There are both good and bad forms of stress. For example being super busy working is a good kind of stress — or at least it can be unless you don’t enjoy what you are doing. Really exerting yourself as a challenge to achieving some goal, while stressful, can be very gratifying if you hit the target. So stresses like these can actually be motivational.
There are stresses that we can’t avoid because they are inherent in life – wars and rumors of wars, catastrophic events in nature, crime, health, financial and relationship problems, etc. Of course these are amplified because they go along with fear and anxiety. Since they can’t be avoided completely, we need to do something to mitigate them as far as how they affect us.
There is a direct relationship between our minds and our bodies. If you are using all of your resources to worry or trying to navigate chaos, then you can actually compromise your immune system. This can leave you more vulnerable to illness, and when ‘normal’ illness occurs, it becomes more difficult for your immune system to overcome it.
Starting a business, just like starting a new job, moving to a new location, or ending a relationship are considered major life events that are super-stressful; and unless we acquire coping mechanisms they can really undermine our well-being. It is a bit like having one hand tied behind your back if your entire system is pre-occupied with stress. So taking time away to relax and rest will actually serve to make you more accurate and efficient, hence more productive.
As well there are things you can do to ‘talk yourself down’ when you are on your last nerve and just can’t get away for a break. There used to be a school of thought that said it is best to rant and rave and get it off your chest; and it was that anger that we keep inside that will kill us. However now the thinking is that you can actually cause a major health event by throwing a ‘hissy fit’ – you can literally ‘blow a gasket’.
So it may be best to have ways to calm yourself down – and believe it or not being organized and taking things one step at a time, is one way to alleviate a huge amount of stress when you are starting a business. You cannot digest or accomplish everything in one day. You should not contribute to your own demise by having unrealistic expectations. Schedule enough time to do just what needs to be done today and then take some time to breathe.
You need to realize that you may end up paying a few monthly fees while seeing no return on investment. That is the cost of doing business. If you truly want to start a business then you have to accept that it may cost you time, money and effort to do so. Your health and sanity however is not a price you should be willing to pay for any reason.
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