{"id":4133,"date":"2019-05-17T14:30:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-17T18:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=4133"},"modified":"2020-02-26T14:32:44","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:32:44","slug":"seven-effective-ways-that-entrepreneurs-can-lower-their-anxiety-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/seven-effective-ways-that-entrepreneurs-can-lower-their-anxiety-levels","title":{"rendered":"Seven effective ways that entrepreneurs can lower their anxiety levels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most people experience anxiety\u2014the body’s natural reaction to a stressful or dangerous situation\u2014at some point in their lives. In fact, anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults<\/a> in the U.S., or 18.1 percent of the population, every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As entrepreneurs, it can be hard to quiet the anxiety you may experience on a daily basis so that you can keep chipping away at your big-picture vision. Anxiety can also hinder one of the most important resources available to you as a founder: your energy, both physical and mental. \u201cIt\u2019s like having Google Maps running in the background,\u201d says Amanda Huggins, a personal-development coach for entrepreneurs. \u201cIt\u2019s draining your battery whether you realize it or not.\u201d WeWork Labs<\/a> spoke with four psychologists and mental-wellness experts about how to keep your anxiety levels in check. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know your triggers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s an overflowing inbox, a day of back-to-back meetings, or a difficult funding conversation with an investor, you need to be able to identify your triggers. The key, says Huggins, is to watch for those moments when you feel your anxiety spike and try to trace it back to a root cause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe simple act of identifying your anxiety triggers sets you up to manage them long-term,\u201d she says. \u201cKeep in mind, though, that it\u2019s not about eliminating the triggers themselves, because, usually, we can\u2019t do that. But if you know what they are, you can be more prepared when they come up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s anything that looks like a recurring pattern, figure out what\u2019s enabling that and address. \u201cFor example, if your anxiety is coming from the fact that key employees keep quitting, or three products in a row have been shipped too early and have flaws, then you have to do the work to find out the root cause,\u201d says Michael Freeman, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of San Francisco School of Medicine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face what gives you anxiety head-on<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we feel anxious, our natural tendency is to avoid the thing that\u2019s making us feel that way,\u201d says Bethany Teachman, PhD, professor of psychology and director of clinical training at the University of Virginia. If the idea of answering a negative customer email makes our heart race, we put it off. But that vicious cycle isn\u2019t actually an effective way to manage anxiety. \u201cThat can make you feel good in the short term, but in the long term it increases anxiety because now you\u2019re not working toward your goals.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When faced with that heart-racing email, Teachman recommends taking the task and breaking it down into manageable steps, then taking time to celebrate your success when you achieve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Release your anxious energy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unable to focus because your anxiety levels are through the roof? \u201cFind a creative or physical outlet to displace that energy,\u201d says Jess Carson, founder of Wired This Way<\/a>, an online mental-health resource for entrepreneurs, and former neuroscience and psychology research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. \u201cIt can be anything that shuts off your mind and gets you into a flow-like state, whether it\u2019s painting, knitting, or something else entirely,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical activities like dancing, running, or yoga help too, even if to serve as a coping mechanism. \u201cRelaxation and mindfulness may not directly address the source of your anxiety, but they give us better resources and skills to manage them,\u201d says Teachman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Develop a daily gratitude exercise\u2014and factor in time to breathe<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In those truly anxious moments, grant yourself a minute to think about what\u2019s going right in your life. \u201cHaving a sense of gratitude or appreciation for the world you live in can give you a mental reset that you need to maintain good mental wellness,\u201d says Freeman. It\u2019s even more helpful if you can build it into a daily practice, rather than rely on it as a last resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as with stress<\/a>, breathing exercises\u2014perhaps even paired with your gratitude exercise\u2014can calm the central nervous system and help take anxiety down a notch. Try box breathing: four breaths in, hold for four breaths, four breaths out, hold for four breaths, and repeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set boundaries between your work life and everything else<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the biggest anxiety contributors I see with entrepreneurs is there tends to be a lot of boundary bleeds,\u201d says Huggins. Take answering Slacks when you told yourself you were heading to the gym for some metime, checking emails until the moment you go to bed, or working significant hours on the weekends. It all adds up, and setting firm but flexible boundaries around work\u2014the kind that allow for emergencies to pop up but hold steady when things aren\u2019t urgent\u2014is important. \u201cGet clear on where your boundary leaks are happening, and figure out what boundaries you can put in place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get perspective<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Teachman finds that people tend to punish themselves for experiencing anxiety, \u201cbut it\u2019s entirely normal, for example, to feel very anxious before you give a big presentation or pitch,\u201d she says. \u201cIn fact, it\u2019s unusual not to.\u201d Tell yourself that not only is it completely acceptable to have these feelings, but that they\u2019ll pass too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe anxiety is signaling that something is dangerous to you when in fact, it\u2019s not,\u201d she adds. \u201cYour body doesn\u2019t know the difference, though, so we have to use our conscious skills to say to ourselves, \u2018How bad is this, really, and is there another way I can think about this?\u2019 That act of getting perspective is a really important approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, remember that work may be your passion, but shouldn\u2019t be your whole identity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEntrepreneurs are often on an intense quest to fulfill a mission and make an impact. And it\u2019s easy for them to lose sight of the fact that it\u2019s just a business. It\u2019s not their whole life\u2014just one part of it,\u201d says Freeman. \u201cYou need to maintain some kind of balance and have something else going on so that \u2018entrepreneur\u2019 is not your only role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story has been adapted from a piece of exclusive content originally published on <\/em>WeWork Labs<\/em><\/a>\u2019 members-only platform.<\/em> Read more about stress-management strategies<\/a> for entrepreneurs, and how to beat impostor syndrome<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WeWork offers companies of all sizes space solutions that help solve their biggest business challenges.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n