How to handle stress and anxiety?

When you start a company, the rules aren’t clear. Results are uncertain. People will question what you do. Unlike a regular job with a fixed plan, you have to make the plan as you go—act on incomplete data, change course in motion, and choose even when mentors, customers, and investors give conflicting advice.

Founders face two common challenges: stress (physical tension) and anxiety (worry about potential failure). Research backs this up—uncertain situations trigger anxiety, while facing public judgment with little control creates measurable stress.

Under stress, founders typically make four common mistakes:

1. they skip the basics—sleep, movement, food, time with close people;
2. they link their self-worth directly to business metrics;
3. they internalize problems rather than seeking outside perspective;
4. they prioritize speed in environments where admitting vulnerability is unsafe.

This chapter shows how to function effectively despite uncertainty. You'll discover practical ways to maintain clear judgment, work at a sustainable pace, and foster team honesty—making you both a stronger builder and wiser decision-maker.

1. Your body is part of the journey

• Sleep (7+ hours/day): Crucial for decision-making, prevents mistakes, and maintains emotional stability
• Movement : WHO recommends 150-300 minutes moderate or 75-150 minutes vigorous activity weekly
• Mindfulness: Brief practices reset mental state when overwhelmed

Sleep and movement aren't optional. They power your attention, memory, and self-control. Adults who get 7+ hours of sleep show better performance; sleeping less than 7 hours leads to more mistakes and accidents—exactly what startups can't afford. Protect your sleep like you would a critical meeting.

Movement is equally important. The WHO recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity weekly, plus strength training. You don't need to become an athlete—just maintain a consistent routine. Your mood and thinking will improve within days and strengthen over weeks as exercise becomes habit.

When you feel overwhelmed, brief mindfulness practice can reset your mental state. Research shows modest reductions in anxiety and depression after structured meditation programs—not a cure, but a reliable way to steady your emotions.

Note

Case Study

Quizz

When your physical condition suffers, you become more sensitive to social threats. Well-rested, well-fed, physically active people handle hardships better.

Question 1

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2. You are not your ARR

When your stress levels are high, a single dip in metrics you track can feel like a personal judgment against you. After experiencing a setback, write down these four lines:

• What happened?
• What did I expect?
• What did I learn?
• What will I do next?

Writing things down helps stop negative thoughts from repeating in your mind and reduces feelings of shame faster. If you find it hard to start this habit, create simple "if-then" rules for yourself (like "If I see bad numbers and feel worried, then I'll write down my thoughts for two minutes before making any decisions").

3. Share your burden - and ask for help

Trying to handle everything alone doesn't work. Being isolated prevents reality checks and increases stress. Schedule regular short meetings with a trusted friend or mentor (at least 15–20 minutes weekly at the same time to discuss health, relationships, stress, and biggest risks).

If your stress moves from "heavy" to "overwhelming," look for therapy focused on work challenges (addressing specific issues like deadlines, conflicts, and uncertainty). Research shows that work-focused therapy is more effective at reducing burnout and improving ability to work and reducing sick days than general therapy.

For everyday stress, try the World Health Organization's simple techniques: focus your attention, recognize troubling thoughts by naming them, then take a small action based on what matters most to you.

4. Make decisions in uncertain environments

You almost never have full information when making decisions. What you can reduce is the stress of deciding.

Use the OODA framework to help you make good decisions when things keep changing:

• Observe: Look at what's happening in the market and your startup.
• Orient: Think about how these facts connect to your goals and values.
• Decide: Make the best choice with what you know now.
• Act: Do what you decided, then start the loop again.

Before making big decisions, try a premortem: imagine your project failed and list all possible reasons why. This helps you spot risks early. It's simple to do and widely used by managers. After decisions, do quick reviews (what happened → what we learned → what we'll do next).

Also, use the if-then method we talked about earlier. Save your energy with simple rules like: If a meeting has no clear decision to make → send information in an email instead; If it's Wednesday morning → focus only on deep work. This way, you spend less mental energy on routine matters and more on important decisions.

5. Create a safe space for others to disagree with you

When teams feel stressed and scared, they stop talking about problems. This hides risks and slows down learning. To fix this, create a space where people feel safe to share hard truths without compromising your standards.

Research shows this works. When team members feel psychologically safe, they learn better. And teams that learn perform better. Studies of more than 100 teams prove that safety leads to better information sharing and results.

Leaders can make this happen by:

• Thanking people who bring up uncomfortable issues
• Following up on problems people raise and explaining what changed
• Giving people a space (e.g. a monthly 1-hour meeting) for them to question your assumptions and share their ideas.

You'll know these efforts are working when people start bringing up problems earlier and work gets done more smoothly.

Uncertainty and stress are constants, but you can develop better management strategies

You can't eliminate uncertainty. What you can do is practice consistent habits that keep your thinking clear, maintain your pace, and encourage team honesty—even when you're feeling stressed or anxious.

• Don't skip the basics → sleep 7+ hours, maintain a simple movement routine, use a brief mindfulness reset when overwhelmed. These habits stabilize your thinking.
• Self-worth isn't metrics → Act from values, not mood: write the smallest next action aligned with your values; complete a 4-line micro-debrief after successes/failures; create one if–then rule to prevent downward spirals.
• Don't carry it alone → Create structured contact: schedule a weekly check-in with a friend/peer/mentor; if stress becomes overwhelming, seek work-focused help that addresses deadlines, conflicts, and uncertainty.
• Make candor easy and standards clear: thank people for sharing difficult information, follow up on issues people raise, and schedule regular "assumptions under attack" sessions plus weekly 10-minute debriefs.

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