Life is full of stressors and owning a business is at the top of the list. While being an entrepreneur offers a certain kind of freedom and creativity, it also creates its own unique pressures and responsibilities. Operating in stress mode negatively impacts productivity, focus and health and steals the enjoyment of the journey. Here are some suggestions to manage stress so you can function at a more optimal level and not get lost in the weeds.
Follow your gut feelings. Let your intuition guide you with decisions such as what to plant, where to plant, how to market, who to choose as partners. Your intuition is always right and allows you to make decisions with more ease and better outcomes.
Keep a running to do list in the notes section of your phone or whatever device you use most. When something pops in your head, add it to the list so that it gets out of your head and you can finish what you are doing at that time. Date it, remove what you accomplish and carry over what is still remaining to the next day.
Drink plenty of water. Water wakes up your brain if you feel tired or foggy. It lifts your spirits if you get in a slump. It calms your central nervous system. Water simply makes you feel better.
Breathe. Pause throughout your day and take 10 deep breathes. If you notice yourself feeling anxious, frantic or edgy, stop and breathe to center, calm and clear out the tension. It won’t take long and does you a world of good. Consider setting your phone alarm to go off periodically to remind you to pause, breathe and have a glass of water.
Turn your phone off periodically throughout your day. We are constantly checking our phones and responding to emails, texts, calls and data. This keeps your energy frenetic and impacts your ability to focus on the task at hand which makes you more stressed as you fear falling behind. Turn it off, turn it over, put it away while working on a task or to have a break from overwhelm of information inundation. More often than not, communication can have a slight delayed response.
Practice these techniques and make them part of your job. You will enjoy the journey of owning your own business and all the pleasures and pitfalls that goes with entrepreneurship plus it will bring more balance and harmony to all aspects of your life.
Julie Farha is a recognized intuition expert, intuitive insight coach, speaker, corporate trainer and author. She understands the importance of intuition and teaches people and companies how to apply it to everyday life and decision-making.
