Why Entrepreneurs Need to Put a Priority on Their Physical and Mental Health

Entrepreneurs can’t afford to neglect their physical or mental health. Here’s what you need to know about why stress is a killer and how to alleviate it before it causes lasting damage.

Being your own boss can be fantastic. You’re in charge, you get to make the decisions, and you’re the one steering the ship. You’re also the one with all of the responsibilities, though. The highs are very nice, but the lows can be debilitating. 

A lot of people deal with stress and burnout, but they especially plague entrepreneurs. One study found 72 percent of entrepreneurs reported having mental health concerns, and another report found that 30 percent of company founders suffers from depression compared to about 7% of the general population. 

Here’s what you need to know about taking care of yourself – and your company – as an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs have to acknowledge a problem

The first step in fixing a problem is always admitting that there is one. It may be easy to roll up your sleeves and just work through it, but doing so will only make things worse. If you’re noticing any of these signs, it’s time to make some changes:

• You’re always tired – Does that alarm going off feel like a dagger in your brain? It could be a lack of sleep, but it could be something else. If you hardly have any energy and constantly feel exhausted – both physically and mentally – you’re probably burned out.
• You don’t feel well – How often do you find yourself reaching for the aspirin bottle? Everybody gets the occasional headache, but finding they affect you every day is another bad sign. Frequent colds or other persistent illnesses are also worrisome. 
• You’ve changed – You may not have noticed any changes, but the people around you likely have. If partners, employees, or maybe even customers seem like they’re acting differently, it could be because you’re not as pleasant to work with anymore.
• You’re no longer passionate – It probably wasn’t too long ago that you were excited to get to the office, and were bursting with ideas to build your business. If that excitement – that passion – is fading, or perhaps seems to be gone entirely, it’s time to step back.

How to deal with your stress

Fortunately, stress is not something that has to derail a business owner. It can be managed with a good strategy. Here are the ways entrepreneurs can better deal with it to avoid burning out completely:

• Take some time off – Whether it’s a few hours, a day, or a week or two, getting away from your business for even a short period of time can do wonders for your mental health. Just make sure you’re actually away and not checking your phone for texts or emails every five minutes.
• Establish a sleep routine – Getting enough sleep is hugely important, but this is almost impossible if your bed times are never the same. This is why you need to pick a time and stick with it. Sure, it’s tempting to want to stay up longer to get things done, but this will only zap your energy the next day.
• Create a better diet – Too many business owners either skip meals or rely on vending machines or local fast-food restaurants to feed them. Both your physical and mental energy will be affected when you don’t eat nutritious meals. Eating mostly junk food – especially things with a lot of sugar – can be even worse, though. You’ll get a little burst of energy from them, but that’s quickly followed by a crash.
• Do something else – What did you enjoy doing before you started your business? You almost certainly had a hobby, played a sport, or did something that had nothing to do with what you’re doing now. Doing that again – or finding something else that you enjoy outside of work – can help you relax and just bring a little more joy to your life. 
• Say “no” more – As an entrepreneur intent on growing a business, it can be easy to say yes to everything. You never want to make somebody unhappy or risk losing a customer, but people will expect you to keep always saying yes when you start saying it – and it won’t be long before things become overwhelming. Set boundaries and say no when you’ll have trouble delivering or if you’ve come up against  something you just don’t want to do. 
• Find your tribe – When you’re a one-person band, it can get pretty lonely. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone, however. There are countless entrepreneurs in your same situation, and it’s very possible that they’re also in your same neighborhood. Seek out peers you can talk to, confide in, and get advice from. You may even be able to find someone to act as a mentor. 

If you’re felling burned out in large part because you are taking on too many things – like founder selling – MetaGrowth Ventures can do something about that. We’ve developed a proven formula for hiring the best salespeople, getting them trained, and monitoring their performance. To learn more about what we can offer your company, get in touch with us.