As an owner of a fence company you go through a roller coaster of emotions throughout the year.
Spring and Summer starts your busy season where you might not see a day off for weeks or even months at a time.
Fall is when you start to slow down a little so you actually have time off for once. But then you start wondering if you have enough work to get you through the winter.
Winter is very slow but then you constantly are waiting for the phone to ring. It’s a constant state of anxiety hoping you can feed your family.
I actually felt worse when I didn’t have to install anymore.
The reason? Because I wasn’t as physically active anymore so instead of just worrying about digging holes I had to worry about everything else.
Plus, now I had more employees which means more headaches.
I hit a tipping point a year ago where I was constantly moody and the smallest things would set me off.
What did I do about the stress?
For me I always dive deep into whatever I’m researching.
If I want to improve my advertising I just spend a solid month of researching 10+ hours a day.
So when I finally had enough of feeling like crap, I researched and started making changes to see what helped and what didn’t.
Here’s what you can do.
Wake up 30 minutes earlier
I know, you’re probably waking up pretty early to begin with, especially if it’s peak season.
But waking up just 30 minutes earlier can make a huge impact on your day.
If you wake up just in time to rush out the door it sets your day up to be stressed out.
What should you do when you wake up early?
Meditation
I know 87% of you think I’m nuts at this point, but this has helped me greatly.
I use an app called Headspace to help with my mediation. There are different programs based on what issues you have going on.
In the beginning you just need to do 5 minutes. Nothing crazy, but still very tough.
The hardest part about meditation is just getting your brain to stop for the few minutes you have your eyes closed.
That’s where this app really helps. It almost feels like when your brain starts wandering it kicks in to remind you how to overcome this.
I would also suggest try meditating at the end of your day as well. If you feel like you can’t handle any stress when you get home from a hard day this will really help you.
Whenever I feel agitated I just meditate 5-10 minutes and then I can handle any issues that are thrown my way.
Move more often
I started feeling more stressed when I didn’t have to install anymore. The reason for this is because humans are meant to be moving all the time.
As a species we have had to hunt and gather for 99% of our existence. It’s just within the last 150 years that our lives have gotten easier with all of our inventions.
I honestly think this is why the new generation of kids are always depressed and suicides have skyrocketed.
For me I just take 30-60 minutes a day to move around. On a daily basis I do one of the following:
- Go to the gym
- Ride my bike
- Ride my long board
- Go kayaking
- Take a walk
Vitamins
This is the third pillar that has really changed my life around.
Along with better moods I have also improved my memory 10 fold. Growing up I never had a good memory. But as I got older it got worse and worse.
It had gotten so bad that I couldn’t even remember my 7 year old son’s birthday. It was a really frustrating and embarrassing moment when that happened.
Here’s just a few supplements that you can take.
L-Theanine
L-theanine is an amino acid this helps with concentration and also mood. There are a ton of people that take this instead of antidepressants.
For this you want to take first thing in the morning before you eat anything. It helps it absorb quicker.
If you battle with severe anxiety you can take another around dinner time.
Fish oil
This is more for your brain and thinking but this is one vitamin I never skip.
These pills are on the large size and typically take 2 a day. One in the morning and one at night.
ADK
This is a pill that has all three vitamins in it, hence the name. Vitamin d is very important to most things in your life.
However, for it to absorb properly you really need vitamin k with it, otherwise you’ll just pee it out.
If low the follow symptoms may appear:
- Depression
- Low Energy/fatigue
- Muscle pain
- Hair loss
- Back pain
- Slow Healing
And no, sitting by a window doesn’t help. Most all windows have some sort of UV blocker so you won’t get your vitamin d.
Do you start to feel anxious or moody when it’s been raining for 2+ days? That the lack of vitamin d as well.
Conclusion
If you’re feeling stressed out you owe it to yourself to just try what I am recommending.
The sooner you take control of your emotions the sooner you can really prosper in this business.
