10 Ways to Combat Stress and Increase Your Energy

It’s Thursday afternoon and it hits like a monsoon – a wave of extreme fatigue, a headache and the sudden urge to lie down and hibernate. You’re exhausted! After a week of pulling ‘all-nighters’ for a nightmare of a client, you’re burnt out. It seems like time is painstakingly ticking at an excruciatingly slow rate and the day will never end. All you want to do is take a nap…

One thing we do as entrepreneurs is work hard, follow our passions and keep on going even when we’re tired. We often push ourselves and can easily lose momentum because we’re not taking the best care of ourselves; even the seasoned business owners who swear by exercise, diet and rest can fall off the treadmill.

So what’s a busy person to do? You need to power up your energy reserves. This isn’t easy when time is a precious commodity and you’ve got a hectic schedule.

As entrepreneurs, we burn up more energy than many people and it makes sense that we fill up our reserves. Here are 10 quick ways to boost your energy and immune system when you’re faced with a busy day:

1. Put Yourself at the Top of the List: It’s not easy, but the most successful people in the world schedule their “me” time first before anything. This means they get up a little earlier in the morning and engage in something that gives them joy and boosts their energy. These things include: exercising, walking the dog, reading a book or a paper, writing, playing music, eating, meditating…it doesn’t matter what it is, just that it energizes you and gets your day started well.

2. Have a Plan for Your Day: You’ll have more energy if you know what needs to be done in a day – there’s nothing worse than not having a detailed plan; your day gets away on you and you don’t accomplish the important things. Your plan for the day must be things that help you generate more money, time and freedom. You also need to have your duties fit into your week, month and long-term plan.

3. Know your body circadian clock and abide by it: We all have energy at certain times and feel low at others. For example, you may be a person who has the most energy in the early morning. This means that you want to do your most important, creative tasks during your peak time. You don’t want to wait until 3pm when your energy is dwindling and you feel exhausted.

4. Sleep: Researchers are still discovering the merits of sleep and it’s staggering what they’ve uncovered. For example, a person operating with less than enough sleep is equivalent to someone who is has smoked marijuana or drank a lot. Also, memory is severely impacted and stress hormones such as: Cortisol are more prevalent in the body. Heart attacks, strokes, aging and even cancer are heightened due to lack of adequate sleep. Anger, depression, anxiety and other negative moods are attributed to problems in the sleep department. When you’re feeling stressed, be sure to get your sleep.

5. Exercise: Research continues to show valid reasons why we need to exercise. Exercise strengthens bones and muscles, eliminates toxins in the body, helps with stress and sleep, elongates life and much more. As entrepreneurs, this is a fabulous way to diminish stress – it is one of the best ways and should be done at least three times a week. If you’re too busy, start with 15 minutes a day and see how you feel after a week.

6. Friends and Family: Running a business can be exhausting even when you plan, strategize, have a team and take holidays. It’s important to have friends and family that can be there for you. Whether they lend you money or an ear, it’s good to know that others are rooting for your success.

7. Outside with Nature: We’re so removed from our natural elements. Nothing relieves stress more than spending time outdoors; this is especially effective when teamed with exercise. Fresh air, sunshine and exercise quickly blast through overwhelm. When we spend time with nature, we automatically calm down and relax.

8. Hobbies and Fun: All successful people maintain hobbies and know how to have fun. They may work hard but they play hard. Having fun stimulates the imagination and senses and may even help entrepreneurs create new companies or reinvent their lives. Hobbies and fun balance out the demands of work; as a busy company owner, it’s important to make time to have fun.

9. Diet: Most of us know eating healthy is important but that doesn’t mean we practice good nutrition. Often, our hectic pace keeps us from eating as well as we should. The key to maintaining good energy is to eat healthy meals that include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products and lean protein. You should eat every three or four hours to keep your blood sugar levels from dropping. Low blood sugar causes fatigue, depression, memory problems and even diabetes. Nutrition is your power source – make sure you eat well to boost your energy.

10. Mini Holidays: In every busy day there are pockets of ‘free time’ where you can take five to twenty minutes and ‘relax’ or engage in a hobby. Why is this important? It’s crucial because the human brain can only focus for 60 minutes without distraction – even this is a long period of time to focus. Mini breaks refresh the body and mind. Walking, meditating, reading, eating, talking to someone or napping can be all you need to recharge your energy and get you through a hectic day.