How The Mental & Physical Fitness Of A Founder Can Impact A Start-up

Start-ups are a brutal game. They take a toll not only on your body but also your mental health. When a founder’s identity and self worth is wrapped up in the success or failure of their start-up, it has a negative impact on their overview of life.  If you are successful, you are feeling good, your ego is at its highest and you are on a roll. If your start-up is dipping and you don’t know how you will survive the quarter the stress levels go up. You doubt your capacity to deliver and can’t think clearly. Your judgments get clouded, leading to wrong decisions.

Fatigue and sleep deprivation is another trend seen in entrepreneurs. The unbalanced circadian rhythms affect their bodies adversely and harm their health in the long run. Work schedules that require them to be awake and active at inappropriate times, working extended periods high on caffeine cause disruption to the body clock. It is critical that entrepreneurs nurture their bodies as much as they nurture their start-up.

Here are some ways to counter these conditions:

Exercise for at least for 20 minutes. It could be as simple as going out for a run. Close the computer and leaving the phone at home. Going for a walk, sitting on a bench, taking a hot bath, watching movies or mediation can provide a powerful outlet.  Finding an activity that diverts your attention is critical, and is one of the many reasons exercise-related activities help.

Talk to a confidant or therapist. On stressful days it is a good habit to journal and vent out the emotions. Having to face your team when your venture is not doing as well as it should be especially stressful. Having a close network of people whom you can rely on and talk things out with works as a safety net

Regularize sleep, take naps. Power naps are a good relief to get your mind to be powered up get those brain cells working.

Take vacations, spend time with family. Identify monotony, journal daily moods and patterns this will help you to take a stalk of your emotional health. Monotony is a sign of burnout; it is good to take precautions to manage break downs.

Steer clear away from comparison. Competition is healthy but constant comparison is not beneficial. At the end of the day, you are the biggest asset of your start-up so invest in your personal well being and have a quantifiable approach to lifestyle. Here’s to staying focused, healthy, and weathering the hard days.