To Your Health

For many of you, stress is so much a part of your daily routine that if you didn't wake up and have an anxiety attack within the first five minutes, you might start to wonder what was wrong with you.

Reichler notes that nine out of 10 of her individual clients are entrepreneurs, representing all stages of development. "Entrepreneurs are some of the people with the most stress," she says, "because they have the weight of a business on their shoulders."

The list of stress's effects is long and disconcerting. Stress can cause migraines, insomnia, a short temper, ulcers, high blood pressure, lethargy, loss of or increase in appetite, a weakened immune system and depression--making it critical for you to find ways to de-stress.

"Being an entrepreneur, you're inherently creative," says Reichler. "You created a business. It's important to leave some time to maintain that creativity so you have the ability to move your business forward. When you're stressed out and caught up in day-to-day [events], you lose that ability."

So how can you stress less? Exercise helps, but you need to release your mind, too. Try these techniques:

• Listen to relaxing music and/or stress-management tapes.

• Soak in a hot tub with lavender oil or sea salts, or simply take a long, hot shower.

• Turn off your phone and have a "spa day" or a day on the links.

• Take a stress-management class.

• Get a massage.

The key to de-stressing--and to any wellness program--is to take it slow, or you won't stick to it. Start with five or 10 minutes each day, and work your way toward more and more self-focused time. "This is an evolutionary process," notes health expert Krs Edstrom, author of Healthy, Wealthy & Wise (Soft Stone Publishing), as well as a series of stress-management tapes. "You can't do all these things at once--don't do that to yourself. Just slip into it, and it'll become a habit."

This article was originally published in the October 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: To Your Health.