing Stress and Anxiety with Hypnotherapy
- SMASH therapy – For everyday people who need a break
Entrepreneurial stress and its causes
Is there a psychological price to pay for being an entrepreneur?
We’re only human:
As an entrepreneur you want to be successful. You’re ambitious. You have dreams that you aspire to.
But when you’re constantly facing uncertainty, the reality can hit you really hard.
The journey is stressful – but it’s also rewarding.
Here’s the truth:
There’s no instant cure. But there are ways you can manage stress.
Here’s some of the top reasons why dealing with entrepreneurial stress is a serious issue:
- 34 percent of entrepreneurs say they’re worried about managing stress.
- 45 percent of entrepreneurs already feel stressed.
- 1 in 3 entrepreneurs are struggling with depression.
- 41% of small business owners say managing their business is their top stress factor.
7 Powerful Tricks For Dealing With Entrepreneurial Stress Like A Boss
If you’re worried about dealing with entrepreneurial stress, you NEED to start managing it now…
Because stress management in entrepreneurship takes skill.
And the more you practicing dealing with entrepreneurial stress, the better you’ll get at it.
Why? Because:
- You’ll discover the signs of stress before they become a problem.
- You’ll learn the best ways of dealing with entrepreneurial stress that work for you.
- Stress management becomes much easier over time.
- The more relaxed you are, the more productive you’ll become.
- Managing stress successfully will improve your health.
Becoming successful is all about your mindset – and a big part of that is dealing with entrepreneurial stress.
So let’s get going!
1. Relax. Relax. Relax.
One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made is working every hour of every day – just to try and speed up my results.
But in the end, this only leads to burnout.
You’re not a robot – you have to take a break sometimes! Especially if you want to maintain a strong work ethic.
So what’s the best way to take a break?
For me, exercise is the easiest way to relax.
Hitting the gym is gets rid of all the aggression and tension I’ve been facing.
But what if you don’t fancy that?
Here’s a few other easy ways of dealing with entrepreneurial stress that actually work:
- Meditation & Yoga – I’ve spent the last year in South East Asia. Yoga & meditation were everywhere…And they’re both great for your mind! You can even buy gratitude gifts for your teacher if you feel like this will cause less stress in your life.
- Practice mindfulness – being mindful a wonderful way to relax
- Distraction techniques – Reading. Exercising. Video games. You might feel like these are productive – but they all distract you from the struggles of stress whilst recharging your batteries.
- Socialising – This is probably the easiest way to take your mind off stress. Plus, you can have a vent too!
- Switch off your phone – Digital detoxes work a treat for managing entrepreneurial stress. As you’ll discover later…
- Try some breathing exercises like these
- Get a list of ways to deal with stress – this is a great resource with tons of tips for managing anxiety and stress
- Focus on thinking positive – some people use affirmations to do this. Never underestimate the power of belief!See Also: You can also join this wellness tour to improve your wellbeing.
Here’s a list of useful resources, techniques and tutorials for stress relief:
- Yoga Tips For Effective Stress Release
- Mindfulness Tips for Beginners + 3 Mindfulness Exercises
- The Best-Kept Secret for Improving Your Health
- 18 Amazing Benefits of Yoga, According to Science
- Living In Gratitude
- 5 Popular Mindfulness Practices – Have You Tried Them?
- Looking after your health at work
- Mindset Mondays: Decide What You Want, It Makes Every Other Decision Easier
- 5 Tips To Take Care Of Yourself Everyday
- Angel Therapy (Online Course)
- Stress Management 101
- Relationships and Emotions
- 5 Amazing Ways Gratitude Affects Us
- Tips and Tricks for coping with bad depression days
- Amazing list of mental health resources
- What am I Doing with My Life? 10 Questions to Upgrade Your Mindset
- 101 Life-Changing Quotes for Stress Relief that will Help You Relax
- The Best Ways To Wind Down After Work
- Spiritual Relationships
- How Often Should You Do Yoga?
- How Are Thai Massage and Yoga Connected?
- Consider doing retreats such as Hot Tub Retreat.
