Stress has become the hallmark of entrepreneurship in the last decade. Many entrepreneurs are dealing with other factors that contribute to a lack of sleep that continues the cycle of stress. Left unmanaged, stress and the inability to focus can destroy an entrepreneur’s life and their business.
Although many drugs (legal and illegal) have legitimate and documented medicinal benefits, some people aren’t willing to take the risk even when prescribed by a doctor. If you’re struggling with ADHD, stress, sleep deprivation, or burnout and you’re looking for natural remedies, here are 3 strong possibilities to explore:
- Activities that provide psychological relief
A little psychological rest can go a long way in terms of curbing stress and hyperactivity. The nervous system is designed to be alert at all times unless you’re asleep. Prolonged stimulation from the environment can keep your nervous system on high alert far beyond your ideal bedtime. This state will suppress melatonin production, which will make it hard for you to fall asleep and stay asleep. When you wake up after a night without proper melatonin production, you won’t feel rested.
Never underestimate the power of meditation and spending time offline. As Dave Kerpen explains, turning off the television and digital devices an hour before bedtime might not seem like ADHD treatment, but studies show digital stimulation doesn’t help symptoms. Kerpen also explains that mindfulness meditation has been shown to help adults manage ADHD symptoms. Although the results of meditation studies are self-reported, it’s worth trying to see if it works for you.
- A routine
Sometimes creating and sticking to a routine is all you need to eliminate stress. This may not work for everyone, but if your stress comes from feeling overwhelmed, it’s possible you’re not managing your time as well as you could.
Make a list of the tasks you need to perform each day and document how much time each task takes. See if you can schedule your tasks into a normal workday with set hours. For example, you may want to work from 9am to 5pm or 10am to 6pm. Make sure you put a buffer of at least 15-30 minutes between tasks and plan for multiple breaks throughout the day.
While you’re creating your daily routine, you might discover there isn’t enough time to accomplish everything you’ve been trying to accomplish in a day. That’s a good discovery because it means the source of your stress is probably coming from trying to cram too much into your days.
If you can fit your daily tasks into a specific block of work hours (like 9am to 5pm), stick to that schedule for a week and see how much you get done. If you’re not overloading yourself with tasks, your stress levels will drop, you won’t feel overwhelmed, and you’ll have more time to yourself at the end of each day.
- The right supplements
Before you start popping vitamins or random supplements you heard about online (like nootropics), make sure your body needs what you’re consuming. For instance, you may have heard that B12 will give you energy, but if you’re getting enough B12 from food, you’ll be wasting your money buying a supplement.
If you really want to know what vitamins and minerals your body is deficient in, you need to get a blood test. Make an appointment with your GP and ask for a referral to get lab work done to test your vitamin and mineral levels for things like vitamin D, calcium, iron, magnesium, etc. Once you know what your body needs, then buy your supplements.
If you’re going to try nootropics, do careful research before buying anything. “Nootropic” is a broad term for cognitive enhancing substances that covers everything from caffeine and lion’s mane mushroom to dangerous DHEA steroids. There is evidence that nootropics can cause adverse psychological and physical reactions in certain people.
If you’re looking to avoid drugs and synthetic substances, skip the products being advertised as a nootropic and get your vitamin and mineral levels tested first. If your inability to focus is nutritionally-based, once you get the right nutrients into your body, you’ll be surprised at how much energy you have and how much easier you can focus.
Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be a struggle
Just like musicians don’t need to starve, entrepreneurs don’t need to struggle. If you’re burned out, stressed, or struggling with ADHD, you don’t have to allow it to affect your business. If you’re trying to avoid taking drugs to reduce your stress, try these natural remedies first.
