Five Incredible Ways for Busy Entrepreneurs to De-Stress Themselves!
Whether you are working for a startup or you are working on one, it is a stressful activity. It is true that being an entrepreneur can be taxing sometimes, especially during the holiday season which brings in more customers and business. With so many holidays lined up, you may find yourself stressing out as you prepare for the holiday sales, and driving towards the end of the year stretched to the full capacity running a successful business.
Each day that an entrepreneur spends is to bring in more customers, make more sales, and make sure the current customers are satisfied while managing to keep the whole business running smoothly. Moreover, entrepreneurs wear so many different hats to take care of different functions such as finances, marketing, logistics and several other duties that keep the ball rolling continuously. No one will tell you that it is a very easy job; in fact, it takes a lot of effort and time which can sometimes take a toll on you.
While it is true that every individual deals with stress, the entrepreneurs are those people who can be stressed out somewhat more. A little bit stress is all good which sometimes is needed for motivation, but when this stress starts swelling up, it can become harmful not only to your health but can also affect the productivity of your business. That is the reason why it is extremely important for entrepreneurs to learn how to de-stress and recharge so that they can get back to their full capacity.
So, in what ways can you really deal with the stress?
Take a Break
As an entrepreneur, I assume you spend most of your time in the office or working wherever you go whether that is when you are grabbing a coffee or are at home. Yes, your work is important but there is a limit on how much stress a human body can take. Take a break from work and go for a walk for about 15–20 minutes, watch a quick TV episode of your favorite series, listen to some music or just let your mind switch off for some time. This mental break will help you to calm down your nerves and will also help clear your clouded mind. A short break always helps to gain your focus back and finishing your work efficiently.
Step Outside on Weekends
There will always be some pending work that you must take care of, but that does not mean you spend all your weekends doing that. Get involved in some outdoor activities that make you happy and do them at least one day in the week. If you love to hike and the weather permits it, then that is one of the best ways to clear your mind and also to get some exercise. Take along your family and friends which will be a great time to connect with them as well. If you love water bodies then do some snorkeling, swimming, surfing or anything that makes you calm down. Or if nothing of that works, then try playing a game of football, cricket, and basketball or any sport that gets the adrenaline flowing in your body. You can join some clubs for that wherein you will be engaged in different activities always.
Say No to Work
And that includes emails as well well even though you may be reading them on your smartphone. Smartphones and all kinds of mobile devices have definitely made our lives simpler, but sometimes it can be really frustrating when you are stuck with responding to emails even when in the toilet. Stay away from all kinds of work notifications at least for few hours every week when you can do anything and everything you want other than work. I understand that turning off email notification won’t allow sending a prompt response or you might fear about missing an email, but to help you with that you can set up an away message which tells people that when will you respond to them.
While staying away from email is one part of it, you must also try not to load up your plate with excess work that would again lead to stress. Don’t overwhelm yourself which would result in increased stress levels. You are an entrepreneur and not some superhuman who cannot get tired of working year round. Focus on your strengths and do the tasks that you can do the best. Delegate other tasks to different members of your team especially those which are hardest for you, because they are the ones who will bring your stress level down.
Rejuvenate with Sleep
You must have heard it time and again and it definitely holds true that a goodnight’s sleep is very important for proper functioning and to one’s full capacity. Entrepreneurs are known to work long hours of the day and sleep very few hours, but you must always remember that you are a human being and hence your body requires sufficient sleep. Depriving your body of sleep will result in different problems ranging from health to your productivity in work. Make sure you get at least 5–6 hours of sleep daily, and if that is not happening then you must rest longer on the weekends so that your body gets sufficient time to recharge for the coming week.
Your moment of Zen
There is no human being who has not been benefited with meditation. If you feel you can’t spare time for any of the above, then you must resort to meditation which will help you to deal with your stress. It will help you clear all the thoughts and to streamline your focus. Meditation will assist you in gaining a different perspective and will also give you mental clarity to things. But just like exercising, you must do it regularly. Give yourself 15 minutes daily when you can practice it peacefully and see the results yourself. Learning how to use meditation to release stress will not only help you get your mental state in order but will also make you far more effective than you were before.
There are many other ways as well such as eating healthy food and making changes in your attitude, which will help you get rid of your strain and anxiety. No matter what method you apply, it is extremely important that you take efforts to deal with your stress. Because unless you do that, stress will start taking a toll on you making you physically as well as mentally weak over the time. So don’t stress out yourself unnecessarily and take breaks at regular times that will keep you healthy and smart.
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