- Self-Care | Easy To Adopt Practices
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation Made Easy
- BRILLIANT BREATHING EXERCISES FOR RELAXATION
- Executive Toys for Restless Adults
- 5 Signs You Need to Relax Your Body and Mind
- Three Healthy Ways to De-Stress After Work
- Relieve stress with pets: Acme Canine
- Quality Time Yoga
2. Get some damn shut eye!
Working until 4am every night? Thinking of living off 3 hours of sleep?
Don’t do it!
The vision is romantic. The reality is hell.
You see, skipping sleep to work more hours is tempting. But it will f**k you up long term!
Sleep changes your whole brain chemistry.
It affects your mood, your energy and your productivity.
…It’s a game-changer.
…It’s completely under rated.
…And it’s a big part of dealing with entrepreneurial stress.
You can quickly go from a work demon to a neurotic mess without it. And the worst part is that you won’t even see that nightmare coming.
See these useful guides for more tips:
- 7 Ways To Improve Sleep Quality And Boost Your Mental Health
- Practical solutions To Help You Sleep Better
- How to sleep: Why drugs are not the answer: The real effect of sleeping pills revealed
3. Step away from the laptop.
Ever feel like you’re becoming a technology addict? When was the last time you spent 24 hours completely offline?
The idea is simple. Practising it is extremely hard.
As an entrepreneur, you’re constantly bombarded with information.
Emails. Social media. Clients. Sales.
I get hundreds of notifications from all over the place. They’re fun – but they’re also overwhelming.
And eventually they will melt your brain!
In fact, information overload can even cause paranoia and anxiety.
Not nice!
So if you want a quick way to start dealing with entrepreneurial stress, do a digital detox for at least 24 hours. Spend the WHOLE day away avoiding your laptop, phone, tablets etc. Skip social media, emails, sales notifications and any other analytics too.
Trust me, this is really hard:
…The temptation of seeing your phone flashing is seductive. It lures you in. It’s silently screaming at you to open it up. Don’t do it!
4. Enjoy the journey.
If you want to spend the rest of your life as an entrepreneur, you’ve got to enjoy every step of your journey.
Fail to do that and you’ll be dealing with HUGE amounts of entrepreneurial stress.
Because becoming an entrepreneur is a process that you need to respect.
Most people want to speed through it, skipping right to the end part where you’re a millionaire.
But that neglects all the character building challenges you’ll face along the way.
Look:
If you can’t enjoy the journey, you’re going to struggle big time.
You won’t enjoy working. You’ll lose your passion. You won’t see just how fun the lifestyle actually is.
…You might even become trapped in a negative mindset, because you don’t have the vision to understand that success is all about the journey, not the destination.
And that would be a serious shame!
5. Stop beating yourself up with guilt.
You’ve worked like crazy. You’ve made some incredible progress. You’re CRUSHING it!
But that pang of guilt still hits you on your days off…
If you’re like me, you know this situation well:
Because you’re so driven and motivated, you feel like a lazy bastard for taking a break.
That’s natural:
But don’t beat yourself up about it.
You need a break. Otherwise you’ll be hit with burnout.
6. Good food is great for the mind.
This one is simple BUT not easy…
When you’re working so hard, you can quickly slip into a bad eating pattern.
But a poor diet will make you feel like crap – mentally and physically.
Fatigue. Motivation. Energy. Mood…
Your diet affects all of the above and much, much more…
So here’s a few tips to get you started:
- Drink a ton of water.
- Avoid processed foods.
- Get plenty of vitamins.
- Get rid of refined sugar from your diet.
And remember:
You don’t need to eat 100% clean here. You’re not a machine!
But even a small change can make a BIG difference.
Here’s some useful tips for eating healthy, especially if you work shifts.
I personally stick to intermittent fasting:
I spend 16 hours fasted and then eat for 8 hours…
…It gives me a TON of energy, save times preparing meals and it’s far easier to eat clean when I’m limiting the amount of time that I eat.
WARNING: This diet isn’t for everyone.
But if you’re interested in intermittent fasting, there’s an awesome guide here.
Useful Resources For Health, Wellbeing & Fitness:
- Body Confidence – How To Get Confidence In Abundance
- Alcohol can also cause more stress and anxiety in the long run – see this guide to sober living.
