35 Entrepreneurs Explain How They Deal with and Reduce Stress

As entrepreneurs, we are often pushed to the edge and that can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and overly anxious — it’s something that is very hard to avoid and it’s often just accepted as part of the deal. But, it’s not healthy to let stress and anxiety build up over time — you need to find ways to reduce, or at least pause it while you recharge. The last thing you want to do is let anxiety and stress overtake you.

You first need to identify what is causing your stress — is it deadlines? Financial situations? Partners? Employees? Or is it something personal, and not directly work-related? Once you know what is causing it, you need to find ways that allow you to distance yourself from it and recharge. While you can’t always eliminate it entirely, you can find ways that allow you to take a break from it, which is much healthier than just letting it build up.

I recently spoke with several entrepreneurs and asked them to tell me how the deal with stress and reduce it as much as possible. This is a long read, packed full of great suggestions and personal insight. Take the time to read through it and please share it with your social media audience, email list, etc. Mental health is something we all need to prioritize and the more people these suggestions and tips can help, the better.

1. Take advantage of your phone’s airplane mode, stay organized and socialize.

“Airplane mode — use it — this day and age, we are always connected. Any member of my team knows that they can constantly get ahold of me at pretty much anytime of the day. One way to avoid this constant stimulation is to switch your phone to airplane mode while doing things you love — for example working out or meditating. Just make sure your teams knows that from a certain time of the day, you will not be accessible, and they will learn to approach you before or after this period, leaving you to focus on doing what you love.

Calendar — use it — being an entrepreneur, there are a million and one things constantly on your mind. It is easy to lose track of that to do list if just keep in your mind, causing you to stress out more because of your forgetfulness. The best way to combat this: use the some sort of calendar app to track meetings and to do list. This will leave you with a ‘mindfulness safety net’ knowing that you don’t always have to keep things jammed into your brain.

Socialize — do it — this one is often overlooked. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day to day duties of running your own business. Taking the time to talk to good people has been scientifically proven to lower cortisol levels, reducing your stress.” — Jonathan Trivisonno, Co-Founder of CannaConscious Inc.

2. Learn to outsource some tasks to reduce your workload.

“Outsourcing and delegating tasks is a great way to cope with stress and reduce it at the same time. Try to view stress as nothing more than an alarm that needs to be turned off. Stress alerts you that you are not operating effectively, so use this warning to make changes.

Realize that time may not allow for you to complete every task perfectly, so when stress strikes, give yourself permission to complete tasks adequately rather than perfectly. Each time stress makes you clench your teeth, promise yourself to designate at least one task to someone else. Stress is only negative if you react negatively to it.” — Simon Slade, CEO of Affilorama

3. Understand that entrepreneurship is a constant rollercoaster ride.

“Being an entrepreneur is not always easy. And really, there are almost no ‘overnight successes’ in this world. The whole concept of entrepreneurship being a roller coaster is 100 percent correct. Some days are amazing. For example, if we win a major client or we get some amazing testimonials/reviews, or just complete a major project — those days are great. Then, there are days when you’re sitting there, staring at your computer monitor, and questioning why the hell you started this thing and why you didn’t just get a regular job like everyone else.

And you know what the difference is between an entrepreneur and the others? It’s the ability to withstand those downturns, find a solution — or at least just deal with the issue — learn from it, and move on. If you’re just starting out, be ready for a pay cut. Be ready to deal with your own issues. Be ready to learn a lot about stuff you never thought you would ever need to know. But also, if you’re patient, be ready for the rewards that come with it. Set your own schedule, hire your own team members and then potentially cash out.

So at the end of the day, I deal with stress knowing that rollercoasters move downward and upward. That’s what makes them fun. And that’s what gets me — along with the many other entrepreneurs — excited when I wake up each and every morning.” — Dan Salganik, Founder of VisualFizz

4. Write down your wins and keep that list handy.

“I cope with the stress of being an entrepreneur by acknowledging and celebrating every single success, no matter how small. I keep a list of things related to my business that I’m grateful for and I keep it updated. If I get a ‘thank you’ email from a client, it goes on the list. If I get a get a good review, it goes on the list.

