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Stress Busters for Fun and Profit

Most business owners work themselves into the ground. If you’re having fun and feeling good, and your life is in balance (i.e. you’re not neglecting family and friends or other responsibilities), then you’re probably not overworked. But if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re irritable, sleepy, and work feels like an impossible chore, it’s probably time to start thinking about ways to find more balance in your life.

After I sold my business years ago, I began to feel super stressed and overwhelmed due to a six month long negotiation where the deal was in jeopardy almost everyday. I had to learn how to deal with that so it wouldn’t affect the quality of my work or personal life. Since then, I’ve worked long hours and have completed tons of tough stressful projects. Here’s what I do to stay healthy and happy, and still do great work:

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Years ago when I was at my wit’s end from being overstressed, I sought out everything I could do to distress. I ran across classes called “mindfulness based stress reduction”. At first I thought it was going to be some kind of new age mumbo jumbo but it turned out to make a lot of sense and it also had the most calming impact on me of anything I’ve ever tried. The classes teach a combination of mindful meditation and yoga. The meditation that’s taught isn’t some kind of monk chanting thing like you might think. Basically, you just sit for 20-30 minutes and focus on your breathing (the beginning of the breath, the end of the breath, and so on, concentrating on each breath) – it’s very hard to do because your mind wanders and thoughts pop into your head about everything you have to get done that day. The trick is to realize that your mind has wandered and bring your concentration back to your breath. Do this enough times and you will train your mind to be much more calm, more “in the moment” instead of thinking about things in the past or in the future, to better concentrate and not get easily distracted, and to very likely be much less quick to react or become irritable.

Search Google for MBSR classes near you. If you go to a class, be sure to do the exercises at home in between the classes for maximum benefit. If you stick to the classes and the exercises, you will definitely feel much better, more peaceful, and have an improved sense of wellbeing. It’s even been proven to cause physical changes in the brain.

Exercise

Working out comes easy for some people and it’s a chore for others. The key is to find the right activity that you really like to do. A friend of mine got me interested in cycling in high school, so that’s what I’ve done ever since. I don’t just go for a spin around the neighborhood, though. To keep stress at bay and maximize my wellbeing, I ride about 7 hours a week with an average speed of 20+ MPH. One ride I do with a local racing club is 3.5 hours and has nearly 4,000 feet of climbing (and 40+ MPH twisty descents). I like cycling so much because it’s easy on the body (unlike running) and it’s the fastest most exhilarating human powered sport. I also enjoy taking a yearly weeklong trip to France where I ride the famous climbs of the Tour de France, with about 400 miles of riding and 30,000 feet of climbing for the week, and watch the Tour racers fly by, which is a great way to combine fitness and vacationing.

I ride with the green guys in this ad:

Unless you’re very self motivated, it’s a lot easier to stick with a daily exercise activity if you are working out with other people. For me, that means meeting a group of people for scheduled rides, but you could also join a swim team/club, a running group, do the same spin class at the gym 2-3 times a week to get to know the regulars, show up for local basketball games at the gym, etc. Exercise should be fun and after you do it for a while, you should become addicted to it and really enjoy it. Keep varying your routine or sport until you find something that clicks for you. If you’re stressed out and not exercising, this is the #1 most important thing you can do for yourself. But be sure to start slow and get a physical before you start working out if you’re not already fit.

Thinking Time

With so much to do every day, many business owners neglect this important tip. Take 30-60 minutes out of your day to do nothing but sit in quiet and think. This time could be in the bath/shower, in a quiet room, possibly driving (but not in stressful traffic), and just let your thoughts bubble up. Write down anything important that you don’t want to forget to do later, instead of getting up to do it right away. Your brain is designed to come up with ideas naturally, but it’s only going to work correctly when it’s idle. If you’re constantly going all day long, you probably won’t think of that next big thing. Plus, taking this time to just unplug and relax will make you less stressed, too.

