I get headaches very often. There are times when I don’t reply to emails and messages. I don’t do any work that is too important to be done. I just sit quietly in a corner with literally no thoughts in my mind, or I just sleep.
I do worry about how people will consider me unprofessional. Hell, they do! I do worry about how I won’t be able to deliver the results promised to people. I do worry about making the ends meet.
But then I think this is so with every person who is trying to build a new business. This happens to every person who decides to become independent. Entrepreneurship and stress just go together.
No. That’s not something I came up with just to rationalize my actions. That’s happening. There are so many posts and seminars happening that discuss how entrepreneurship and stress is a deadly but inevitable combination. It happens to everyone. It’s going on with me (Though I am technically not an entrepreneur, but my current situation is nothing different than one).
As this thing isn’t new to me, I have apparently found out some ways to deal with it. I am not saying I managed to be successful in dealing with stress. There are still so many things I have shut behind the backdoor of my mind. I can’t let them out unless I want to become insane. There are still many things I am currently worrying about. There are still many tasks that need to be done. But with all this, I am still not going mad. I am still working. I am still typing this post. How do I do it? How did I learn to control stress? If you’re an entrepreneur or a solopreneur, you might go through somewhat similar things. Here’s what I do to manage all of it!
Accept that you’re under stress
I got bad headaches. My focus at work was almost gone. But no one could convince me that it was stress. I went to doctors hoping that they would diagnose some problem with my brain/head. I was so sure there was a problem. Yes, there was an issue, in fact. It was stress.
As I said, no one could have convinced me of it. But one day it just came to me. It was like a realization. I got enlightened. I found out what was wrong. It was stress. I accepted that I was worrying too much about things. And that was giving me headaches. That was affecting my focus at work.
Having known that, I started telling myself not to feel stressful. Whenever I felt like that nasty headache is going to start, I told myself that it was all stress. I accepted that I needed to calm down. And that’s what I did.
To be able to deal with stress, you need to accept that you’re under stress. I am no doctor or a psychologist. But guess what! It worked out for me. Just accepting it made a lot of difference.
2. Calm down
Now that you know entrepreneurship and stress are a real phenomenon, it’s same for a lot of people – entrepreneur or not, and it’s happening to you, you need to go easy. You need to find what calms your nerves. Maybe it’s a good book or soothing music. Go to Youtube and check for calming music. You will find plenty of them. Find the ones that calm you down.
I wouldn’t suggest going for something like booze or nicotine for this. That will get you addicted, and addiction comes with its own sort of troubles. As an entrepreneur, you already have too much on your plate. You shouldn’t put more pressure on you.
3. Write it down
Is there too much work that needs to be done and too less time in a day? Write everything on a piece of paper. Would that reduce the work? Certainly not! But it would certainly reduce the pressure on you.
Writing the tasks on a piece of paper work like a magical psychological activity that relieves your brain from excess stress. You have everything written on that piece of paper. You don’t need to keep reminding yourself of what needs to be done. It’s there on the paper. The only task that would stay in your mind now is the one you’re working on. Rest remain in that paper until you decide to get to them.
4. Delegate
You can’t build a castle by yourself. No king ever made a castle by his own hands. A real smart entrepreneur hires people to build his dream. Outsourcing/delegation is a must if you want to build a sustainable business.
Of course, paying those people when you’re yourself not sure about your next paycheck is another stressful thing. For this, hire after good planning. Save enough money so that you can pay salary to your employees for at least six months even if there’s no money coming in. That would make it a cakewalk to delegate and make more money.
5. Be ready for failures
The biggest reason entrepreneurs feel stressful is that they fear they would fail. Everyone fails. I made myself totally bankrupt at the beginning of the last year, then spent the rest of the year build myself back again. This year, I am again up for getting bankrupt and building again. I would do it until I am satisfied with the lessons I have learnt and the things I have achieved.
You’re bound to fail if you’re walking on your path to success. It happens. Get yourself mentally prepared for that and tackled the hardships with a strong heart. Entrepreneurship isn’t for weak people. So either quit or fight back!
Entrepreneurship and stress are tied together until you decide to end that relationship. You easily can. The question is – “Are you willing to end your relationship with stress?”
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