Gaining a new client, Facebook comments, retweets, mentions, etc. — they all go on the list. As well as documenting the success, I also write down how I felt at the time it occurred. When I’m feeling stressed or deflated, I review the list and quickly realise that that the things on the list greatly outnumber whatever may be getting me down at the time. And reading about how I felt helps me to relive that feeling all over again.

Also, whenever I experience success in my business I make sure that I treat myself or someone close to me. It may be with a cheat meal for myself, a take-out or restaurant meal for the family, or an afternoon off work to do something I enjoy. Doing this helps me to stay focused on why I’m even doing the whole entrepreneur thing.” — Martin Riley, Digital Consultant at QCS

5. Participate in a hobby that also generates money — like flipping.

“Stress is a part of everyday life for most people, but for entrepreneurs who don’t depend on a pay check from a 9-to-5 job often get a double or triple dose. Especially during certain parts of the year when stress runs on high for everyone. Think Q4 and Q1 for most businesses. These can be lean times if the entrepreneur hasn’t planned accordingly, and to be honest, a lot of entrepreneurs are more creative than they are money-minded.

For me, financial stress is the worst kind. I can deal with a lot in my life and in my business, but when the bank account is running dry that’s difficult to put it mildly. Living in southern California, in one of the wealthiest areas of the country means everything costs way more here than pretty much anywhere else. My mortgage payment is insane — that alone is enough to keep me up some nights.

That said, the stress induced by the high overhead is also a motivator to keep new clients coming in, to find new properties in my real estate investing life, to keep having conversations with private money backers and to sell, sell, sell on eBay and Amazon because at the heart of things I’m a flipper. That is also a way of dealing with stress. If I can flip a product for $10 that I paid $1 for, well, that feels good. While I’m packaging the item up all I’m thinking about is that action. Nothing more.

That is a way to ‘ride the wave’ as an entrepreneurial friend told me yesterday. That wave all entrepreneurs are very familiar with — that wave that wakes us at 4 a.m. thinking about all that could go wrong with a partnership, a project, a property or a manuscript I’m creating for a client. But worrying and losing sleep isn’t going to make me productive the next day, so I have to find ways to calm my mind and reduce the stress.” — Sandra Rea-McGinty, Co-Founder of Full Circle Media & Author Promotions

6. Go for a walk to clear your head.

“Stress comes with the territory if you want to be an entrepreneur. But you have to find a way to manage it otherwise it can effect your ability to make good decisions. You have to find a way to calmly sip through a fire hose.

For me, I learned early on that walking was my way to relieve stress, clear my head and also allow my brain to think logically.

I now walk 3 to 5 miles at least three times during the week and then a longer, 10 to 15 miles on the weekend. I really enjoy getting the blood flowing but also the light impact workout has been good for my health — it has helped me lose more than 50 pounds.

I find that my walks allow my brain to debate or think through ideas and scenarios without distractions. I’ve also incorporated taking walking meetings where I invite someone that wants to meet to come and join me on a walk rather than coffee, especially if it’s a serious matter. And I’ll also take important calls too while I walk.

It’s become part of my entrepreneurial routine and find that I’m more disciplined and on task when I walk regularly and can see my stress rise if I don’t get out and get the blood flowing.” — Vipe Desai, CEO of HDX Mix

7. Give Pilates a try.

“As an entrepreneur, I have long found that practicing Pilates has been a huge help in allowing me to run my business successfully. I’ve been practicing this form of exercise since college and have loved the clarity it has given me. As the years progress, I find that I physically — and mentally — cannot be without Pilates in my life.

Physically, there was a brief time when I was not practicing Pilates. I was still able to work, but I wasn’t my best self at work. I was tired, lethargic, and emotionally drained. Returning to Pilates class as my regular form of exercise each week allowed me to regain that energy all over again.

On a mental level, Pilates as an exercise is rooted in six core principles. These include centering, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow. I have found that these principles can be applied to the everyday, and have subsequently brought them to work with me. I breathe in and out before a particularly busy day. I concentrate on certain tasks at hand.

For centering, which ties in with my muscles, I go for a walk whenever I need to take a break. I don’t ‘need’ to take these principles to work with me, but I do it because they serve as valuable soft skills that keep me rooted, relaxed, and not sweating the small stuff.” — Deborah Sweeney, CEO of MyCorporation.com

8. Never let stress stop you.

“It’s not what I do when I’m stressed, it’s what I don’t do. I don’t stop, I don’t put in less effort and I don’t lose confidence in what I’m doing. Instead, I push harder for the ideal outcome I’m looking for. I take it one task, one project and one deadline at a time.

