Hi,
Manage your stress before it’s too late.
As you know, I had a heart attack at the age of 37. I contribute it to my inability to effectively manage my stress when I was running my restaurants. (If I had to measure my stress level on a scale from 1 to 10, I’d say I was a 9)
Sure, I took holidays, took time to spend with family and friends, did fun things, went on walks, worked out, and my wife’s a health coach, so she made sure I ate really well. But it was too late. The stress had already taken a toll on my body.
I don’t want that to happen to you.
So my intention here is to share a few daily habits that I had incorporated into my daily routine that had begun to reduce my stress levels. I just wish I had started them way sooner.
I have continued to do them till today. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m a 3.
So here are the 4 things that helped me tremendously to manage my stress levels.
Meditate (20 min/day): I didn’t know how to meditate initially, so, I just shut my eyes and started breathing slowly. it helped me to slow down. Doing this consistently helped me become more grateful for the small things and to be patient and stay calm when things got stressful (especially when dealing with employee challenges).
Writing down my thoughts every morning (20 min/day): I began having more clarity on what’s holding me back and stressing me out. It helped me gain more clarity about my feelings, my life, and my business. I don’t think we can separate our mental, emotional and physical health from our business. We are creative entrepreneurs.
Pottery class (2 hours/week): This was my favorite stress buster. I got to bring out my creative side and create something beautiful out of nothing. It’s very similar to what we do in our restaurants. But, for these few moments a week, my livelihood didn’t depend on it.
Every morning when I woke up: My # 1 rule: I didn’t check my phone, and I gave myself 15 minutes to not think about any responsibilities, tasks, meetings, bills, revenues, employees, targets. These 15 minutes were only for me…They were not for anyone/anything else. Think of it as a time to breathe, be you, pray, breathe, connect with yourself. For some reason, this practice made and still makes me feel calmer than any other habit. And on most days, I can even carry that calm through my day.
Find your routine to help you manage stress so you can begin to enjoy your business and life a lot more. Just remember to keep at it, it may take time to find your routine.
Best of luck.
If you’d like to read more: How One Restaurateur Brought Home Happiness Instead Of Stress From Work
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