Need tips on Managing stress

[icetruck]

When u feel down cause your business is not where u want it to be . When you are unsure of what to do next to make it better . When you feel stressed out to the point of giving up on the whole thing . What do you do? What do you do to give you self back that confidence to move forward? to give your self new hope?.

[Gabe]

Starting a business is hard and the downs are inevitable. One of the things that contributes to feeling down is that your personal value and how your business is doing become intertwined. I'm not going to tell you not to let this happen because I'm the biggest offender, but just be aware of it.

Over the past few years I've put a lot into my business. We're talking 10-14 hours a day, 7 days a week. The only way I know it's the weekend is because the emails slow down and the stock market is closed.

People (i.e. my wife) say to relax, but that's not in my personality, so I find other ways of dealing with it. So now to deal with stress I tend to work out...a lot. I lift for 45min/day 6 days a week. So I don't feel like I'm wasting my time, I'll listen to a business podcast (usually Mixergy) to learn a bit and take notes when I need to. 4 days a week in the evenings I'll also swim for an hour and listen to music. I started swimming since I couldn't run or cycle due to an old knee injury, but I quite like it now.

It sounds intense, but that's what does it for me. The stress washes away. On average it comes out to around 90min a day, which isn't bad for health, stress relief, and peace of mind. Besides, just being in great shape gives you a lot of confidence, but unfortunately most people aren't.

Owning a business is one of the most challenging things anyone can do, and some businesses are harder than others. Try a lot of things to find out what works for you, but you need to find it otherwise you end up sleepwalking through life stuck in second gear.

[Freelancier]

Anything you do where your mind isn't running your problems through your head over and over and over... that'll reduce your stress level.

Working out is huge, because you have to focus on what you're doing to push yourself.

I cook dinner for the family most every night. Just the act of cooking relieves my brain of working on other problems.

Find an activity that will get your mind off of work.

[Brian Altenhofel]

During the late spring, summer, and early fall, I go outside and enjoy a premium cigar and a glass of single malt Scotch before bed, especially if it's a full/new moon, 75F, and calm. I find it to be great therapy. Sometimes if a work-related thought does come up during my pondering of the universe, I might quickly look into it (not taking more than five minutes). If a solution comes up out of the blue, I'll make a note of it and continue enjoying my therapy session. If it's not too windy, I'll call up my dad and go fishing part of the day.

During spring, fall, and much of winter, I might have one of the above therapy sessions near the end of the work day. If it's a hunting season I'm interested in, I'll take some time to go out hunting. I usually don't get anything - it's more about time away from everything and taking in nature for me. The food is a bonus.

At least once a month, I take the entire afternoon off and go to a smoking lounge in the city. Not only is it relaxing, it's also greatly improved my social skills (especially among non-tech people). Most of the guys at the smoking lounge are 2-3 times my age and fairly successful, so there's a lot to be learned just shooting the bull. Plus it's convenient because we have a Drupal Users Group meetup monthly at a local vo-tech campus in the city.

[tinker9696]

Stress is an evil thing especially in business. When I am stressed I cant even think clearly or make sound decisions let alone find a solution to a problem.
I am fortunate that having parrots and caring for them is a stress reducer for me except when the Macaws decide to squawk/scream. lol.
I have decided to start making toys again which I find to be very relaxing and if they don't sell I can always give them to my parrots so its a win win situation.
Finding something you enjoy doing that takes your mind off of business is the key.
When I am really stressed it zaps so much of my energy that I barely can do anything so I try to do some deep breathing for about 5 minutes with the thought of the word PEACE on the exhale. When feeling defeated and about to give up..I look at the big picture and ask myself why I ventured into the business to begin with...are my goals realistic? do I need to reassess? Do I need to be more patient? Have I tried my best to do all I can to make it work? Am I reaching out to the right places for guidance and help? Is my budget realistic? If I fail it does not mean I am a failure and at least I tried. Sometimes I need self affirmations and sometimes hearing from others that I am where I should be or even better than where I should be is a great motivator. I try really hard not to allow negativity to raise its ugly head!!!!

[Harold Mansfield]

When u feel down cause your business is not where u want it to be . When you are unsure of what to do next to make it better . When you feel stressed out to the point of giving up on the whole thing . What do you do? What do you do to give you self back that confidence to move forward? to give your self new hope?.

I've been there.

The first thing you need to do is remember why you ventured out to do what you do in the first place. Start questioning yourself.

