Tips for Entrepreneurs to Stay Mentally and Physically Healthy.

Successful entrepreneurs need a plan, need to be able to adjust if needed changes are needed, and be willing to accept the initial ups and downs of establishing a business.

Did you know? "Too often entrepreneurs are reactive to the challenges inherent when building a company... the most successful founders are proactive.” Ziad K. Abdelnour

An entrepreneur is defined as ‘one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise’. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Entrepreneurs are a special type of people. They tend to be highly creative, willing to take work hard and take higher level of risks to bring an idea, concept or business to life.

Let’s talk about the Entrepreneur spirit.   

Entrepreneurs want to make a difference, are willing to take a risk, and are willing to bet on themselves. They dream they will succeed, are willing to work toward that dream, and envision their efforts working out as planned. The entrepreneur's mentality may be more risk-taking than others.

The problem is that the higher the risk, the more likely a venture will experience unexpected difficulties or outright failure.  Recognize that some highly risky ventures have been wildly successful and changed our world.  All envision landing on the wildly successful side but must also recognize that they are establishing real businesses and enterprises and must look at those ventures seriously and realistically to be successful.

Entrepreneur Mental Preparedness:

• Entrepreneurs must be prepared mentally to deal with the hardship, adversities, and possibility of an unsuccessful venture.

• Entrepreneurs must also understand that IF they experience a failed venture, it does not mean they are a failure.

• It also does not mean that the venture will not be successful in the future, if redesigned, adapted, or the ‘time is right’.
  

“Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model.” A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Entrepreneur’s vision of themselves:

When a person begins to see themselves as entrepreneurs, that conceptualization becomes one of the ways they define themselves.

We learn, in our culture, to define ourselves by what we do for a living. When we meet others, they first ask us our name, and then immediately ask us what we do for a living. Often our self-worth is tied to how successful we are, not how brave, or how happy we are in our business.

When things are going well, it is much easier to be optimistic, confident, and proud of our calling. When things go wrong, it is a lot harder to feel those same emotions!

Fear of failure is an emotional roadblock

There are roadblocks for entrepreneurs.  One roadblock is fear of failure.

Entrepreneurs must be able to successfully address this powerful emotion. To be an entrepreneur, we must come to terms with any powerful roadblock that may impede our success and happiness…and learn to address it effectively and we must battle the fear of failure when we even begin to decide we will become an entrepreneur in the first place, recognizing we will give up security in order to ‘go for our dream’. 

It is surprising, but for some entrepreneurs, even if things go well, we may become ‘stuck’, fearing loss of what has been gained.  We must continue to maintain a brave mindset, keep focused on moving forward, growing our business, and searching for new opportunities.  This may, in turn, be highly energizing to us and even open new creative ideas and paths.

Caring for yourself is preventative maintenance that helps you work better and last longer.

Entrepreneurs are the cutting-edge thinkers, the movers and shakers, the creative forces that make

all our lives and this world a better place.

Entrepreneurs need to learn to take care of themselves, both mentally and physically; the world really needs you!

Your body has a response to stress.

The body's response to stress and change is to give our bodies a shot of an enzyme called cortisol. We used to call it adrenaline.  This chemical creates the ‘fight or flight’ response. It tells our body to get ready to run or to physically attack the threat. It affects every part of our body. It dilates the eyes, increases heart rate, makes breathing more rapid and shallow, tightens all the muscles, dumps acid into the stomach, and takes blood from extremities (hands and feet) and puts it into your brain and internal organs.  This response is great…if a saber tooth tiger is trying to tear your arm off but is a little value in an economic disruption.

If we cannot physically fight or run, we may begin to feel anxious. Anxiety leads to ruminating thoughts about whatever you fear and only serves to make you more tense. Since the anxiety is keeping the body ‘revved’ up, it causes fatigue and wears out the body.  It is like constantly pushing a gas pedal on a car while the car is in park.  Anxiety may feel like we are doing something, but it gets us nowhere, wasting fuel (energy) and preventing us from moving forward.  It can physically wear us out and makes us physically exhausted.  This leads to both physical and mental fatigue.

Fatigue is the number one cause of depression. We must not let our emotions destroy our ability to respond effectively to our environment. 

Learn to interrupt the fight or flight response.

Breathe deeply, relax your muscles, focus on the things you can control, not the things you cannot control.  We can all control our breathing, slowing it down and taking deep breaths.  It is the basis of all relaxation techniques and something every entrepreneur should learn…and practice!

Move your muscles! 

Exercising your big muscles, your arms and legs will relieve tension in your body. Plan (& write it down!) specific times you will schedule to walk (does not have to be fast), swim, jog or do other aerobic exercises for 30 minutes daily. Start gradually.  You will have to work up to 30 minutes.  5 minutes is better than nothing, and gradually build up strength, breathing and stamina.  Build up your routine to work out at least 3 times a week, with your eventual goal to exercise daily.  You are not trying to run a marathon on the first day; this is moderate exercise to get your body in an aerobic zone. 

Keep both your body and mind strong and working together. An exercise routine is much easier over time and may even become something you eventually enjoy. Start slowly, gradually add another day, or increase time or distance, and pace yourself in order to prevent injury.  Check with your physician for advice, and you’ll find they will be thrilled you are taking a step toward better physical health in order to lead to better mental health. By exercising, your body will begin to release serotonin (your body’s ‘natural antidepressant’) and dopamine (the ‘feel good chemical’ in your brain). This is the best way to fight anxiety and depression!

