5 quick ways to clear your mind of stress

Being an entrepreneur isn't an easy calling. There are
constant ups and downs, and some days it seems just get
entirely out of hand. The workload is always heavy, and the
emails continue to flood into your inbox, and you often feel
as though everything that could possibly go wrong is
exploding in your face.
The pace you set every day often seems frantic, and the
constant interruptions disrupt your actions, as well as your
focus.
You will continuously face obstacles, unplanned
roadblocks, setbacks, and arguments.
You are moving so fast, trying to get everything done, that
you end your day feeling sloppy and unproductive. All of this
undoubtedly contributes to one thing – stress, and a lot of it.
While you can't altogether avoid stress, you are an
entrepreneur, after all, allowing it to build up and consume
you will eventually lead you to have a complete breakdown.
While small amounts of stress can be beneficial and help
you accomplish your goals, larger, chronic amounts can be
dangerous.
Having a clear mind, free from mental clutter and stress is a
healthy and productive mind. Here are five quick and simple
ways that you can clear your mind of stress and gain the
mental clarity you need to become a successful
entrepreneur.
Get More Sleep
You can never over-emphasis how getting enough sleep
every night can be a quick and easy solution to managing
stress. When you become stressed, your body releases the
hormone cortisol into your bloodstream. When you have
elevated levels of cortisol for extended periods, it can
significantly affect your health.
When you can get the recommended seven to eight hours
of sleep a night, you can lower the cortisol levels in your
blood.
However, as an entrepreneur, it can be challenging to get
the rest necessary to keep stress at bay, which only makes
your stress levels rise. Having a few relaxation techniques in
your mental toolkit can help you get more sleep.
If you find that you are having trouble getting the
recommended amount of sleep, try spending time every
night practicing mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness meditation involves taking time to be aware of
your thoughts and physical body and accepting rather than
judging those feelings and thoughts.
A study conducted in 2015, found that people who practice
mindfulness meditation regularly found an improvement in
their sleep, as well as decreased depressive symptoms, and
fatigue after just six weeks, compared to those who don’t
practice.
The best part about mindfulness meditation is that it can be
practiced at any time during the day to help you relieve
stress.
Get More Exercise
If you want your body to function correctly, including being
able to manage stress effectively, exercise is the key.
Participating in regular physical activity is a great way to
bust stress because it forces your brain to focus on
something else temporarily.
At the same time, when you exercise your body releases
endorphins, the hormones associated with feeling good, into
your blood which instantly elevates your mood and
displaces your stress.
As an entrepreneur with a full plate, you probably think that
you don't have the time to spend hours at the gym every
day. The good news is that even just getting out of the office
and taking a quick 20-minute walk can help to alleviate
stress.
Virtually any form of exercise from yoga to aerobics can
help to reduce stress from your life. Even if you're not an
athlete or if you are out of shape, you can still make a little
bit of physical activity go a long way in helping you manage
stress.
If you haven't exercised in a while, make sure that you
consult with your doctor before you begin a new exercise
routine to ensure that you don't do more damage than good.
Don't think of exercise as just one more item on your to-do
list, find an activity that you enjoy, whether it's playing an
active tennis match or a quiet and reflective yoga session,
just make sure that you make it a part of your routine.
Any form of regular exercise can help you wind down and
become an essential part of your stress management.
Talk to a Friend
When stress creeps into your life because you have too
much on your plate, you tend to forget other aspects of your
life or brush them off because you don’t believe that you
have the time. What you may not know is that your social
life plays an incredibly important part of your overall wellbeing.
When you find that you are overly stressed, it can do
wonders to reach out to one of your closest friends and
share with them what has you so stressed. While this
undoubtedly depends entirely on the issue itself, opening up
to a friend can do wonders.
While it might be easy to share with them that you are
currently overworked, if your stress comes from personal
issues, you may need to find a different avenue for letting it
go, because bottling up the stress will only be to your
detriment.
If you don’t feel as though your friends can help with the
issue, consider contacting a therapist for help. Therapists
typically work on confidential terms, which means that
whatever you talk to them about will not be disclosed to
anyone.
Whether you talk to a friend, a family member or a therapist,
the important thing is to open up. Stress clogs the mind, and
it will stop you from seeing things clearly and keeping you
from being able to reason them out. When you talk to
someone, you release this pressure from your mind.
Slow Things Down
Much of the stress that you are experiencing is a result of
having a hectic and overloaded life. While this has become
the norm in today’s 24/7 society, you need to take care of
yourself by trying to avoid doing too much.
When you have a long to-do list of tasks that you need to
accomplish every day, you can soon find yourself feeling
overwhelmed, which leads to an increase in your levels of
stress. Planning for your work is a fundamental part of
slowing things down.
A typical mistake that many people make is saying 'yes' to
everything that is put before them.
This can quickly cause your days to get out of control. One
way you can prevent this from happening is by learning how
to say 'no' to requests and projects.
However, this can be easier said than done when you're an
entrepreneur. If you find you have trouble turning requests
down, you’ll need to think of other ways to help you lighten
your load.
If your to-do list seems never-ending, you need to take
some time to prioritize those tasks that are the most
important for your business.
Everything else that might be necessary for keeping your
business running, but that doesn't contribute to the overall
growth of your company can be delegated or outsourced to
a professional.
Delegating and outsourcing tasks can help to free up more
of your time, so you can not only focus on the critical
aspects of your business so you have free time to do those
things you enjoy, which can significantly reduce your stress.
Take Supplements
Over the years, the nutrient and mineral count in the foods
you eat has reduced drastically, which means you should be
taking a supplement to ensure you are getting the essential
vitamins and minerals in your body to keep you healthy and
to help you manage your stress.
Many supplements are available today that can help you
combat the stress in your life. Here are the three major ones
that you should take every day as a part of a well-balanced
diet.
• Vitamin B Complex – this supplement fights stress by
helping to balance your mood, improving your immune
system, producing more energy, and keeping your brain
healthy.
• L-Theanine – is an amino acid that helps with
relaxation. It can help you calm your body and mind
without making your sleepy. It is excellent for to take if
you have a stressful morning or afternoon when you still
need to finish some work.
• Magnesium – an essential mineral for many processes
in your body, magnesium helps in the transmission of
nerve impulses. Tense muscles are a reflexive
response to stress when you have the right amount of
magnesium levels in your body; your muscles will be
relaxed and can help to prevent stress.
Conclusion
Stress is an everyday fact of life, but it isn't something that
should never be ignored. As an entrepreneur, your life is
hectic and filled with tasks that you have to complete to be
successful.
However, when you're overly stressed, it can cause you to
lose focus and makes it nearly impossible to be successful.
Implement these five quick solutions for clearing your mind
and reducing stress and gain more mental clarity and
achieve greater success.