Are you doing it the way you had envisioned?
Are you implementing all of those great ideas that you had when it was just a dream?
Are you the best that you can be?
When things are slow, do you just sit around thinking, or do you spend that time developing a marketing strategy?
What are you doing to improve things?

I remember when I lived in FL, someone came up with the great idea of putting girls in bikini's to run hot dog carts. May not work everywhere, but in Miami it was gold.

I also remember food truck, foodie gatherings. Something as little as putting picnic tables in the area so that people could sit down and enjoy their food, increased sales for everyone.

On the flip side, I worked at a busy club once, but liquor sales weren't what they should be. We figured out that removing the chairs from the bar so that people could get a drink and get out of the way tripled sales almost immediately.

Sometimes it's little things. Sometimes it's big things.

One of the first things that I had to come to terms with once I got started, is that what I had envisioned wasn't good enough.
I thought I could half ass it and part time it, and somehow would miraculously make money and have all of this free time.
That people were just sitting around waiting for me to come online, and then the flood gates would open.

I knew nothing about running a business or marketing it.

I immediately had to get better. Offer more. Improve my customer service. Get creative in how I marketed to clients.
I also had to open my mind about who to target.

I know nothing of your business or location. But something popped into my mind. Kids parties are huge business in affluent areas.
Have you ever considered making your services available for private kids parties or partnering with a company that caters kids parties? And not just kids parties, maybe even corporate retreat type things or other kinds of outdoor events.

Not saying that this is a viable option, I'm just saying that's the way you need to start thinking.
The customer that I serve now, is not the customer that I thought I would be serving. I had to adjust to the market. And it's actually better.

Like my tag line says, "Get in where you fit in". To many people pigeon hole themselves thinking that they have to do it a certain way. There's always more than one way to go, and more than just one type of opportunity.

[KristineS]

Everyone has days like this. One thing to do is to take a moment and remember why you started your business. What were your goals then? Take some time to realize where you've started and how far you've come. You may not be exactly where you want to be yet, but you should be making progress.

Another thing to keep in mind is this - sometimes what you tried won't work. If you're really feeling like you're not succeeding or should be doing a lot better than you are, it might help to get an outside, unbiased opinion. Sometimes we have to acknowledge that our efforts aren't going to turn out as we'd hoped and planned. Having outside eyes take a look at things can give you another view of where you are. You might find that you're in a better position than you thought you were.

[icetruck]

i tell you guys straight i think i have chosen the right forum to be in. you guys are awesome. i can see that this is a great support group.

@Harold Mansfield. thanks for your ideas and input. i highly appreciate it.

[eina26]

Found myself depressed many times because the business is not doing so well. What I do is maybe let myself feel down for awhile, sleep and then when I wake up, I'd find myself with a new plan for the business. It's important to rest and unwind. You can't force yourself with great ideas when you don't have the confidence you've had when you started the business.

[bfg9000]

My truck is my oasis. If I start getting panicky about how my shop is doing I'll hop in the truck, put on the hardest rock music I can find as loud as I can and just get into it. Air guitar, air drums, off-key singing, headbanging, the works. It doesn't fix the problems at hand, but it seems to get some adrenaline pumping and that feels like it counteracts the worry. I get out of my truck and can immediately think clearer, and the problems seem less crushing.

I just started my shop, and the stress gets to me 2 or 3 times a day. I remind myself that this is what I want, and it will get better. It HAS to get better. I can't stop the worries, but I can try to keep them from running my life.

[huggytree]

i never think about giving up because giving up = no $$ to survive......or worse, working for someone else again

to fight stress i have max. fun on the little free time i have....i get in one of my cars and drive fast, i go shoot some guns, take a vacation/trip, go out for a nice meal.....

my business has provided me with tons of expensive/fun toys that many people dont get to enjoy.....playing with them makes me realize WHY i work so hard....its not about the work its about enjoying the extra money you earned that the normal working class doesnt have.

[billbenson]

Drugs! :)

Just kidding but the basics of fitness can help a lot. Diet and exercise. Neither needs to be extreme. I eat a good filet minion with a butter mushroom sauce at least once a week. I also eat healthy salads other days. I also get lazy and don't work out. But then I go at it other times.

But I do think those are the true key's to relieving stress.

[Kreater]

When u feel down cause your business is not where u want it to be . When you are unsure of what to do next to make it better . When you feel stressed out to the point of giving up on the whole thing . What do you do? What do you do to give you self back that confidence to move forward? to give your self new hope?.
I just sleep a lot, take naps whenever I can.

