Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship Stress
If you jump on Twitter or LinkedIn, it seems like entrepreneurs don’t sleep at all. Hang around for a while on those networks and you’re likely to see a ton of #hustle content, from entrepreneurs who are “crushing it” and #TiredOfWinning. This can be inspiring for some, and make others feel inadequate. Either way, there’s always way more to the story than people are willing to let on.
Brendan Mahony wrote a post about how it’s OK not to be OK with sleeping 4 hours a day and to reject the idea that if you’re not suffering, you’re not working hard enough.
Farhaj Mayan wrote about the extremely difficult decision of shuttering his company after pouring his heart and soul into it, and how he struggled to disconnect his identity from his company.
So if we’re at this point, how do we get out?
Trish Cotter and Kathleen Stetson think it’s about self-awareness. You need to value your startup, yes, but you also need to value your well-being. They talk about a framework for building self-awareness:
- Noticing: Bringing attention to your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations right now
- Labeling: Assigning a simple label to what you notice
- Getting curious without judgement
- Active choice-making: Making an informed choice, based on your self-reflection
Read the whole article over at HBR to get more details on how to apply the framework.