Entrepreneurs play a crucial role in bringing their innovative ideas to the market and stimulating economic growth. The rise of young entrepreneurs (especially from the Gen-Z and Millennial generations) is having a profound impact on society. They tend to be highly adept at social media and know how to adapt to a fast-paced market. Young entrepreneurs are often highly motivated and energetic by nature. However, they’re still at risk of burnout if they don’t pay close attention to their mental health. Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. It can make staying on task and meeting deadlines or business growth goals nearly impossible. Here are some surprising strategies young entrepreneurs are using for staying mentally fit and avoiding burnout.
Recognize and Address Warning Signs
The first step to avoiding burnout is to recognize the warning signs that it’s approaching. That way, you can take steps to minimize your stress levels before you’re totally overwhelmed. Here are some of the most common indications your mind and body are approaching their limits:
- Persistent exhaustion and fatigue: You may feel chronically tired, no matter how many hours of sleep you get. This exhaustion is often physical, mental, and emotional.
- Feeling increasingly cynical: You may notice decreased confidence in your ability to succeed in your chosen profession. You may also develop unhealthy cynicism regarding your professional or personal relationships.
- Mood swings: If you lash out at others or get extremely irritated with little warning, you may be approaching burnout.
- Changes to your appetite: Prolonged stress can cause some people to lose their appetite, while others may feel famished all the time. If you notice seemingly unexplainable appetite or weight changes, it’s time to take a step back and relax.
- Lack of motivation: This is one of the most common indications of burnout. It can make it difficult to get out of bed in the morning or take care of your daily responsibilities.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it may help to talk to a professional. Thanks to the rapid growth of online therapy platforms, it’s easier than you might think to find affordable therapy. A skilled therapist can help you figure out what’s causing your burnout symptoms so you can address the root problem. They can also coach you on how to maintain a healthy balance between your professional and personal life.
Don’t Do Everything Alone
Entrepreneurs are often extremely independent. That’s one reason they’re so good at bringing their innovative ideas to life in competitive markets. There’s a certain pride that comes from being able to claim you single-handedly built a business from the ground up. However, trying to do everything alone is a sure way to eventually reach the point of overwhelm.
To promote staying mentally fit, wise young entrepreneurs enlist others’ help. They may hire a bare-bones team of equally driven professionals to take care of day-to-day responsibilities. Or, they might rely on contractors as needed to handle specific projects to completion. It doesn’t matter which approach you adopt as long as you have someone else sharing the load.
If you’re not good at delegating tasks, now is the perfect time to learn such a valuable skill. Choose to work with people who have skills you don’t. That way, you can let them do what they do best while you focus on doing what you do best. Together, you can help bring your new business idea to life.
Don’t Get Defeated by Failure
Does the thought of failure make you feel paralyzed by fear? If so, it’s time to rethink how you view setbacks. Remember that failure is a stepping stone to success. The greatest creatives throughout history experienced repeated failures. However, rather than being defeated by them, they learned from them.
Take Thomas Edison, for example. He’s one of the quintessential inventors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, before he experienced his unprecedented successes, he went through plenty of failures. Some of his initial inventions (including the electric pen and automatic vote recorder) were clumsy and never quite took off. And yet, he pressed on and became the inventor of the phonograph, electric lamp, and many other life-changing inventions.
Steven Spielberg is a more modern example of perseverance despite failure. The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts rejected his cinematic works twice. Such a failure might have broken a less determined individual. Fortunately, Spielberg pressed on to eventually win three Oscars, seven Golden Globes, and 11 Emmys. In that same spirit, the most successful young entrepreneurs allow failures to shape them rather than conquer them.
Reduce Stress
For many entrepreneurs, stress is an inevitable part of launching a startup. Some stress can be a good thing when it drives you to tackle each day with vigor and purpose. However, chronic stress can propel you toward burnout and make it difficult to do the simplest everyday tasks. For the sake of your business and for staying mentally fit, finding a good balance is critical.
While it’s virtually impossible to eliminate stress from your life, there are certainly ways you can reduce it. Getting regular exercise is one of the best ways to reduce work-related anxiety. It also releases endorphins, which can promote a good mood and help you feel better prepared to tackle problems.
Other great ways to reduce stress as a young entrepreneur include taking time away from work, eating a healthy diet, and practicing daily mindfulness. It also helps to maintain close relationships with people who build you up and help you feel relaxed.
Conclusion
Starting a business from scratch can be highly challenging and stressful at times. However, it doesn’t have to lead to burnout. Use these smart young entrepreneurial tactics to achieve your professional dreams while simultaneously staying mentally fit.
Photo by Marcel Strauß; Unsplash
