Founders are expected to be busy and ‘always on.’ But what happens when that ‘always on’ mentality leads to mental or physical burnout, or both? Below, Steve Grant, founder and managing director of Figment Agency, shares his tips on preserving your wellbeing as a founder.
Stress is part of everyday life. Can you counteract stress? Of course you can. You can promote a relaxation response, but most people don’t understand that. So they quite happily absorb the cortisol response and get so stressed to the point where they can’t do anything anymore.
There’s good stress, like being motivated to start the day earlier. However, bad stress is when you don’t have that energy and you start to feel tired. If you are experiencing symptoms like tiredness or worry, that is a sign that things are starting to become under attack. If these symptoms build, they can become chronic. When things become chronic, they become harder to solve.
At one point in my founder journey, I had 15 migraines a month, which led to a spell in hospital and multiple life-endangering health problems. As such I decided to invest in a holistic approach to my own wellbeing, below are the strategies that have worked for me as a founder and person.
1. Meditation
For fast paced high achievers, meditation can feel jarring, but it worked for me. I started looking at Yoga Nidra, a guided meditation practice designed to calm down the nervous system. It’s like a body scan that brings your mind to the present. Think of it as yoga for the mind.
2. Mindful walking
There’s walking and there’s walking mindfully. Mindful walking means not having your headphones in, not listening to a podcast or whatever else. Instead, you listen to the birds, you look at the sea, or whatever is around you as you walk. Since pursuing mindful walking, I’ve enjoyed walking more.
3. Float therapy
Float therapy helps you achieve a deep state of mental and physical relaxation. You’re weightless, so your body has no sensory input. For someone like me with a sensory input issue, to remove all sensations and be left with just my mind helps bring attention to what’s bothering me. Filled with epsom salts, float tanks also help the body absorb magnesium, which is generally great for your health.
4. Comms detox
I don’t check my emails very often. During Covid I took emails off my phone. I felt it was really a great move forward, but it was hard to do. I also snooze WhatsApp chats from friends during the day. Having those boundaries in place between work and life is key, especially if you work from home.
5. Self-care mornings
Try and do something for your mind in the morning before you start work. It could be going for a walk, or something else. For someone like myself who is sensitive, I need to make sure that I move in the morning and go somewhere before the working day begins.
6. Coffee alternatives
I drank matcha for the first time in Japan and loved it. I now drink more matcha and less coffee. Matcha has something in it called L-theanine, which can help promote a calming state. You get the energy without the crash. Just swapping one of your coffees for a matcha can make a difference.
Founders are expected to be busy and ‘always on.’ But what happens when that ‘always on’ mentality leads to mental or physical burnout, or both? Below, Steve Grant, founder and managing director of Figment Agency, shares his tips on preserving your wellbeing as a founder.
Stress is part of everyday life. Can you counteract stress? Of course you can. You can promote a relaxation response, but most people don’t understand that. So they quite happily absorb the cortisol response and get so stressed to the point where they can’t do anything anymore.
There’s good stress, like being motivated to start the day earlier. However, bad stress is when you don’t have that energy and you start to feel tired. If you are experiencing symptoms like tiredness or worry, that is a sign that things are starting to become under attack. If these symptoms build, they can become chronic. When things become chronic, they become harder to solve.
At one point in my founder journey, I had 15 migraines a month, which led to a spell in hospital and multiple life-endangering health problems. As such I decided to invest in a holistic approach to my own wellbeing, below are the strategies that have worked for me as a founder and person.