I worked in sales for several years before I became an entrepreneur and I understand that the more rejection you get the closer you are to a yes. I carry a similar attitude with me today. If it wasn’t stressful at all I may not be worth doing. This may seem like it gives me more stress, but long-term it helps. If I stop, slow down, or lose confidence I miss deadlines and lose opportunities. That leads to MUCH more stress. Pushing myself through stressful times helps me become a better entrepreneur, it keeps me sharp and I continue to work towards another great opportunity.

After I’ve accomplished my goals for the day, week, or project life cycle then, and only then, will I take a moment to relax. I feel much better about relaxing at this point when I know I’ve earned it. It’s during these times that I read or watch inspirational movies or videos about other entrepreneurs. Many explain how they went through stressful times and how some of their best ideas came as a direct result of pushing through stressful times. This makes me feel that I’m on the way to a break through myself and pushes me to get back to work.” — Chris Williams, Founder of Clock In Marketing

9. Practice yoga on a regular basis.

“The stress that comes from being an entrepreneur requires mindfulness not to allow events to shape ones behavior. Rather than being reactionary, it is important for an entrepreneur to maintain calmness in all circumstances. It is so very easy to allow emotions to rule a person in today’s fast paced stressed-out world.

I try to maintain focus and centering my thoughts with the help of yoga and regular exercise. Practicing yoga and regular exercise helps me to maintain focus and clarity and centers my day. I try to take a holistic approach to life that focuses on a healthy diet and a physical exercise regime in order to keep their thoughts regularly organized. I find this approach to life makes me more decisive and responsive to all the challenges of being an entrepreneur.” — David Reischer, Attorney and CEO of LegalAdvice.com

10. Learn to completely shut off from anything work related.

“As a small business owner and entrepreneur, I deal with a lot of stress. Between the pressures of growing the business and the responsibility I feel for my employees, it can become overwhelming at times. At first, I really struggled to control the stress and anxiety. I was constantly thinking about the business and as a result, my social life and relationships with friends and family suffered.

However, after awhile, I made a commitment to improve my work/life balance and it has really helped. I now set aside a certain time period per week — noon on Saturday through Sunday — where I purposely don’t think about work or even open an email. I completely shut off from anything work related and instead try to enjoy other activities.

I’ve found my social life is much healthier and I now spend a lot more time with family. Plus, I feel a lot more refreshed and positive when I start my day on Monday.” — Matthew Ross, COO of RIZKNOWS

11. Learn to unplug if you own a business with a spouse, close friend or relative.

“It is particularly hard to get away from thinking about the business when your business partner is a spouse or close friend/relative, which you can keep in constant contact with no matter the time of day.
This has led us to making time to totally ‘unplug’ from the business or anything to do with it.

For example, at least one day every two weeks, we will both leave our phones behind and go for a hike to have uninterrupted quality time together. Spending time in nature especially helps focus attention to the present instead of worrying about deadlines or to-do lists. Also things like going on runs or working out every day are much needed ‘me’ time that get your heart-rate up while being in the moment.” — Kelly Belknap, Co-Founder of Adventurist Backpack Co.

12. Don’t be afraid to use therapy and medication.

“Some people are the most motivated when the chips are down. I thrive when things are going well. The idea is to keep the ball rolling. Unfortunately, as an entrepreneur, things don’t always go well. This is especially true when it comes to money. It seems like there is never enough money available to cover all the obligations. This creates a lot of stress and sometimes, I don’t cope very well.

When money is really, really tight, depression and a sense of despair can set in. I’m proud to say that I use therapy and medication to help. I also take some time to stop and look around. My Dad used to say, ‘It’s not all bad. Look at all you’ve accomplished. Sometimes you’ve got to stop and smell the roses.’ It sounds so cliché but it’s true. Like most entrepreneurs, I’ve accomplished a lot. I started a business with nothing but an idea. Through all the mistakes and missteps, I’ve somehow managed to keep that business going and growing for 10 years.

