Being an entrepreneur is tough as it comes with a fair share of risks and perks. Most people start off to either quit their job or to be their own bosses. With starting something new and being your own boss, comes a lot of stress that disrupts the wellbeing of an individual, physically and mentally. Due to working for long hours, feelings of being burnt out, dealing with anxiety and low moods is common among entrepreneurs. And as a result they tend to miss out on connecting with people in real life and feel emotionally distant.
Emotional well-being is a component of mental well-being. It is the ability to produce positive emotions, moods, thoughts, and feelings, and adapt when confronted with adversity and stressful situations and be resilient.
An individual with decreased emotional well-being tends to live on the edge. He may be easily irritated, experience low self-esteem and indulge in self-critical behaviour. On the other end when an individual has his emotional needs met, he is more optimistic, has high self-esteem and is productive.
Entrepreneurs need to maintain their emotional well-being to be able to solve problems and meet the demands of their challenging work, here are some ways to strike that balance,
Write down your negative feelings
Entrepreneurs live and work in a stressful environment which is commonly caused by uncertainty, loneliness, and financial concerns. Often the same thoughts keep circling in our head as we keep imagining the worst outcome. Writing them down will give
your thoughts an outlet and will give you the ability to look at them reasonably
Disconnect your self-worth from your business’ worth
People have a tendency to attach their worth to their business’ worth, which is an unhealthy practice. Negative self-worth often leads to being disconnected with friends and family and can lead to isolation. An individual should never forget that he/she is
worthy of love and respect irrespective of their business’ success. Practicing self-love and positive affirmations can be helpful in dealing with it.
Challenge your negative thoughts
When you experience negative thoughts follow a self-inquiry and reflection method, ask yourself questions like, is it true? How do I feel when I think about the thought? Reflect on these questions, how do you actually feel if it’s true and how would you
feel without that thought. Counter your negative thoughts with positive thoughts and evidence. For example, if you feel you haven’t achieved anything then think of reasons to believe this and then come up with reasons to counter the thought. Stick with positive answers and work on the negative one’s.
Take a day off
Now this is going to sound totally crazy that while you feel you don’t have enough hours a day to do your work, taking a day off is going to feel like a crime, but it is the best thing you can do when the work is overwhelming. This will increase your
productivity in the upcoming week, and you will be able to take a fresh perspective towards the issues you are facing. Do whatever you enjoy the most, watch Netflix, go out with friends and family.
Take up a hobby
This may sound weird but this is really needed. Being able to disconnect with work and joining or doing something that is actually a stress buster for you. Something as simple as going for a walk or drawing and painting, taking up any sport that allows you to take out all your negative energy will be really helpful.
Set boundaries
When working on something that is always a work in progress, it is important to set boundaries and say no to things. Something as simple as fixing your work hours, sticking to a morning routine and saying no to distractions.
Practice yoga, meditation or exercise
This is always treated as generic advice by everyone for any discomfort but once you start doing this for even for 5 minutes daily for like a month you will start to notice you feel more fresh and less drained out of energy. Because exercise of any sort
balances your dopamine and serotonin levels, it also improves your sleep and reduces stress and anxiety. This will equip you to better manage your work and environment.
Keep your friends close
During the time when you are still trying to build your start-up you need all the support you can get. As the going gets hard we start to disconnect with people and are engulfed by the work which is unhealthy for you and also for your work.
Do something else
There is technique called incubation in problem-solving where you leave the issue and start working on something else. What happens due to this is that the brain works on it unconsciously and you might reach a solution spontaneously that you couldn’t have thought of otherwise.
Be part of a community
Nobody understands our problems better than someone who is going through similar things themselves or have already dealt with that. Connect with people who are new to entrepreneurship or have already made their place in the field. They can help you deal with your stressors through their experience. Being often a part of such communities makes one realize that they are not alone in this, a lot of other people are going through similar hustle
Ask for help
You can always ask for some professional help and seek therapy and counselling. It is a non-judgmental place and a therapist will empathize with you and listen patiently to your issues and work with you so you can have a better emotional well-being.
You become more resilient as you encounter and master any situation. Whenever you have doubts, and you will, remember that you have everything you need to take care of your emotional well-being and you will bounce back.
