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Owning and managing a business can seem like a dream to those on the outside. However, for those of us who have the weight of an entire business on our shoulders, we know the toll it takes.
For most of us, owning a business means working long hours on and off the clock, stressing about numbers, and trying to find time to live a normal life in between. It's not uncommon for business owners to be overcome with emotional stress. Emotional stress, however, isn't good for your health or your business.
It's vital to build emotional resilience to keep your personal and professional life thriving. You must learn how to carry the weight of your business, without letting it plague your emotions.
Keep reading to learn how you can stay strong in the best and worst of times.
Developing emotional resilience is about much more than blocking out all of your feelings. In fact, doing so could be catastrophic and lead to a total emotional melt-down.
Instead, learn how to deal with your emotions in a healthy way. Yes, sometimes it means taking stock of reality and not allowing yourself to overreact. However, it certainly doesn't mean bottling your feelings up inside.
Primarily, developing emotional resilience means learning how to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as a person.
One of the important lessons you can learn while building emotional resilience is to never give in to apathy.
Apathy is like a virus — it spreads quickly and is very hard to shake once it takes hold. Feeling apathetic or hopeless is dangerous and can quickly lead to the end of the line for you and your business.
When you lose hope, there's no more drive. There's no more motivation. No matter how tough things get or how hopeless they seem, train yourself to always look to the horizon.
Keep the mentality that it's never over until you say it is. Don't let anything but you determine the fate of your business. For example, when things are slow, research new tactics for marketing or increasing sales and conversions, do what you have to keep moving forward.
A large part of being emotionally strong is learning where to place your concerns.
Obviously, as a business owner, you can't afford to be indifferent towards anything going on in your business. However, you don't need to stress out about the small factors of everyday business.
As a new business owner, it may take some time to learn the difference between the everyday ebb and flow of business versus big issues. However, try to keep perspective while minor hiccups occur.
Is it that big of a deal? Will it impact you or your business in the long run? Will it matter tomorrow, next week, next month, etc?
People who have built solid emotional resilience know how to take action. This doesn't mean make reckless or uncalculated decisions. However, it does mean not allowing apathy (from above) paralyze you and inhibit your decision-making process.
Learn how to take action in a time of crisis or chaos toward the desired result. You don't have to know all the answers, but starting with small steps will eventually snowball into large solutions.
No matter what the scenario, don't allow yourself to freeze or let fear inhibit you.
One of the hardest lessons to learn in this life is acceptance. Building emotional resilience means learning how to accept the things we can't or shouldn't change.
Most industries change or evolve over time, it's inevitable. Resisting the inevitability of change is like trying to go swimming without getting wet. Learn to adapt to the evolving market so you can remain relevant.
The other option is digging your heels in and losing all but your most loyal of clients, assuming you don't lose them too. You need to keep up with marketing trends, industry changes, and what consumers want.
Another tip for building emotional resilience is looking at things from a different perspective. You must learn how to reframe the bad stuff in your mind. Suffering, after all, is simply a perception of what we are experiencing.
By learning to reframe what we perceive as negative things in our minds, we can limit the amount of emotional suffering we experience. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself for hard or stressful times, look at it as a formidable challenge - an opportunity for you to grow.
Successfully cognitive reframing will result in emotional stability and changes in the physical and chemical responses in your body caused by stress.
While there is something beautiful about a person who can successfully run a business out of complete chaos and disorganization, most of us don't function that way. In fact, clutter can actually create or increase the stress in our lives.
Alternatively, learning how to stay organized throughout the day will make running your business much simpler and less stressful. You can do this by keeping a detailed schedule, writing everything down, and keeping things around your office or business space neat and clean.
It's also ideal to look into productivity hacks to improve your time efficiency.
Next, developing emotional resilience can be done by making goals for yourself. Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals help give us purpose and drive. This drive helps us push through adversity and strive for constant success.
When making goals, it's also a good idea to get other members of your team onboard. The more people who are involved, the more likely your goals will be met.
We recommend having short-term goals as mentioned above as milestones for success. Each small goal achieved will boost morale and productivity.
However, we also recommend that these small goals all lead up to big or ultimate goals. This will help you keep one eye on the far horizon and remember that the only limits to your company are the ones you place on it.
Another step in building emotional resilience is embracing practicality. You must be realistic about your business, your goals, and what you expect from yourself and your employees.
Never does this mean you must settle. However, much like the acceptance part of this article, it does mean you have to know what you can and can't change. Part of being realistic also means being gentle with yourself and not self-deprecating due to mistakes or failures.
All of the most emotionally disciplined people in the world have one thing in common — they know how to find happiness regardless of their situation. Imagine the freedom that grants you.
Learning how to find joy and maintain a positive outlook no matter what's going on around you is invaluable. However, it does take practice. Eastern philosophies like Buddhism preach internal peace as a staple of our existence.
Did you know that anything less than seven hours of sleep is classified as sleep deprivation? Yes, that means the majority of full-time working Americans are incredibly sleep-deprived.
However, failing to get adequate sleep can cause a myriad of negative side-effects, including fatigue (obviously), increased stress and anxiety, irritability, slowed cognitive function, mood swings, and more.
To build emotional resilience, make sure you're getting a minimum of seven hours of sleep every night.
One factor most people tend to ignore that helps build emotional resilience is staying fit and healthy. It's easy to be in deniable about needing to make some healthier changes to our diet and daily routine, but the truth is, it's incredibly necessary.
Overly-processed and other unhealthy foods do nothing for our waistline, but even worse, they can have extremely negative effects on our moods and daily performance at work.
Additionally, most of our jobs don't include getting outside much and/or exercising, which can lead to depression. It's a good idea to follow a workout routine before or after work to keep yourself healthy and fit.
Remember, you don't have to do this on your own. A small group of people forming a circle of trust can be incredibly beneficial to your business and helps maintain emotional resilience.
Nobody wants to feel like everything is on them at all times. Having a small team helps distribute some responsibilities, even if it's just a team for making decisions.
Finally, the most emotionally resilient people in the world have learned how to be selfish. You need to learn how to take time for yourself for self-care.
This may include doing yoga, exercising, meditating, or going home to watch your favorite TV show with a glass of wine. Regardless, self-care is vital for keeping your going day-to-day. It's okay, be selfish!
Emotional resilience is key for any business owner to run a company while maintaining your sanity. It truly changes the dynamic of your life.
However, it's important to note that no amount of emotional resilience can make a business successful if you don't have the right tools or knowledge to make it so. If you need help getting a leg up, please contact us. We offer aid with SEO, landing pages, Facebook ads, website design, and more!
Want to learn how digital marketing can fit into your business strategy? Book a free strategy call with our team of digital strategists to find out more!
👋 Get Started
WebSuitable is a digital marketing agency that helps companies grow their revenues online.
