Greg Smith is the founder and CEO of SpecificA top platform for creating and selling e -course.
After closing $ 160 million, I should be euphoric. Instead, I felt a little lost and empty. Although it was a few years ago, I remember it strongly as exhaustive a few months and while the result was ultimately successful, the seemingly endless days of high -intensity work let me feel exhausted and, sincerely, a little depressed. It wasn’t what I was expecting to feel after such a great victory.
Initially I tried to overcome the fall and push it, but the truth is that I just had it to me to celebrate with my colleagues the next day.
What I did not realize at the moment was that a fall – an emotional and natural MP who often experienced after a great event or intense working period – is normal. I suspected it was not burning – I wanted To keep pushing forward – so I dug on brain chemistry Behind my symptoms and as soon as I understood what was really happening, I was able to put some recovery techniques in place and return to drive my team with renewed excitement.
It’s not a burning. Are biochemistry
When working in a certain tension for three to six months (or more), your brain adapts to adrenaline, dopamine and cortisol cocktail that maintains high energy and motivation levels, even when you are tired.
But once work is done, the hormones recede and this can bring the body and the mind to crush. To be clear, it’s not the same as exhaustion. Despite the recent reports of Increase rates of exhaustionI believe that exhaustion is more years caused by the lack of engagement or alignment at work – and what I lived was different and situation.
If exhaustion is a slow leak, a fall after achievement is a crash landing. The mine was the result of a prolonged and intense effort that led to a massively significant result for the company. This can happen when you start from the ground, starting a product, preparing to enter a new market or work through merger or redemption. It is not, however, the result of a busy week or campaign.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky admitted that his company’s IPO was one of the most sad times of his life Due to extreme focus on work and resulting loneliness and isolation. These kinds of emotions can turn some leaders into adrenaline – to chase the high of the next big thing to compensate for chemical comedown.
For me, however, it was a more frustrating experience and I realized that learning to recover effectively would equip me to take over more and larger. As an entrepreneur, I appreciate that I have the physical and mental ability to shoot for the stars. I learned how to bounce from a high -intensity work cycle so that I can do it again and again.
Six ways of resetting your body – and mind
In simple words, adopting healthy practices – both In everyday life And after intense work periods – they can help you return faster. Here’s what worked for me:
1. Call the feeling what is – lasting. Editing all months does not necessarily lead to exhaustion. Burnout implies that you do things wrong – and there is nothing wrong to work hard to achieve a big goal. Understand that it is a temporary decline and that it will also pass.
2. Give yourself time to recover. After running on adrenaline for so long, you may be tempted to continue chasing it. My advice? Have to relax yourself. Do not double the next project. Do not look for alternative emotions such as alcohol, caffeine or extreme sports. Give yourself (and your nervous system) some genuine interruption time.
3. Accept that you need a rest (but maybe not long). While a good rest is justified, it does not need to be extensive. In fact, taking a long vacation when you are tired, it can be reversed. Limit with activities that can facilitate the transition to a normal routine. You may even choose to do light work that ticks without taxing brain cells.
4. Priority in healthy activities. Understand what activates you again but keep it loose. For me, it is quality sleep, outdoors, walks and low key exercise. I also find that the time spent with people keeps me grounded and brings my energy levels back.
5. Don’t rest for a long time. For me, three days was the magic number. For others, it could be longer, but I wouldn’t go for a long time, or you will risk falling into a deeper hole. I also found that receiving a book or taking a short course to find out something new took the wheels to turn again in a good way.
6. Don’t forget to celebrate. In the end, you have to celebrate the achievement for which you worked so hard. In my company, celebration of success is part of our main values and is an important part of the landmarks. At that time, I didn’t see our iPO as something to celebrate because it is not directly related to the main purpose of our client’s success. If I had to do it again, I will rewrite this part of the story.
Never let a possible fall to keep you back
Long and hard work does not always lead to fall. For me, it happened only once. Entrepreneurs are known for their incredible endurance, After all, but knowing a fall can follow a great impulse should never hold you back.
Learning to recover is a long -term investment in your performance. Understanding how it gives you the confidence to take on great things – and enhances your endurance. Accept that you will drain in the short term, plan the structured, deliberate recovery strategies and let yourself go hard knowing that a break is coming.
I am always happier, setting great, aggressive goals. But now, for prolonged pressures, I plan a brief recovery afterwards. Burning the candle at both ends is essential for a businessman. But so he moves on a well -deserved break.
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