Pay attention to your sleep patterns. 

If you do not sleep well (at least six hours a night), you will wake up tired, begin to run yourself down, and may become depressed. In fact, a sleep disturbance is frequently the first sign of depression. Do not underestimate the benefits of sound sleep!  This is when your brain sorts through the day’s events, files what is important and tries to ‘connect the dots’.  You may even wake up with a new idea or a solution to a problem by ‘sleeping on it’.  

Monitor if you are experiencing one of the following sleep interrupted patterns: 1. Have difficulty falling asleep 2. Be able to fall asleep but wake up several times a night 3. Fall asleep, wake up and not be able to go back to sleep 4. Sleep too much and still feel tired. Watch for any departure from your normal sleep pattern. The medical profession recommends 8-9 hours of sleep nightly. No one can force themselves to sleep! In fact, the best thing you can do to help yourself sleep is regular aerobic exercise. 

It is a waste of energy. Accept reality. You may feel like you are doing something by concentrating or focusing on your past mistakes, but you may be ruminating if you are doing nothing about it. You can think all day about the big hold in the roof, but if you do not take action, you will get wet every time it rains. Do something about it! Don’t just think about it. You cannot undo the past, so do not let it become the heavy boulder you carry around on your back (or in your head) that reminds you that you made a mistake.

Many of us attack ourselves when things go wrong, as if we caused the problem. This is of no value. We are all human. We all make mistakes. Rather than being bad people or failures, we are instead good ‘people who make mistakes’, capable people who cannot do everything, and smart people who do not know all the answers. We are not dirty rotten idiots who cannot do anything right. Thinking negatively only makes us feel hopeless…and blocks our ability to move forward.

Do not play the ‘blame game’!  People tend to go back to try to figure out whose ‘fault’ it is if things go wrong.  Don’t go there.  Accept that it did not work out as you wanted. Do something constructive and move forward.

Find out what is really going on and recognize that it will take time and effort to make that assessment. Do you understand, or recognize, what the problem is? What effect will it have on you and your business? What are steps you can take to address it?

Organization always beats disorganization. If your plan does not work, adjust it.  These adjustments may be simple or may involve many steps of revision, analysis, and re-revision again. 

You may have to take a loss. You may have to accept defeat. Most of us hang on until we have borrowed every dime we can get, work ourselves into the ground, and have to be pulled, kicking in screaming, away from our venture before we are willing to consider that things might not work out. Many of the people who died on the titanic, died because they refused to get into the lifeboats until the boat was already at 45° angle. 

You may have to take a loss. You may have to accept defeat. Most of us hang on until we have borrowed every dime we can get, work ourselves into the ground, and have to be pulled, kicking in screaming, away from our venture before we are willing to consider that things might not work out. Many of the people who died on the titanic, died because they refused to get into the lifeboats until the ship was already at 45° angle.

I always loved the song by Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler”.  “You’ve got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away and know when to run!”  Entrepreneurs need to know when it is time to play their hand and when it is time to move on.  

Crisis brings about change, and change brings opportunity. Automobiles ruined the horse & buggy business, but it did wonders for the gasoline industry.  Buying online can be highly lucrative, everyone is now using Zoom, Uber & your local grocery story now delivers meals, people who never bought anything online are now buying everything online. 

As things change, look for opportunities! 

It is hard to sell ice cream in the winter or hot chocolate in the summer. During the 2020 pandemic, when bars were closed, distilleries began selling hand sanitizer (as it is 80% alcohol).  They saved their businesses by thinking outside of the box and adjusting quickly to the out-of-their-control situation that they were facing.  Trust me, those same bars went back in business just as quickly as things safely changed back again.

Talk about your feelings.  It really does help.  I know it does. It is how I make my living.  I see daily evidence and know, both as a professional and personally, how important talking is to help people process information, make important changes in life, and obtain support they need.  I personally sought help from friends, family, and mentors when I was making my 2nd business attempt. Talking with other caring people and having their insights and wisdom, is what made the difference in my initial failure and my eventual success.

Talking to others may require that you show some vulnerability as you ask for help or assistance, but it also opens opportunity to form a bond, help you realize you’re not the only one out there struggling, may open doors to network, and allows you to grow professionally.

If your mental health is suffering, if things have ‘gone too far’, if anxiety or depression have reduced your ability to think and function effectively, it is important that you recognize that and seek professional help…and last, but definitely not least:

Seek professional help if needed.

Do not wait until you ‘completely burnt out’!

There are excellent medications to address anxiety and depression.

Consider seeking help as the gift you give yourself to fight another day!  Sometimes a counseling professional will help you focus, see other options to success or help you identify the ‘root causes’ of your anxiety or stress. Once identified, and addressed effectively, it can be the help you need to move forward again.

Caring for yourself is preventative maintenance that helps you work better and last longer.

“I work with entrepreneurs starting new businesses, family-owned businesses, the self-employed, and executives who are navigating the process of maintaining, transitioning, or growing a business. Whether experiencing conflicts within a business, employer-employee issues, business growth issues, or loss, many business professionals experience a higher level of stress and anxiety. If those issues are addressed effectively, success and satisfaction increase.” - Clifton Fuller”