I also browse the internet and play some video games to de-stress. I also like to enjoy a tasty meal and snack. That also helps a lot.

[Brian Altenhofel]

Since I got that PS4, I've found that a midday round or two of Domination in CoD Ghosts does a lot for stress relief.

[Harold Mansfield]

Things I do to relieve stress:



I listen to music all day ( No TV).
Take frequent breaks.
Play video games
Make it a point to be done by 5 p.m. everyday, unless absolutely necessary to stay longer.
Sometimes I'll take a weekday off in exchange for working a few hours on Saturday. Or not at all.
Friday Happy Hour
A little exercise
Go for a swim
Buy something new. Anything. Just hearing the delivery truck pull up is an instant joy.
Keep the house clean. Nothing relaxes me like a clean house and all the bills paid. You could drop a nuke on Cleveland and I'd still be happy to be sitting around a clean house with no shut off notices pending. ( I don't live in Cleveland by the way).
Keep drama out of your personal life.



Things that add to my stress are :



Reading political comments on Social Media
Procrastination: Less work today, means less money coming in tomorrow. Took me a while to make the connection, but you have to keep it moving or it just gets worse.
Talking to my friends during business hours.
Not paying my bills on time.
Sitting at my desk thinking about how stressed I am.
Being disorganized.

[huggytree]

Since I got that PS4, I've found that a midday round or two of Domination in CoD Ghosts does a lot for stress relief.

i have Titanfall and sometimes it also helps me too....problem is i dont play enough so i just keep getting killed.....it is stress relieving when you play it enough and are more of the predator instead of the prey

[JayPack]

Has anyone here ever done a Vipassana meditation course? Don't know if everyone here has the time, because it is a ten day course, but it's free (with room and board), and it REALLY helps calm the nerves down, ESPECIALLY after some tough times.... Just my two cents :)

[JC]

Exercise and eating well! Starting your day feeling good and being pleased with what you see in the mirror can give a great boost of confidence in all you do.

[billbenson]

Exercise and eating well! Starting your day feeling good and being pleased with what you see in the mirror can give a great boost of confidence in all you do.

I will really second the exercise thing. And it's not just age dependent. There are old people who can have very hard workouts and young people that a brisk walk works for. People are different.

I was reading an interesting article on Yahoo the other day. Bottom line - the morning workout is a really good thing. But a number of active things throughout the day is very important as well. They did a study of various groups of overweight people. The people that had a morning workout but sat on their butt's like many of us for the rest of the day without moving often put on weight. Where the ones that also had some movement during the day tended to loose weight.

I thought it was an interesting article. Don't have the link.

[JC]

It sounds so simple that I think many people dismiss the significance of it, believing that they can mentally overcome it just as easily. Thing is, the exercise is what often boosts the mental power to overcome things imo.

[shrinkme]

I am in between consulting assignments so I know where you are coming from. I think I'm under less stress now than when I was just ending my previous consulting assignment... Don't know why, I guess I've detached a bit, especially during this week when I know there is just nothing I can do about it. I actually sat around and watched TV today with the daughter and grandson.

I had been having a drink or two in the evening, but I have found this leads to more stress, so I stopped. I also cut back on my coffee in the morning so I would sleep better. I would like to say I have exercised more, but I haven't. But we went out and got our Christmas tree, have been moving boxes around, and other things that have added a bit of physical activity.

I have also been making lists of things I can and need to do. When my list is done, then I relax. As I think of things, I add to the list. I try not to stress about things I need to do but forget by the time I get around to doing them.

[will.i.earn]

Meditation has done wonders for me and everyone I've talked to who have tried it. I definitely recommend the app Headspace to get started. It's on iphone; android probably have it as well (not sure). I feel I'm better equipped to handle stress and emotions in general after the free 10 day course.

[billbenson]

Meditation has done wonders for me and everyone I've talked to who have tried it. I definitely recommend the app Headspace to get started. It's on iphone; android probably have it as well (not sure). I feel I'm better equipped to handle stress and emotions in general after the free 10 day course.

I agree. And it can be as simple as breathing exercises for two minutes or things that take longer like yoga.

[JonV6]

I find that, as tricky as it can be, it's good to step back and re-evaluate the situation. Try and remove the emotion and analyse as systematically as you can. Also try to have a work station if you work from home, that way you can remove yourself from the situation and try and relax. Also, I find classical music helps.