Entrepreneurs are busy people. They carry a lot of burden on their shoulders and have a lot of tasks that keep them on their toes.
But sometimes, businessmen may be so focused on making the business succeed that they lose sight of their family, friends, and even their selves.
Sometimes, their busy schedule causes misunderstandings with their loved ones. And sometimes they are weighed down by the stress of keeping the business going.
Entrepreneurs can suffer from anxiety and depression, lose the ability to solve problems, become unable to think rationally and make decisions because of stress. They may also become prone to health conditions such as hypertension and diabetes which may lead to heart attack or stroke.
Stress is inevitable in a business, but people have different reactions to it.
There are three questions that can help you manage stress better:
- How does stress affect you physically?
- Does it also affect you emotionally or psychologically?
- How do you cope with stress?
Some of the possible sources of stress are:
- children
- family,
- relationships
- finances
- illness
- lack of work-life balance
- loneliness
- committing to more than you can handle
- uncertainty
- work
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to recognize your moods and emotions, as well as other people’s moods and emotions.
A person with high EQ will know when stress is starting to get to him, and where the stress is coming from. Your ability to make decisions, maintain relationships, remain motivated, influence others, all depend on your EQ.
When we are aware of what stresses us out, it’s easier to get through the day. We can think of ways to get ourselves out of a “bad mood” and avoid situations that cause stress.
COMMON SOURCES OF STRESS OF AN ENTREPRENEUR
Entrepreneurs struggle with chronic stress caused by the fear of failing or losing the business. But entrepreneurs may also be causing themselves undue stress by:
- Being all over the place and overlooking the most important tasks because of insignificant concerns
- Having unrealistic expectations of themselves and others
- Failing to reflect on what they do each day, and thus failing to identify what works and what does not
- Being too focused on “work” that they forget to “live”
- Not leaving certain decisions to employees
- Seeking perfection
- Worrying about not having enough capital to sustain the business
- Keeping up with a “strong leader persona”
- Thinking that 24 hours in a day is not enough
- Dealing with clients who call in the middle of the night or even during vacations
- Fearing the unknown
Studies have shown that many entrepreneurs have mental health issues.
All too often, after a very stressful day of dealing with company issues, an entrepreneur may feel so tired and helpless that he starts doubting his own capabilities. This is precisely because they forget to unplug from work.
Life can truly be simple. It is all in the conditioning of the mind.
You can also minimize stress by trying to understand the people who cause you stress.
When someone says or does something that turns on your stress button, learn to understand your emotions, as well as the possible reasons why the person may have behaved that way.
When you focus on the more positive side of a situation, you lessen your level of stress. And when this happens, you will be surprised at how your perceptions about people and situations have changed.
You will also realize how you have built emotional intelligence and resilience.
Get Armando Bartolome’s latest book “35 Tips On Business” available on e-book and paperback www.amazon.com.
(Armando Bartolome is known as the Philippines’ Franchise Guru, a business mentor to numerous micro entrepreneurs who are now themselves big names in the industry. This article is reposted with the author’s permission and was previously published on The Business Mentor column posted by ABSCBN News. For questions and more information, you may contact Armando “Butz” Bartolome by email:philfranchiseguru@gmail.com or on Twitter @philfranguru. His website is www.gmb.com.ph)
