I’m a CEO, Founder and Father of 2 — Here Are 3 Habits That Help Me Stay Sane.

Every entrepreneur can attest that building and running a company is an incredibly stressful job. Long hours, financial uncertainty and the weight of responsibility for an employee’s livelihood create a perfect storm of ever-present stressors that can have a profound effect on the mental and physical well-being of an entrepreneur.

At the same time, the leader cannot waver. Much of the responsibility for the company’s survival and success rests on their shoulders, which means that unfortunately the obvious answers – take it easy, don’t let work intrude on your life, go on an extended vacation – are rarely considered realistic options.

As the founder and CEO of the first CPG operating across the US and Europe and a father of two, I have had to develop strategies that work under the constraints of reality rather than sound advice. The truth is, there is no magic solution that completely eliminates the stress of entrepreneurship while maintaining the pace and dedication needed to succeed. Instead, I’ve found it’s about building sustainable practices that help you bend rather than break.

Here are three important practices that help me keep my sanity. I recommend them to anyone who wants to manage business stress effectively.

1. Journal everything

With reporting comes clarity of mind and purpose. Most entrepreneurs know how easy it is to get caught up in the daily whirlwind of to-do’s and meetings and feel like your understanding of what’s going on is slipping. That is until the report lands in your hands, and suddenly, the top-level vision returns, priorities become clear, and you’re back in control of the ship.

You can achieve this effect by journaling—think of it as an anchor that keeps you grounded, no matter how rough the sea.

Journaling doesn’t necessarily mean keeping a personal diary, but if that works for you, that’s great. Its main purpose is to keep your goals clear and keep you updated on where you stand. For me, journalism takes many forms: official business reports that force strategy demonstrations, LinkedIn posts that generate important readings and events, Instagram Live interviews with clients that provide unfiltered insights and other forms of writing that get me out of the daily grind. .

Each report, post and reflection becomes a time stamp of your journey. You don’t just write down what happened, but consider why it happened and what it means. In that sense, it’s not just about record keeping – it’s a continuous strategic thinking that helps keep the pressure down and has a positive impact on your business.

2. Take care of your health

For me, life is a daily, non-negotiable obligation. This means two important practices: taking the right supplements and consistent exercise. I’m not talking about extreme fitness pills or complicated nutrition programs. I’m talking about sustainable, effective ways that keep me active and sharp.

Every day, I make sure I support my body’s basic needs. Supplements are not a magic solution, but they are a necessary layer of protection against the inevitable wear and tear of business life. More importantly, I made exercise a non-negotiable part of my routine. I even installed a small gym in our office so that exercise can fit in whenever possible. Some days, that’s a quick bike ride to work, other days a 20-minute workout between meetings.

The goal is not high performance but consistent, sustainable power. When you’re working on nothing (literally), no amount of motivation can compensate for losing weight.

3. Practice awareness

Mindfulness means different things to different people, but it often comes together in modern life. As entrepreneurs, we are planners, risk assessors, journalists, all of which force us to constantly think about the future and reflect on the past. This then makes us worry about the future and lose sleep over past mistakes.

Forward thinking is inevitable, healthy and essential to running a business. But it’s easy to go off the rails, when you’re constantly worrying about everything that could – and has – happened.

Be careful. Understand that you cannot do anything about the past and stop worrying about the future, as this gives you anxiety. Take one day at a time and try to do your best each day. When you put in the best effort and work, things tend to fall into place.

I know it’s easier said than done. I’m good at forgetting the past, but I still struggle to not live in the future and worry about it. But by making a conscious effort to stay focused, you’ll gain a healthier perspective on your business and a better handle on your stress.

To each their own

This is a collection of practical practices that I have gathered over ten years of my deep entrepreneurial journey. This works for me, and part of the reason is the favorable environment—I have an incredibly supportive partner and very willing business partners.

While I recommend these to anyone in a state of severe depression, they are not a silver bullet. Take what works for you and your particular situation, personality and environment and discard the rest. The goal is not to play a healthy businessman. The goal is to be one.