How Entrepreneurs Deal with the Stress of Running a Startup Business
Launching a startup company from scratch and trying to grow it is an emotional rollercoaster for entrepreneurs.
Sure, managing an up-and-coming business can be rewarding, but the twists and turns of trying to make it work can lead to frequent, overwhelmingly frustrating situations. And, seeing that founders are the ones getting the most credit when everything is going right, they are also the ones who take the majority of the blame when things go south.
Stacked against the devastating odds where 9 out of 10 startups fail at some point, it’s no wonder entrepreneurs get stressed out on a regular basis. Pressured to make progress in extremely challenging settings, at least 49% of founders are likely to have a mental health episode of some kind in their lifetime. The study behind this stat shows that founders are increasingly becoming more susceptible to depression, substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and diagnoses on the bipolar spectrum.
In all the cases the study took into account, the tolling stress was the main factor that led to more severe psychological issues.
Can Founder Stress Be Avoided?
Unfortunately, all of us get stressed out when under pressure. It’s just the way we’re naturally wired and founders are no exception to this rule.
Running a growing business with an uncertain future is a stressful endeavor by default, so avoiding stress is not really possible. Even in ideal situations, where the startup is going in the right direction, the founder will still be faced with more responsibilities, pressures, and challenges. It’s a true definition of an uphill battle, as overcoming any obstacle will only lead to a subsequent, more challenging one.
To make matters worse, founders don’t have the luxury to occasionally buckle under pressure or take some time off to decompress. They have to remain composed in order to motivate the team and must not leave an impression that they’re losing control.
This is, of course, significantly easier said than done.
How Entrepreneurs Go About Lowering Their Stress Levels
Since avoiding it is not really an option, entrepreneurs have to find ways to deal with the tolling stress without letting it impact the work they do.
How founders handle stress varies dramatically from person to person. Obviously, considering the aforementioned study, not all of them take mental health particularly seriously until they’re faced with more consequential psychological issues. However, those smart enough have figured out how to stay ahead of the curve and deal with stress levels before they get out of hand.
Today, we’re going to take a look at the most popular methods of overcoming the immense weight of leading a startup business, all of which are proven to have a positive effect on symptoms of both anxiety and stress.
So, without further ado, these are the top five methods of reducing stress that are especially applicable to founders:
- Take care of your body — Much of the damage stress causes to the body comes from the cumulative effects of cortisol, a steroid hormone best counteracted with healthy habits.
Making sure to sleep well, eat healthy food, and exercise at least three times a week are all among ideal natural solutions to backing cortisol and stress into a corner.
Entrepreneurs implement these three building blocks of self-care in order to prepare for optimal stress management and neurological functioning, both of which have a positive impact on their professional performance.
- Meditate — Meditation is becoming more and more mainstream among entrepreneurs, and there’s a good reason why this is so.
If you manage to stick with it long enough, meditation can be extremely beneficial both for mindfulness and stress relief. Chemically similar to sleep, meditation allows the brain to relax and clears out the stress building up in the body.
- Hire a coach — An excellent option for dealing with founder stress is hiring a coach that has experience in helping people navigate the startup game and avoid its stressors and pitfalls.
Of course, a good coach will dedicate a lot of time to personal development, as well. That way, the coach is able to take an entrepreneur’s life, both private and professional, to another level.
While each coach has their own approach to doing so, they should provide critical feedback (the honest kind that doesn’t beat around the bush), recommend actionable suggestions and motivate the founders to always go the distance. This turns entrepreneurs into the best versions of themselves, allowing them to become the leaders they want to be and build businesses they want to lead.
Good life coaching helps founders to not only build sustainable, lasting and profitable business models, but also enjoy sustainable, lasting and profitable lives.
- Keep things in perspective — It’s a widely known fact that close relationships with other people protect us from mental consequences associated with extreme stress.
Entrepreneurs should never neglect their relationships with friends and family while growing a business. Instead, they should remember what the real priorities in life are. This provides them with a better perspective on business and keeps them motivated in the face of business adversity.
- Make room for play — Simply put, play activities spark joy. They let your brain and body enjoy a break from the intensity of hard work.
Ideally, these activities should be immersive and stimulating, so things like archery, pickup games, chess, snowboarding, dancing, cooking, cycling, playing music and painting are all great choices. Playing video games and watching TV is also a good way to divert stressful thoughts, but they tend to be too cognitively and physically passive, so most founders prefer going with other kinds of activities.
Simple yet surprisingly effective, the techniques listed above make a massive difference to any entrepreneur struggling with keeping their stress levels in check. They take stress out of the equation, allowing founders to maximize their professional potential and remove the most taxing aspect of running a startup firm.
Ultimately, trying out one or more of these stress-relieving methods will result in founders enjoying a rich and rewarding startup experience, which always reflects well on a budding business’ long-term success.