Sometimes I look across my desk at the bookshelf where the binder holding my original business plan sits. I laugh at how different things are from the way I thought they would be. One thing that hasn’t changed is something all entrepreneurs have in common — an unwavering belief in their original plan and their confidence in their ability to execute that plan. It’s woven into their DNA. For people like us, failure is just not an option.” — Barry Kronhaus, President and Owner of Discount Packaging Depot

13. Understand that being an entrepreneur is a balancing act.

“Balance is the key. When you’re overactive in one category, whether that’s stress, overthinking, short temper, etc., then you are underactive in another category which could be rest, patience or a relaxed personal life.

When I find myself unusually stressed out, I take a break and try to see what the lesson is. Am I being impatient with a deadline? Can that deadline be moved or thrown out altogether? Is there a communication problem between me and my team? How could I solve that? What am I doing wrong that is causing this stress?” — Emmanuel Frost, CEO & Co-Founder of Brand Alignment

14. Always remember what the alternative option is.

“To deal with the stress that comes along with running my own business, I try to remember why I chose my profession and ultimately decided to work for myself in the first place. I wanted to do something meaningful, control my schedule, work from the comfort of my home, spend more time with my family and have the ability to scale my business up or down depending on events going on in my life. Any time I think how overwhelming the whole thing is, I remember the alternative and one more I’m thankful for my job, my clients and every headache it may bring.

Since I am able to make my own schedule and work from home, I also try to take advantage of that and reward myself with things I would not be able to if I worked a regular 9-5 job. For instance, planning to see a movie in the middle of an afternoon, taking breaks in my home office to listen to music and dance around the room, or picking my kids up from school early to go for ice cream. Being an entrepreneur might take more of my overall time, but the rewards are boundless. Knowing it’s all worth it relieves so much of the stress the job brings.” — Emma Willich, Founder, Of Fate and Chaos

15. Be as organized as possible with to-do lists.

“I have recently gone from splitting my time between serving as a daily newspaper editor and part-time book publisher to going full time with my books, and to do so, I have had to face down the financial fear.

To deal with the stress, I approach my role with my business the same as I did as an employee for the newspaper. I get up early, drink coffee, watch the news and get my mind straight, then head to my home office by 8 a.m. When I sit down at my desk I close my eyes for a moment, focus on my goals and then study my calendar. I adjust my pre-set schedule as necessary, then follow that calendar carefully. I don’t quit until I complete my to-do list.

At the end of my work session I do two things to leave my stress behind for the rest of the day. For one, I look over what I have accomplished, and make sure I have given everything my best shot. Second, I plot out the next day on my calendar, focusing on the most important tasks to be accomplished and the best time of the day to accomplish them.

For the rest of the evening I keep a notebook handy. If I think of something for the business I don’t dwell on it, but rather write it down to tackle the following day, again helping to put my mind at ease.” — Don Allison, Publisher, Faded Banner Publications

16. Learn how to attack stress early before it attacks you.

“When I first pursued becoming an entrepreneur the most frequent thing I found myself stressing about was the rush to hurry up and try to get my business off of the ground, because I was so anxious to start making money.

I use to focus on my business so hard that I wasn’t getting any sleep at night, so I had to find something to do with the extra energy that I had from the stressful thoughts of being successful that were keeping me from going to sleep. I randomly started doing pushups and sit ups to intentionally try to tire myself out so that I could go to sleep, and it surprisingly worked and took my mind off of my business while I was doing it.

So, from that point I challenged myself to exercise in the mornings when I wake up and at night before I go to sleep — all of sudden I found myself with an unexpected exercise routine that completely took my mind away from focusing on my business for the moment.

I don’t know what it is about exercising but at least for me and my own personal experience it worked beyond my own expectations. Not only was it beneficial mentally, but physically as well — it was therapeutic for me. You have to find a way to attack stress early before it attacks you and stress can trigger all types of illnesses from mental to physical.” — Chris Waits, of WeBuyFtWorth.com

17. Maintain solid fundamentals.

“Whenever I feel stressed, I start by double checking that my ‘fundamentals’ are solid. This means eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising and spending time with friends and family. Sometimes all you need is solid rest or dinner with friends.

