Episode 126 – Managing Stress as an Entrepreneur

The Brand Strategy Podcast Mental Health Series with Josh Berger How do you manage stress as an entrepreneur? Stress is different for each and every one of us, yet it’s something all of us face. Some of us handle stress a lot differently than others and sometimes certain seasons (taxes, anyone?!) can bring on more stress than others. But when it comes to managing stress, there are a few practical tips that can make a world of difference not just as entrepreneurs, but as people. In today’s conversation we’re diving back into the Mental Health Series with professional licensed counselor and my big brother, Josh Berger. The last few episodes of this series we talked a lot about fear of failure and fear of success, defining your identity + sense of balance, how to navigate rejection and diffuse negative self-talk as an entrepreneur, and setting clear boundaries + handling difficult clients. And today we’re diving into managing stress as an entrepreneur. Let’s get to it. MANAGING STRESS AS AN ENTREPRENEUR What exactly is stress? A good way to think through stress is that it’s an emotional, physical or mental level of change. And usually, an unwanted level of change if we’re getting a little more specific. Stress is your body’s emotion physically manifested. “The same events can elicit two different types of emotions,” Josh explains. “I could have the same number of things I’m doing in a day and be excited, or I can have the same level of challenges, meetings, and obstacles, and dread it. A lot of that is what goes on in our heart and the emotions in our mind.” Get to know yourself and the situations where stress can become worse in your day. What are you stress vices? Secondly, how would others around you know you’re stressed? Josh explains so often we feel like we need to be this superhero, but stress is universal. We all experience it. So let’s be real with ourselves about how we get stressed and the signs that alert us when it’s coming. In this episode, Josh walks through a few exercises for analyzing your identity and how to become aware of how you may emotionally react to past, present and future events in your life. Tune in using the media player above to walk through these exercises yourself. SELF CARE TIPS FOR MANAGING STRESS Often times, when we think of self care we think of: manicures and pedicures, face masks and bubble baths, massages and spa days. But self care when managing stress needs to be more than those things. I’m always up for a good bubble bath don’t get me wrong, but when we are experiencing stress in the middle of our day a bu...