Food

Everyone knows the basics of healthy eating but I think it’s important to reiterate. Back in college, I was all about Budget Gourmet frozen dinners, fruit juice, and soda. But eventually I had an epiphany and decided to change my ways. I switched to only eating real food, drinking tea and water, and increasing my daily fiber, fruit, and vegetables. I did other things to improve my health at the same time so I can’t necessarily attribute the food to my mind working better, but I’ve definitely felt way better and have been more productive and less sleepy since I changed my diet years ago.

I also love sushi and eat an absolute ton of it (but beware of unhealthy sushi like tempura roll).

Try not to eat processed foods, fried foods, fast foods. Eat at least some fresh fruit every day and some fresh vegetables. Fiber is important. If you like cereal, try a raisin bran or something with at least 10g+ of fiber, trying to get at least 20-30g of fiber a day.

I think fish is a super important brain food. It contains Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) which our brains need, and our bodies can’t produce it. You have to watch out for mercury in fish though because mercury is very bad for the brain and nervous system, so use this chart to figure out which fish to avoid. Generally, large fish like Tuna and Shark have the most mercury, and small fish like Halibut and Sea Bass have low mercury. To get your Omega-3’s without eating fish, try fish oil pills. Fish oil is recommended by the American Heart Association because it reduces the risk of “cardiovascular events” like death, heart attack, and stroke, and it can slow atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Fish oil has also been shown in studies to improve symptoms of depression including anxiety and sleeping problems, so it could have an impact on stress and how you feel too.

Travel

Everyone needs a break every now and then! I take at least 3 one week vacations each year – sometimes more. I don’t always have the time to do that but I make the time. Course, your ability to take time off will vary, but everyone can and should strive to take some time off and even one week a year can give you a much needed fresh start. If you can’t take a week off, consider taking lots of weekend Fri-Sun getaways. I got interested in cruises years ago and I take lots of them. Beware though, 7 out of 10 first time cruisers go back and cruise again! Cruises are definitely not just for old people or honeymooners. There is something peaceful about being out on the ocean, the motion and the sound is relaxing, plus you’re a bit unplugged from communications out there (though most ships do have Internet access for your laptop).

Royal Caribbean in Alaska, Alaska Helicopter Glacier Flying, + Caribbean Cruising:

I’ve been on cruises to Alaska (Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, HIGHLY recommended), Hawaii (Norwegian), Vancouver (Princess), and the Eastern Caribbean (Holland America). I prefer Royal Caribbean by far. I’ve never been on a bad cruise. They really are very luxurious and there are lots of price options ranging from very cheap for an inside room (like $500/person for 7 days including room + all food) to $1,500+/person for a balcony room. If cruising isn’t for you, pick your favorite adventure – just get out there and do it.

Delegate, Automate

I touched on this before and it really is a great way to reduce or eliminate your day to day stress altogether. If you have surplus income coming in but you’re still doing everything yourself, consider hiring someone to do the day to day repetitive tasks that run you ragged and take up your time. Often, those repetitive tasks are reasonably easy for someone to learn, even if they don’t have your skillset. At first, paying someone else will reduce your profit, but it will free you up to work on bigger and better things to grow your business. This is how businesses become successful, because there’s a limit to what one person can do. Better yet, figure out a way to automate your daily tasks. Is there a web based programming solution to something that you’re doing daily, something you’re processing daily (orders, leads, etc)?

Friends and Family

Hanging out with friends and family is good for everyone: it lowers your stress by having fun, it gets you out of your own head, and your family gets to see you more often. Surround yourself with happy, upbeat people, and distance yourself from complainers, yellers, dramas, and angry people that will bring you down. Friends help people live longer! If you’re single and a loner, look for opportunities to meet people like clubs/groups, conferences, volunteer work, dating (match.com, eharmony etc): we’re all social people and have an innate need to be around others.

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Sunday, October 28th, 2007 at 11:04 pm and is filed under Web Business. If you like this post why not subscribe to my full text RSS feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.