Entrepreneurship Stress Can Get Too Real
Every year many entrepreneurs give up on their business dreams. Entrepreneurship is an often misunderstood professional journey that can take you through an emotional rollercoaster. Aside from the joy and excitement of becoming your own boss, you need to be ready for the dark side of entrepreneurship. Starting your own business is not only very brave, but it is also very demanding, both emotionally and psychologically. Most independent professionals agree that life as an entrepreneur is nothing like the life they knew as an employee. As a result, stress plays, unfortunately, a significant role in small business closures. If you’ve quit your job with the hope that life without a direct manager will be less stressful, you are making a big mistake.
Lonely entrepreneurs struggle with high stress
You have no time to recharge
Working for yourself changes your relationship to working hours. When a desk job exists typically between 9 AM and 5 PM, freelancing professionals work outside of the 9-to-5 routine. When you first launch your solo business, flexibility is probably not going to be on top of your list. Instead, you need to tackle projects as quickly as possible if you want to make a living. In other words, weekend work and late nights are a regular occurrence. You will find it tricky to get any time off work to recharge your batteries and relax.
If you have no coping trick, you will need some
When every day is a workday, you need to find a way to relax that lets you stay productive during the day. When it comes to stress, most people struggle to find any coping mechanism, let alone healthy ones. Of course, sport can help to release tensions, but when you’re tired from long working hours, you’re likely to pick something that requires less effort, such as having a drink. As a result, too many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of harmful coping. With no way of escaping this vicious circle alone, it’s not uncommon to take time off to visit a sober living house, which can help you to unlearn your coping strategy. Yoga, meditation, and spending quality time with friends are a safer remedy to stress.
Alone, you lose your sense of reality
Entrepreneurs are in a position where there is no certainty about their future gigs. Of course, you’ll feel unsure and vulnerable. But as a solo professional, your isolated situation exposes you more to anxiety and panic attacks. A tricky situation feels a lot worse when you are on your own and constantly worrying about it. Loneliness exacerbates your fears.
Every mistake feels like a failure
Success doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, most entrepreneurs make mistakes. But it’s the assumption that you are not allowed to err that can destroy your independent career. It’s okay to make mistakes; they teach you a lesson. Getting things wrong occasionally doesn’t make you a failure. Entrepreneurship is a journey along which you find out more about yourself and your business. Embrace the chance to learn instead of taking every mistake at heart.
Stress is the primary cause of mental health issues for entrepreneurs. From depression to addiction, entrepreneurship can be a toxic journey is you are not equipped to handle stress. Suicides among entrepreneurs are unfortunately on the rise. For your own sake, you need to know when it’s time to take care of yourself.
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