Being an entrepreneur is undoubtedly a stressful experience as you struggle to develop a product or service that is attractive to the market with minimal resources and little in the way of income.  The constant hustle involved in this journey is often glorified and portrayed as part of what makes entrepreneurship so exciting.

As research from the University of Central Flordia explains, however, it can also be hugely stressful, which can in turn have a range of negative consequences, both for the entrepreneur themselves and their business.  The research explores some strategies that can be deployed to help entrepreneurs cope with those stresses.

“Entrepreneurs who work really hard and grind on their business and who most need to recover, don’t take a break,” the researchers say. “That incessant grind, fueled by the autonomy that accompanies self-employment, hinders or hampers them from taking time to recover. This creates a tension between the good and bad associated with entrepreneurial careers, which leads to strange well-being outcomes. We’re trying to fix that.”

Entrepreneurial stress

The researchers build on previous work that explores the connection between the wellbeing of entrepreneurs and the various stressors that influence their wellbeing.  The authors propose various interventions entrepreneurs can use to aid their mental recovery and buffer the impact of stress.  The interventions revolve around what they refer to as the 3Rs of Respite, Regimen, and Reappraisal.

“Respite is just taking a break or pushing ‘pause’ on work. Reappraisal is changing how you think about stress,” they explain. “And the last one is regimen, just adding structure to respite and reappraisal.”

They urge entrepreneurs to set work aside, even for just a few minutes to go for a walk or listen to music.  Basically, any non-work-related activity can benefit our wellbeing, even if we only spend a few minutes engaged in it.  This will ultimately make us better entrepreneurs too.

“If you’re always working and always on, that can impair recovery and eventually harm a host of well-being outcomes,” the authors conclude.