Taking A Break Once In Awhile Is OK

[jpanarra]

As a newer Entrepreneur myself, I'm finding myself being booked beyond my capacity and this is a source of stress. The one thing I'm learning about myself is that I can't avoid this reality as a true entrepreneur, so I simplify it for myself by making sure that in each space I do 1 thing that moves my plans forward and I do this every day.

That being said, I also noticed that It's critical to take a break when you're starting to feel overwhelmed, here's a few things that I've learned that helps me out

Get a Massage

I know, I know this is a cliché choice but man, this one is magical sometimes and can give you a full power recharge. Massages are a good way to unwind, relieve tension, get better blood circulation and forces you to take a break from the tornado of the mind.

Play A Sport

Basketball, Soccer, Racquetball, Swimming… All of those forces you to move and burn off some physical tension. Also when you're focused on the sport, you are 100% in the moment and all of the other thoughts fade away as you get more involved in the game. Soccer is a personal favorite for me because you burn off so much steam and the feeling of having a group of people working together to achieve a simple goal is refreshing at times.

Revisit a Hobby

I'm a bit eccentric when it comes to hobbies, I enjoy video games, playing with my drones or even building machines like my CNC and 3D printers. The hardest part about the hobby is to get into it for the first 30 minutes without your mind drifting back to the stresses of the business.

What I do is I allot a time block when I know I have an hour or so to focus on a specific task and I allow myself to lose my thoughts in said hobby.

Meditate

What I've gotten from most people when I talk about meditation is that they claim its ineffective and it doesn’t help in eliminating stress. The funny thing is most of those people don’t stick to it beyond a week. I've noticed the bigger impacts being the ability to catch fleeing thoughts and some of those thoughts are irrational stressors. Once I address those thoughts a lot of my stress is reduced and I'm able to focus on the task I want to do for that day.

I'm learning that getting stressed as a new entrepreneur is normal, but the test is how you manage the stressors and continue to produce and perform at your highest capacity.

 

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[PizzaOnTheRoof]

Thanks for the ideas!

Ancient Greek philosophers used to take walks to clear their heads of all the clutter.

Einstein would even schedule two 45 min blocks every day just to walk and think.

Personally I think in our current society with social media and whatnot, breaks/walks/meditation are all highly underrated.

 

[BaraQueenbee]

I will never forget what @biophase told during his speech in the summit:

Take a break,rest or skip one time. But never twice. (not those exact words, pardon me for that)

That was a huge eye opener for me. Not only in the way of time management but also on looking "critically" at HOW *I* rest.
I agree sooo much with your post, and feel that certain things like meditation and sport should fall under mandatory "self-care". And finding the way that works for you personally.

Great post and tips!