I have also found journaling to be quite effective at getting my thoughts organized. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I can easily figure out what I have to do once I put it on paper. In terms of long-term stress prevention, I have found meditation to be quite effective. I personally noticed a significant difference whenever I meditate in the morning versus skipping it.” — Ruben Ugarte, Practico Analytics

18. Become an exercise enthusiast.

“I am an exercise enthusiast: I run, swim, skate and lift — I’ve even dabbled in CrossFit. Exercise is like a reset button for my stress. I’m able to better focus on my employees, my clients and my business, rather than getting lost in my own challenges.

Having said that, I’ve recently come to understand that it doesn’t work exactly the way I once thought it did. I used to believe that pushing myself physically enhanced my leadership abilities by allowing me to clear my mind for a while — to not think, and just do. I’ve come to realize, however, that I’m not really shutting off my brain — I’m simply redirecting that energy. For me, exercise is not just a physical endurance, it’s also training for mental toughness andfocus.

And it’s all better when shared, as I recently had the opportunity to combine my love of physical exertion with another passion — team work. I convinced several employees to join me in the local Tough Mudder obstacle course challenge. I loved seeing everyone push themselves both physically and collaboratively. It was a truly inspiring experience.” — Monica Eaton-Cardone, Co-Founder of Chargebacks911

19. Put in the effort to get your fill of physical activity.

“Sometimes I feel like I have things coming at me from so many directions, which can be overwhelming and stressful. One way I deal with this is by exercising and getting outdoors. In the summer, that is easy to do because part of my job is farming. But during the winter months I have to make a point to get out and walk for exercise.

Getting out into nature has been shown to help reduce stress and I know it helps mine. I also rely on some of the herbs we grow on our farm to help with stress. Particularly a tincture of lemon balm, tulsi and hops that I make. A few drops of that, under the tongue, when I am feeling stressed really helps. Follow that and a good face spritzer of lavender hydrosol that I distill and I see things in a new light.” — Cindy Jones, Colorado Aromatics

20. Do something physical like Krav Maga.

“My co-founder, Mike Kim, and I started our company last year in April and to handle stress, I actually started training in Krav Maga. My Krav Maga gym offers a variety of classes from actual Krav Maga training, to cardio punching bag classes, and sparring classes. I really enjoy this training as it allows me to workout, but also decompress and take my mind off of work.

As you can expect, when training in Krav Maga, you need to be focused on the drills and training, whereas when I used to run or workout on my own, my brain would continue thinking about work. Additionally, entrepreneurship can be lonely and Krav Maga allows you to meet new people and build friendships.” — Theo Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of KPOP Foods

21. Take hiking and backpacking trips to disconnect.

“As an entrepreneur, how do you possibly slow down? How do you possibly slow down when your email is the last thing you read before you go to bed and the first thing when you wake up? When you have a business under two years old and when steps forward feel more like inches.

My only escape is a yearly practice that started when I was 10 years old. When I was a child, I would go on hikes with my best friend — something we’ve now kept going for decades. When we started, I had no idea that this tradition would become my adult self’s sanity.

Our backpacking trips are the only days of the year that I’m officially disconnected. When you’re in the middle of the wilderness, there is no pressure to impress — there is pressure to survive. You tune into your body and its basic necessities and, for once, you can’t silence your own brain with news feeds or a full inbox.

These adventures have taken us all around the world, and most recently Big Sur. This time, although I was truly disconnected, reminded me of connectivity. It grounded me in why we are able to run this business in the first place.

Like the trees and the ground and the sky and the water — we are all connected. We have a business and a livelihood because we have the chance to support a greater ecosystem. My encouragement is this — get away, even if just for an hour of yoga and perhaps you’ll gain perspective on just how small you are and find gratitude in the fact that your smallness and your work is needed.” — Kimberly Lexow, Co-Founder of Sifted

22. Relax and listen to some meditation-style music.

“Although I run a home-based business, I still have my fair share of entrepreneurial stress. Selling on Amazon and blogging on my family travel blog means I can be in front of my laptop for hours on end, aiming to meet deadlines or trying to prioritize the different tasks I need to do. This, along with being a mom of three and running a household, can contribute to stress.

The way I like to deal with stress is to shut down my laptop, turn off my phone, run a hot bubble bath and relax there for as long as possible while listening to some meditation-style music.