- Fitness Foods for a Healthier and Stronger You
- 5 Tips for Getting Yourself Motivated to Eat Healthy
- Useful App For Yoga
- Is Drinking Distilled Water Safe?
- Men have Eating Disorders Too!
- Healthier Eating for Shift Workers – Some Useful Tips
- Health Awareness Calendar
- Stay Away From These Foods To Remain Healthy
- Vacation, Traveling And Healthy Eating
- How to fight depression with nature
- Everyday Health: 5 Simple but Effective Ways to Give Yourself a Lift
- Why Do We Over-Eat?
- Healthy Eating Tips For The Holidays
- Body Image and Mental Health
- The Subconscious Diet
- Useful resource on addiction medicine
- A Little Dose Of Wellness
- Tips For Dealing With Emotional Eating
- Show up! by Sarada Fitness Wear
- Dopetalk Forum
- Intermittent Fasting: The Definitive Guide (2019)
- How Addiction Works in the Brain
- 11 Ways to Add CBD To Your Wellness Routine
- Maintaining Wellness While Running A Business
7. Grab a daily dose of inspiration.
Why does inspiration work so well?
To be hungry and motivated, you need to be able to visualise where you want to go in life.
Sure, your goals of success might seem distant right now:
But work on them every day and you’ll slowly get there, week by week. That’s the beauty of it.
You see, success starts with inspiration:
Because feeling inspired is like breathing fresh air again.
It makes you realise that there are some things much bigger than your day to day problems. It’s the key to being productive, energised and successful. And it also equips you with the mental strength to effortlessly fight off any stress you’re feeling.
This article on the power of inspiration blew my mind!
Here’s a few ways to get your daily dose of inspiration:
- Motivational YouTube videos.
- Read some life-changing books that transform the way you think. (Here’s a great list from GoodReads)
- Go to local entrepreneur meetups and connect with some like minded people who inspire you.
- Spend some time in nature. There’s nothing more inspiring than an incredible view!
- Look into biohacking – here’s a useful guide to get started
- Interesting resource on vaping
Check out some inspirational quotes like these and discover some wisdom from people who have faced the same challenges as you.
Bonus Tips For Managing Stress
Bonus Tip 1: Meditate & Practice Mindfulness
When you’re feeling stressed, it’s often because you’re not living in the present moment.
Why?
Because you’re either worrying about the future – or ruminating on the past.
By practicing meditation and mindfulness, you can develop a stronger connection to the present.
This makes it easier to achieve a deeper level of calm and inner peace.
Useful Resources For Meditation:
- Manifesting 101 (by Emily Kant – yoga teacher and light worker)
- Don’t Be Defined By Your Past: A Meditation To Move On
Bonus Tip 2: Build A Winning Team
A team that works well together, wins together.
As an entrepreneur, if you’re worrying about your team – or they’re underperforming – then you’re going to burn out quick.
In fact, building an unstoppable team for your business is a crucial factor in your productivity, performance and overall success.
So make sure you hire the right team, manage them properly and build a team of people who are going to make your life easier, not more stressful!
Useful Resource:
- Team Building Activities: 25 Exercises to Create an Unstoppable Team
- 5 Ways To Make Your Employees 5 Times More Productive (And Happy)
- Leadership Tips: Guidelines for a Happy, Productive Workspace
- A Brief Guide to Health & Safety in the Workplace
- Substance Abuse and the Workplace
- Trendy Workplaces and Productivity
Is being an entrepreneur worth it?
YES – 100%!
Why?
Because you’re living life on your own terms. You’re working towards a goal that’s bigger than you are. You’re taking risks that most people aren’t up to.
That’s why I don’t mind working CRAZY hours. In fact, I love it!
Sure, you’ll be dealing with entrepreneurial stress a lot – but don’t let that put you off if you want to start your own business.
The techniques I’ve shared above are powerful:
And the more you practice, the better you’ll get at them.
Try some of these tips on a daily basis and you’ll notice a big difference…
Plus once you’ve nailed them, you’ll improve your overall well-being, helping you stay healthy long term. Physically and mentally.
Have any more tips for dealing with entrepreneurial stress? Drop a comment below!