7 Stress-Busting Strategies Every Entrepreneur Needs Now

This is a guest post from my entrepreneurial friend Maria Pascucci. She is a recovering stressaholic, founder of CampusCalm.com and author of Campus Calm University: The College Student’s 10-Step Blueprint to Stop Stressing & Create a Happy, Purposeful Life.


7 Stress-Busting Strategies Every Entrepreneur Needs Now

Why would entrepreneurs need stress relief? Between our golf outings and yacht parties, 2-5 pm Happy Hours and all those other fun things that the rest of the world envisions us doing on a Tuesday afternoon, aren’t we [cue the yawn] above stress? Well, any business owner working on deadline with 76 “urgent” emails in her inbox can safely say that entrepreneurs are not exempt from stress, or the havoc it wreaks on our lives.

Let me state upfront that stress isn’t bad. We all need a healthy amount of stress in our lives because it keeps us motivated and challenged as we try new things. But, when stress becomes overwhelming and we don’t know how to deal with it in healthy ways, that’s when it starts to interfere with our lives.

According to the American Institute of Stress, workplace stress costs more than $300 billion each year in health care, missed work and stress-reduction. April is National Stress Awareness Month. Today is the day to take charge over your stress. Here are seven strategies to help you out:

1. Surround yourself with positive people.
Entrepreneurs need a support network of positive people who understand the challenges involved in running a business. When I decided I wanted to launch a business, a few family members attempted to be supportive. My husband and parents were great, but many others didn't even try to get it. A former friend actually said to me, "Oh, you're just playing all day." A relative commented to my husband, "Everyone hates their jobs. Why can't Maria just go to work like the rest of us and deal with it?" Truly positive people are brave enough to be honest with entrepreneurs, while still being supportive and having a positive attitude.

2. Invest in a mentor.
In times of stress, turn to your mentors for inspiration, encouragement and wisdom. A mentor can inspire you to think bigger because she has been there and done that. A mentor wants to see you succeed and she's going to hold you accountable to your goals. A mentor will also help you get out of your own way to achieve success and happiness by helping you learn how to ignore your inner critic. Sometimes we sabotage our own success without even realizing we're doing it. You can find mentors everywhere. Look at your colleagues, community leaders (thanks Dave!) and professional organizations; read writers you admire. The possibilities are endless!

3. Avoid catastrophic thinking.
"Oh my God, sales are down for the month, my business is going under, I'm ruined, I'm going to have to uproot my family to my parents' basement and listen to my father tell me for the umpteenth time in between bites of mac ‘n’ cheese and hotdogs, "I told you that you should have gotten a real job." Sound familiar? Stop! 

4. Correct with rational thoughts.
"Okay, sales are down for the month. BREATHE! I'm going to gather my team together to discuss why this happened and brainstorm how we can boost sales for the coming months. Let's survey our customers and have them tell us exactly what they need from us. Then we'll find creative ways to deliver it. I'm going to see this temporary setback as an opportunity to develop resilience as an entrepreneur."

5. Develop resilience.
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that "positivity" is a personal choice. They realize that when they choose to see the gems life has to offer instead of the grime, they will be happier, healthier and more satisfied for it. Successful entrepreneurs choose to be resilient and then learn how to craft the tools that will allow them to build the businesses and lives they desire.

Suggestions: read books like The Resiliency Advantage and The Power of Failure

6. Love yourself.

Truly successful entrepreneurs recognize that self-love is the key to success. No, that doesn't mean posing in front of your bedroom mirror for hours and basking in the glow of your own vanity. It does mean making your body a priority. Like taking the time to nourish it with healthy food, getting adequate sleep and exercising. Practicing relaxation. Understanding that "me time" is a necessity, not a luxury that’s earned.

Be honest. Are you experiencing any of the following stress overload warning signs? :

1. Change in sleep patterns: too much or too little sleep
2. Change in eating habits: either too much or too little
3. Becoming angry over nothing or crying very easily
4. Frequent stomachaches, headaches or skin breaking out (yes, adult acne does exist, it sucks and chronic stress is the number one culprit)
5. Constant negative self-thoughts and anxiety over everyday things
6. Withdrawing from friends and loved ones.

If you’re really struggling to get your life and business under control, consider reaching out to a counselor or a life coach. Invest in your business by investing in yourself. From one high-achieving entrepreneur to another, I can tell you that good health is an achievement to be VERY proud of!

7. Practice gratitude.
We entrepreneurs work hard to invest our time, passions and strengths into our own businesses, those enterprises designed to help others while teaching us (thankfully) that we are so much larger than ourselves. I don't know about you but I remain grateful, awe-inspired in fact, for that realization every single day of my life!


**Check out Maria's site at: http://www.campuscalm.com/