How Can Jamaican Entrepreneurs Manage Anxiety Caused by Covid-19?

Everyone, everywhere has been impacted negatively by the unannounced and unpleasant COVID-19 pandemic.

Entrepreneurs aren’t left out.The pandemic has been a huge blow to most self-owned businesses in Jamaica. The effects have been devastating in some instances and will be long lasting if strategic measures are not taken.

It’s not surprising that business owners feel overwhelmed. Worry, fear, uneasiness and apprehension are currently gripping Jamaican entrepreneurs.

Those four emotions can be summed up in one word- anxiety. If anxiety goes unchecked, it can further cripple its victims mental and emotional well-being and lead to a mental illness.

Therefore, managing anxiety is important for sustaining a successful business in Jamaica.

The following tips will go a long way to help you manage your anxiety. Let’s dive in.

Study Your Anxiety Pattern

The first step to solving a problem is identifying the problem itself. You can’t eliminate anxiety completely if you don’t know how it presents to you or its cycle.

Some questions you should consider include:

What triggers your anxiety? Is it the news? Financial concerns? Conflicts with business partners or relatives? Negative thinking?
When do you get really nervous? Is it during the day or at night? Is it when you are alone or with others?
Who makes you anxious?
What relieves you? What makes you feel better?

The answers to these questions will help you on your recovery path.

Take Deep Breaths

Remember those times when you had to stand in front of a crowd to give a speech and suddenly you felt your palms draining with sweat and your heart beat so fast?

Suddenly, you took a deep breath and found the release you needed to give the speech.

Deep breathing exercises can help you deal with anxiety. they won’t cure it but they can help you calm down so that you can think clearly. Healthline outlines eight deep breathing exercises in this article. Try them to determine the one that works best for you.

Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself

You probably had a lot of resolutions at the beginning of the year, targets to be met and lots of ideas mapped out in your mind . COVID -19 nipped those plans in the bud. Remember you can’t always control everything, but you can control how you react to every given situation.

Don’t get worked up over situations that are out of your reach or beyond your control. It’s time to refocus and restrategise. You may even want to look more closely at personal branding. This article provides some great tips for developing a strong personal brand that can propel both you and your business into a brighter future.

Face Your Fears

Fear feeds anxiety. Therefore, a big part of overcoming anxiety is overcoming your fears. Here are some questions you can ask to assist you in the process:

What are you really scared of?
What will be the most devastating thing that could happen to you and your business during this period?
Is it life threatening?
How do you avert it? Is there a solution?
Are your fears real or just a figment of your imagination?

For instance, if you’re scared that you’ll lose your customers because of the pandemic, you can transition to selling online and expanding your audience.

Stay Positive, Stay Optimistic

‘’This too shall pass’’ should be your daily reminder and slogan.

Remember how you started out and scaled through in the midst of diverse challenges you encountered.

Remember the times you almost gave up, but chose to press forward.

Remember how they said ‘’no one has ever done this in Jamaica ‘’and, in a twinkle of an eye, you changed history.

Remember your past victories and wins.

If you could pull through those times, you’ll pull through stronger this time.

Take Care Of Yourself

It’s easy to neglect yourself when you feel worried or anxious. In contrast, there’s something magical about paying a little bit of attention to yourself. You feel renewed.

You have to be intentional about taking care of yourself. Here are some tips for taking care of yourself.

Pamper yourself.
Take time to mediate, listen to your favourite songs, watch inspirational videos and shows.
Get a massage.
Eat healthy.
Drink lots of water, veggies and fruits.
Avoid alcohol,caffeine and tobacco smoking.
Exercise.
Go for a walk.
Stretch your muscles.
Have body goals and work towards them without putting undue pressure on yourself.
Switch off your phone at certain times of the day to reduce distractions.
Rest and sleep.

Do Something Different

A quick way to shift focus from your fears and worries is to engage yourself in creative activities. A dance class, swimming lesson,cooking session, writing, drawing and painting can create interesting moments and memories for you. You may not be able to join face-to-face classes at the moment but you can find people on social media who offer these classes virtually.

You can also embark on new projects. Draft up your ideas and get to work!

Your energy should be exhausted on your new adventures rather than your worries.

Spend Time With Your Loved Ones

A good laugh over a cup of wine surely does the heart a good merry. Use the down-time caused by this pandemic to talk about the good ol’ times, watch a movie together and play games.

Offer a Helping Hand

There are people who need you in your physical and online communities. Be a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, a friend and mentor.

You may even be able to help other business owners by sharing your experience starting a business in Jamaica. Connect with other Jamaican entrepreneurs online. Success Lifestyle Magazine is a good place to start. Follow us on social media by clicking the button below and register for one of our upcoming virtual networking sessions.

You will feel good, refreshed and uplifted when you help others.

Seek Help

If you feel you’re out of control or you’re experiencing severe anxiety, don’t hesitate to seek professional help from a physician, psychiatrist or therapist. This is necessary because you will better understand your condition from a professional’s perspective and regular follow-ups visits help monitor your health status.

Additionally, your anxiety may be at a level where you need to take medication. A physician or psychiatrist can give you a prescription. They can also give you appropriate strategies for handling your anxiety when it resurfaces.

Final Words

Fear is a natural part of life because we live in a world that keeps changing; nothing is predictable. It’s important to equip yourself with the right knowledge to handle the challenges that may arise.

The tips presented in this article will help you handle anxiety when it starts to creep in. COVID-19 won’t last forever, but you’re bound to face some type of situation that brings anxiety. Look back at these tips and apply them.

Use these tips to help you as an entrepreneur maintain emotional stability, mental stability and resilience as you create, sustain and work towards a thriving business in Jamaica.