This isn’t always possible when I have my children making a lot of noise in the background, so my other option, which almost always relieves me of my stress, is to take a nature walk. I really like quiet woodland areas and being among the trees and wildlife. I never take my phone with me because I don’t want any emails or calls to distract me. Going to a new area where I’ve never been before works best for me as it piques my interest and I don’t know what to expect when I get there. By the time I get home I feel relived and relaxed — and ready to get back to my work with a clear mindset.” — Kelly McManus of Traveling Mama

23. Schedule down time in advance.

“As a new mom, the most stressful thing for me right now is finding balance in my life. I also feel like I have no time for myself and my biggest fear is burning out.

The only way I know how to stay sane is to schedule downtime for myself in my calendar. I make it a point to give myself 30-minutes to an hour 3-4 times a week where I don’t think about work or the responsibility of my family — it’s me time. I also don’t schedule this time at midnight — I do it right in the middle of the day.

My me time could be going to the gym, going for a run or even simply a walk outside. Scheduling it, and sticking to that schedule, is the best way for me to ensure business or child activities don’t overtake this time. It’s important for me to participate in my outside interests during this time. As an entrepreneur it’s easy to burnout from business intensity so find time for yourself. — Kelly H., Co-Founder of Block Island Organics

24. Develop routines and rituals to help deal with day-to-day stress.

“Being a physician is stressful enough, but being a physician entrepreneur who coaches other physicians to be entrepreneurs carries an extra added burden. As an integrative medicine physician and a coach, I have learned the importance of developing routines and rituals to help me deal with the day to day stress.

Personally, I make sure that I do three things daily: I do at least 30-minutes of yoga, I make sure I get at least 1 hour of quiet ‘me time’ to veg out and I make sure I get in at least 30-minutes of play and cuddle time with my child.

Each week, I take at least a half day to do something nice for myself like get my nails done or go have a massage. Another thing I do is to make sure I’m staying connected daily — or at least a couple times a week — with other entrepreneurs who not only can understand the struggle I’m going through as a business owner, but also can throw ideas back at me, and empower and encourage what is going well.

Finally, I make sure I get quality time with my significant other. We make sure we set aside at least 1-2 evenings a week just for us — no work, kids or outside influences involved. When I have those structures in place, I feel more stable, so that no matter how unpredictable the rollercoaster ride of business is, I always have those staples to look forward to.” — Maiysha T. Clairborne MD, Stress Free Mom MD

25. Exercise daily.

“As an entrepreneur I face many stressors, and find that daily exercise helps in this regard greatly. Each morning I rise early and get to the gym at 5:30 a.m. I find vigorous exercise to be a fantastic start to my day. I do this early each day because it allows me to get my workout out of the way. Additionally, it also jump starts my day, by making me be more productive throughout the day. I feel that if I can get up early and push myself, then I can surely handle the tasks that come each day.

Therefore, by being more productive, I feel less stressed during the day, because I know I am getting done the things I need to get done. This I find elevates my mood, making me less stressed.” — Christopher Earley, Esq., Law Office of Christopher Earley

26. Invest in help early on.

“Since I’m a solopreneur, I typically would do things by myself. I would work with my clients all day long, then eat dinner, prepare my bible study classes and then get back on my computer to pay the bills, invoice customers and balance the books.

I’d go to bed late, wake up early and do it all over again the next day. I soon realized that this was unsustainable and harmful to me.

Since working 24/7 and unable to hire a full-time employee, I take small steps in order to give myself more time. I’ve hired my niece who’s an accountant to help me with the books and I’m also considering a virtual assistant to help answer the phones and do administrative work. I sleep better at night knowing that my books are being managed by an expert and that my invoices are out.” — Zondra Wilson, Blu Skin Care

27. Break your work into smaller chunks and prioritize it.

“This is the most effective way I deal with stress — to get started on something small that’s of value. When I don’t take this approach, I find that I try to take on too much and hesitate even getting started.

Two years ago, I decided to find a non-work related, creative outlet and started taking improv classes. When times are crazy stressful, I absolutely crave the few hours I spend every week being a complete goofball and creating really fun ‘scenes’ with a bunch of fellow goofballs. I’ve found laughter to be a serious stress reliever.

There are times when stress actually wakes me up in the middle of the night, and the thing that helps me the most is writing about that stress. Let me give you an example. One night, I couldn’t get to sleep because a prospect was wanting to go with the ‘cheapest option’ — and I was having trouble telling them how much better we were than our competitor and how we brought them value. I woke up frustrated and decided to turn that stress into a drawing. The next day, I sent the drawing to our prospect and that, along with our resulting conversation, ended up winning us the business.

