In many ways entrepreneurs have it rough compared with people who choose to work for a company as an employee. Bringing a startup to profitability often entails long work hours, risk, stress and a heavy investment of personal resources–whether emotional, physical or financial.
Entrepreneurs know that their business successes are personal successes – and their business challenges are personal challenges. The phrase “it’s not personal; it’s business” doesn’t apply to them. And so a personal struggle like depression leads to business challenges, including lost revenue and team conflicts.
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Here are 10 ways entrepreneurs can defeat depression,
1. Celebrate the small victories
There’s nothing like celebrating a small victory. It releases much of the pent-up aggression and tension experienced by entrepreneurs on a daily basis. On such a rough road, even the small victories can make the difference between success and failure.
2. Physical health is everything
Your physical health is as important as your mental health. So many entrepreneurs neglect their fitness simply because they cannot find the time to go to the gym or take a walk. But this allows stress and tension to build. You also have to take into account what you’re putting into your body. Entrepreneurs that focus on their bodies are more likely to lead successful companies.
3. Take a break
One characteristic of entrepreneurs is they spend every day of the year stuck in the office trying to make their companies work. While it may seem as if you are getting more work done, you are actually rubbing away at your mental stability.
It doesn’t have to be a long break. A few days away from your business at the weekend every few months is ideal for recharging your batteries.
4. Stop worrying about others
It’s easy to get obsessed with what the competition is doing at any one time. Of course, you have to take them into account for business purposes, but there’s a danger of becoming too focused on them. Before you know it, you are worrying about what they are doing, and this is a slippery slope.
Agonizing over them isn’t going to make them go away. You can do nothing to change what you’re doing. All you can focus on is your activities. Save your mental energy by concentrating on how you can make your product or service better.
5. Recharge and balance
If you have spent all day giving presentations, make sure that you don’t spend your evening at a business dinner. You need to achieve some form of balance in your life. Furthermore, the only way you can do this is through varying your activities.
6. Practice and plan
Most people do better when they plan what they’re going to say and how they will deliver the message. Attempting to go into every meeting and presentation blind creates more worry and hassle than needed. Practice and plan for these big occasions. Test how you are going to deliver your message and you’ll find your thoughts to be far less consuming.
7. Get a hobby
Not a long one, but get away for a few days. If your startup isn’t strong enough to withstand a short vacation, you’ve got far bigger problems. You need a life away from your business. Engage other areas of your brain by committing to activities that have nothing to do with the world of work. This will give you the mental space you need to recharge your mental batteries.
8. Cultivate the ability to tolerate small mistakes
Entrepreneurship is about trying new things and being able to see a big picture. This will inevitably involve mistakes and some details falling through the cracks. You’ll need to be able to react to small mistakes without becoming excessively self-critical.
9. Perfection is not always possible
Everyone would like immediate success but everyone is a beginner when they start something new. Since it generally takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something, you might not initially perform as well as you’d like at your chosen craft. You’ll need frustration tolerance, psychological flexibility, and grit to get past this stage.
10. Ignore gossips
Gossips are a major reason to make one depressed. When false stories are circulated for selfish gains, the victim does feel helpless and as a result, go into deep depression. If you are one of them, just the only way out is to handle such a situation with grace and ignore gossips altogether. Confront the situation and the person behind with confidence.
Source: KnowStartUp.com
