Anxiety: 4 steps To Overcome and Build a Resilient Mindset
- PBV Writer
- Mar 15
- 5 min read
Entrepreneurship is an exciting yet challenging journey—filled with high expectations, financial pressures, and rapid industry changes. Managing entrepreneurial anxiety and building a resilient mindset is essential for long-term success, especially for digital marketing any online business. This guide offers effective strategies, and practical exercises to help you overcome overwhelming stress. We're here to help you thrive on your entrepreneurial journey.
1. Acknowledge Your Anxiety
Identify the common sources that stress you out. Whether it's financial uncertainty, high workloads, market fluctuations, or placing high expectations on yourself too quickly—anxiety needs to be accepted before it can be managed. One way to do this is through self-reflection and complete ownership of actions and circumstances. If it helps keep your thoughts organized, keep a daily journal (written or spoken) to track your inner well-being. Take note of specific triggers, then counter balance these negative emotions with one thing you're grateful for in relation to it. It's easy to let bad things weigh us down, despite all the good that might actually be around us. Make sure to practice gratitude daily, and especially any time that anxiety starts to get in your way. Think of being anxious as a messy room, gratitude is putting everything in place. Can't find a certain object? It's the same as not finding the confidence to stay calm. Putting things in place within your mind, is just like knowing where your keys are before you leave the house.
A Few Ways To Monitor Your Mental Health
Be Silent: Take time everyday to sit in silence, then pray and/or meditate on any area of your life.
Seek Solitude: Find moments to hangout with yourself, alone. Go on a walk, enjoy nature, or anything peaceful.
Use Digital Tools: Use apps like Headspace or Calm to monitor your mental state and track your mindfulness.
Professional Guidance: Regular check-ins with a mentor or mental health professional can provide helpful insight and support when anxiety becomes overwhelming. Talking to others you can trust is one of the best practices.
2. Strategies to Manage anxiety
Develop a Structured Routine
Create a Daily Schedule: Establish clear work and break times. Tools like Motion, can help manage tasks.
Break Tasks into Small Steps: Divide larger projects into manageable chunks. Think, small wins.
Implement Stress-Relief Exercises
Prayer/Meditation: Practicing mindfulness by taking just a few minutes daily is shown to reduce stress levels.
Physical Activity: Incorporate regular exercise into your routine—short walks, yoga, or even a quick 5-10 minute workout doing absolutely anything can significantly lower anxiety. The hardest part is just getting started. Start!
Digital Detox: Allocate specific times to disconnect from screens, specifically at least an hour before bed. A short break from digital devices can help reset your mental focus and brain functions, especially when it comes to rest.
Stress Relief Exercise
Find a quiet place with no distractions.
- Start -
Take 11 slow deep breaths.
Clear your mind of any thoughts, imagine silence,
just focus on your lungs inhaling and exhaling,
Taking 11 more slow deep breaths.
Now, imagine a flowing river.
Your mind is one spot of that river,
think of the waters movement.
Each worry or thought that attempts to distract you,
think of it as a leaf landing in that one spot.
Keep taking slow deep breaths, but lose count,
the number doesn't matter.
Imagine that every leaf landing in the water gets carried away,
flowing down that river until it disappears.
Keep focus on that one spot of your river,
remember the flow of the water.
It's only you and the sound of the water flowing.
Stay there for a moment, enjoy the river.
- End -
What kind of river did you imagine—roaring waters, a steady current, a calm creek?
Acknowledge that you are that river and determine the flow.
You can push away debris that falls into your waters, or let it pile up and congest your mind.
3. Build a Resilient Mindset
Cultivate Positive Thinking
Daily Affirmations: Start your day with positive affirmations and confident self talk. Hype yourself up!
Visualization Techniques: Spend a few minutes visualizing your success. What is important to you? See yourself in that life, believe it is waiting for you. Always remember this to align your actions with the life you want to reach.
Positive Affirmations
Every expert was once a beginner.
Every small, consistent action I make will lead to significant progress every day.
I'm confident knowing that each step I take, gets me closer to the success I'm building for my future.
I believe in myself, I believe in my ideas, I believe in others, I believe in my business, so I believe in my success.
Embrace Continuous Learning and Growth
View Setbacks as Opportunities: Instead of fearing failure, see each setback as a learning opportunity. Analyze what went wrong and how you can improve.
Stay Updated: Subscribe to industry newsletters (e.g., Moz, Search Engine Journal) and attend digital marketing webinars to keep your knowledge fresh.
Engage with a Support Network: Connect with fellow entrepreneurs through forums, social media groups, or local meetups. Sharing experiences and advice can provide both support and practical solutions.
Related Articles: To help with your continuous learning, check out the Entrepreneurial Education section of our PBV magazine. You can find a variety of ways to grow your business, finances, and entrepreneurship.
4. Implement Resilience in Your Workflow
Create a Personal Plan
Actionable Checklist: Develop a plan with daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Include stress-relief exercises, scheduled breaks, and time for reflection. Each month, look back on your progress and improve for the next.
Set Realistic Goals: Break long-term goals into achievable short-term tasks. This approach minimizes overwhelm and builds a sense of accomplishment. It may not always go perfectly, but stay perseverant and you will succeed.
Monitor and Adapt Your Strategy
Regular Reviews: Schedule regular reviews of your personal development plan. Use tools like Evernote, or Notion to track progress and adjust as needed. These tools are secondary to what comes first, your accountability.
Feedback Loop: Engage with mentors, peers, or trusted friends and family to review your stress management. Their feedback of constructive criticism can offer new perspectives and strategies.
Empower Your Entrepreneurial Journey
Overcoming entrepreneurial anxiety and building a resilient mindset are essential for long-term success as an entrepreneur. By understanding your stress triggers, implementing practical relief strategies, and continuously working on personal growth, you can transform challenges into opportunities. Being proactive with your approach not only enhances your well-being and relationships, but also empowers you to lead your business to greater heights.
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