I’ve also found that writing out my stress and possible solutions or lessons I can apply have turned into some pretty cool blog articles — and more sleep.” — Erika Flora, BEYOND20

28. Don’t take this journey alone.

“As someone who has started, grown and expanded 10 businesses on my own and with partners, and navigated hundreds of entrepreneurs on five continents to do the same, I can assure you that I have experienced every kind of challenge and stress that is inherent in the entrepreneurial life. Here are my go-to stress-relievers:

First, you can’t go it alone. Most of us entrepreneurs are already isolated in our efforts to grow our businesses. I participate in a mastermind group, have a weekly accountability partner and engage a trusted advisor/experienced ‘coach’ to combat that stressful isolation. Each of these gatherings provide me with something different and all add up to a quality community of like-minded and supportive people. Just knowing that I have a regularly scheduled gathering and/or calls to report in on results, focus on problems to solve and share wins to reflect and maintain clear perspective through the reflections of these trusted people, on any challenging situation that I face, greatly reduces my stress and the impact of the challenge.

Second, I keep a very regular schedule of exercise, even adjusting my start time if necessary or refusing to take meetings or calls too early if it interferes with my ability to get my workout in. For me, it’s swimming in my home complex pool. I can bring any situation, problem, or issue into the pool with me and I use the time in the water like a meditation. It is pretty amazing what gets resolved during that time in the water doing regular laps. I don’t get out of the pool either, until I’ve done a round of yoga poses, stretching and breathing to solidify the experience and whatever has come through in that time. It is a real reprieve from phone calls, emails and other stressors, and a perfect way to start the day. Even if weather or an early appointment threatens to get in the way of my starting my day with a swim, I will still force myself to rise earlier so that I don’t put it off, and I’ll even swim in the pouring rain! It is never as satisfying if I try to squeeze it in later than it is if I start my day with the swim.

Finally, I have a philosophy of ‘start with Yes!’ as a way of overcoming the stress of getting stuck. When I am having trouble getting any movement in a particular direction, or with a particular opportunity, I stay open, observant and flexible for what does come in and, even if it is not in alignment with what I think I want or need, I move forward to create momentum as something that I can build on. It works so long as it is not completely out of alignment with my goals and values. — Christine Perakis

29. Learn to delegate as much as possible.

“My name is Eric Hobbs and I founded my company in the 90s. When I started, tech and IT were nascent industries — so on top of having to prove myself and build a name to potential clients, we had to work hard to establish the relevance of the industry for their business.

Early on, it felt like the only way to actually get things done was to do it myself. But through the years, I learned one thing that has ultimately changed my approach to work and the challenges and stress that came with being an entrepreneur—delegating.

Delegating means you have to build trust with your pioneer team. You have to learn to rely on them to get the job done with the same diligence and quality that you would expect from yourself. Once you do however, you find that you have more time to dedicate towards more strategic, high-level tasks. You discover that it is possible to live a balanced lifestyle even if you’re at the helm of a startup. And you realize that the fate of an entire organization doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders. It’s about teamwork and having a shared vision and goal—that thought alone is enough to get a load off your shoulders.” — Eric Hobbs, CEO of Technology Associates

30. Workout on a consistent basis.

“One of my more consistent solutions to reduce stress is a regular workout routine. Despite the fact that I travel a lot and work with clients around the country, I try and keep up with my workout routine as often as possible. It may not be the same classes or exercises all the time but I do my best.

I also find that forcing myself to workout in the evenings gives me a nice break from the chaos of the day and gives me a chance to clear my mind and separate from the day. I am a much less stressed person when I break a sweat physically as well as mentally.” — Danielle Berman, Founder and CEO of DB Consulting

31. Take a full day off for yourself to detox.

“I do both technical and business development, and it can get quite stressful at times. The biggest thing I do is to take a full day to myself, and have my co-founders cover for me. The most beneficial thing I do is sleep in. There is no better feeling then waking up in the afternoon when you are used to forcing yourself up bright and early 7-days a week.

I then start the day right by exercising and meditating. I take the rest of my day to do my hobbies — painting, watching movies and listening to music. I finally end the day with a few drinks with friends.

