The brain of a boss babe is running a mile a minute, 100% of the time. You’ve got your mind on the impact, the money, and keeping your life together as you grow your business every day. Although you’re in the top percentage of people working hard to make a difference in the world, you’re also most likely to be overwhelmed, uncomfortable, and sometimes…just lost. Dealing with overwhelm as an entrepreneur is an essential skill if you want to make it in the long run. Your mental health is one of your most precious assets, and you don’t want to lose it in the process of building your empire. Here are some no-nonsense steps you can take when the overwhelm hits and you need to bring yourself back in the right direction:
Write it all out to get organized.
There’s something about seeing your thoughts in front of you on paper that lets you look in from the outside and decide what’s truly an emergency. One trick you can try while dealing with overwhelm is making two columns on a piece of paper and free-writing all of your overwhelming thoughts.
In one column, write down the things you have control over. In the second column, write down the things you do NOT have control over. This helps you take all of those thoughts and prioritize the things you can actually do something about and improve yourself. For example, you probably can’t control if you lose some followers after posting authentic content… but you CAN control how engaged you are with the followers and clients you do have.
Take a moment (or moments) to separate yourself from the situation.
As high achievers, it’s tempting to get wrapped up in your laptop all day and work even when you don’t “have” to. Although it’s probably the closest thing to your heart, you need to take a step back when things get overwhelming. Take a 15-minute walk outside. Sit down and meditate with some soothing music and essential oils. Drink some water, stretch it out, move your body before going back to work.
If you can, close the laptop and get into a new environment for a few hours to reset your thinking and clear the unnecessary worries with distraction. Whatever you choose, it’s essential that you take a step back to clear your mind while dealing with overwhelm.
Delegate, automate, ask for help.
Sometimes stress comes when you're scared to release control. As an entrepreneur, you are probably in control of so much that it often feels hard to let go of. Delegating tasks to an assistant, employee, or a system where you can is an easy fix to clear the excess clutter in your mind.
Nowadays, there is an online system or automation for just about everything, so do your research if something is constantly overwhelming you…there might be a system for that. Lastly, ask for help because as much as we love to think we can do it all, sometimes we need our mentors. Asking for help can look like talking to your mentor, your network, an employee, and even your therapist to get that much-needed second opinion.
If you can improve, plan a clear next step.
Once you’ve organized yourself and noticed exactly what’s causing you stress, it can be helpful to ask yourself what you truly can improve for the next time this happens. Is there space for you to be more proactive and organized? Is there room for you to delegate more before a situation gets out of control? Whatever it looks like, constantly choosing to improve is a great natural way to keep yourself progressing. Feeling “stuck” is a huge reason you might feel overwhelmed at times, but progress is the fix that gets us “un-stuck”.
Celebrate your wins and take proactive care of your mental health.
It can be easy to forget to celebrate your own wins as an entrepreneur. It’s great that you’re working on your future… but ignoring your amazing progress right now can contribute to stress and lack of fulfillment. The same idea goes for being proactive about your mental health. When you are making efforts to take care of yourself, you respond to stress in a healthier way, you keep a positive mindset, and your thoughts are clear when work gets too crazy. Eat well, move your body, and stay hydrated to cover the bases because your business is a reflection of YOU… so take care of both.
Use these realistic tips for dealing with overwhelm as an entrepreneur if you've been struggling with staying positive. Watch your meltdowns turn to bounce-backs, your bad days turn to better ones, and your progress remains steady. Overwhelm doesn’t have to stop you from bouncing back in a healthy way and feeling in control of your business.
Lupe has helped thousands of ambitious women take control over their healthy habits while having fun, loving what they eat, and withOUT giving up what they love. A Holistic Health Coach, author, and podcaster, Lupe created healthyandhustling.com, a membership club for women to access meal plans, recipes, guides, and challenges to truly see results and take their health journey at their own pace. Lupe loves building women up and showing them their own potential, because every woman deserves to love how she looks and feels. A true #bossbabe knows success comes from the inside out.
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