I find that taking a full detox day is far better than taking small stress breaks. A full day lets you actually forget about work, whereas I find myself still thinking about work on smaller breaks. I also find that engaging in your hobbies is important in the little free time you have. It reminds yourself that you are a person outside of your company, and re-centers your identity.

I think the most important thing to actually destress is to have good mental control and be able to leave work at work. Meditation has been key for me because it allows me to push work out of my mind. I think if I didn’t start the day off with exercise and meditation, I may still be thinking about work. The most stressful thing about being an entrepreneur is the anxiety and risk of the future, not the work. Realizing this, you see it is more of a mental game than a physical one.” — Rohan Gupta, Co-Founder of QuillBot

32. Take time to meditate.

“The biggest challenge of entrepreneurship is not having enough time. The reasons range from unexpected problems, extra client demands to the financial runway itself.

I’ve started meditating, and find that this addresses a few different problems at the same time. I get eyestrain from screentime and forget to take breaks. It’s easy to get too close to a situation or project and not think objectively.

Meditating helps fatigue, not just eyestrain but brain strain in general. It fosters a different way of thinking that can create new perspectives in your business. Accessing the subconscious mind also leads to the development of inspirational ideas and simple solutions to existing problems. This represents real value, for something that can be done in ten minutes.” — Jason Lavis, Managing Director, Out of the Box Innovations Ltd.

33. Always understand your “why.”

“I have a few ways I like to deal with stress as an Entrepreneur. I have a fairly unique support system as I was one of the graduates of Y-Combinator’s Startup School 2018. This has been an invaluable resource as it’s a collection of a group of people in a similar situation as we are.

The most consistent stress release I have is simply remembering why I started my company in the first place. A common theme you will find as a requirement to building a successful company is you must have a powerful ‘why.’ Your ‘why’ is what carries you through the tough times — when you fear you may be overwhelmed your ‘why’ will see you through.

When the stress is really tremendous I love going to the gym and working out whatever issues I have going on which generally tends to not only relieve stress, but also tends to clear my mind to help solve the problems that ail me at the time.” — Chef Christopher Martin, Founder of Digest The Passion

34. Break every stress related issue down.

“The key to managing stress for me is to consistently approach each individual issue by breaking it down into what I can do about it, what I can delegate out and what I can file away as ‘just another life experience that sucks but is what it is.’

If there is an issue that comes up, the easiest part for me to handle is what I can control- anything I can do to manage or fix a particular issue that comes up is easier to simply take care of.

There are plenty of issues that are not in my area of expertise, worth my energy, worth my time. These ones I quickly will identify who can manage and take it off my plate.

The most important aspect of stress management is understanding that life just happens and in spite of over 150 patients a week, running two businesses and 3 kids — every time I think I’ve seen it all I still get a ‘wow, so this just happened’ moment at least once a month. These are things that when you think all is good and things are just rolling, something comes up and is just nuts.

I first boil these things down to is it a big enough deal to have huge consequences or is it just a crazy day. If it has consequences then I go back up to what I can do and what I can’t do to fix it. If it’s just a crazy day — then I’ve learned to just leave it at that. It’s not worth thinking about further unless I can get some tangible solution out of the energy wasted.” — Erum Ilyas, MD, MBE, FAAD, Montgomery Dermatology

35. Engage in weekly therapy sessions.

“I was naive to the high level of stress connected with becoming an entrepreneur. As a licensed clinical social worker I should have understoodthe impacts of stress and had coping skills ready to help me on this journey. Well I didn’t.

In the first year of working full-time I hit rock bottom. I maxed myself out and lost sight of who I was as a person as well as who I was as a co-founder. The organization that once energized me I quickly came to resent.

Now as I have come out of the fog I see the true importance of managing stress. My biggest tool is weekly therapy sessions. This space allows me the venue to talk openly about my ongoing fears, doubts and hopes for the organization. Connecting to my spirituality is another tool that I use to navigate this process. This is done through weekly yoga sessions that allow me to be more mindful, build a sense of self and relive symptoms of anxiety.” — Maggie Babyak, Co-Founder of Our Front Porch

Image: PEXELS
Author
Jonathan Long is the Founder of Uber Brands, a brand development agency located in Miami, focused on building e-commerce brands in the health, fitness, lifestyle and beauty industries.