4 Female Entrepreneurs on Their Mantras for Dealing With Stress

No matter what industry you’ve built your career in, or what level on the corporate (or start-up) ladder you’re currently working on, stress is an inevitable part of every job description. During the month of April, we bring awareness to feelings of stress and being overwhelmed, but managing your anxiety is important, no matter the time of year.

Female entrepreneurs know what it’s like to perform an on-going juggling act of personal and professional responsibilities, and must find ways to ease their symptoms. After all, as one-woman-shows and leaders within their community, the fine art of keepin’ on is a requirement to find balance and success.

Many of these superstars turn to mantras — simple, one line phrases — that help them find peace and acceptance. They can also be used to motivate and inspire, when the situation calls. If you’ve yet to adopt your own practice, you can borrow one of these effective sayings the next time you need to take a big breath, let go, and focus:

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Take a scroll through Instagram and you’ll find plenty of "real" people to be envious of. From working moms who somehow look manicured, bright-eyed, and fresh with two toddlers at home to fitness models who have the luxury of spending four hours a day at the gym, it’s all too common that we compare ourselves to unrealistic standards of perfection.

For founder and CEO of inLieu Kathy Terry, the simple reminder that "comparison is the thief of joy" goes a long way in keeping her grounded and positive. In fact, it’s a mantra she not only uses to settle her own nerves, but her children's too.

“We can spend all day comparing ourselves to our friends, family, colleagues as well as competitors constantly measuring ourselves against everyone else. Why?” she asks.

“So much of what we see is what people are projecting or what they have well crafted for us to see, but is it authentic? Is it real? We should never let other people determine our value or allow them to take the joy out of what we are doing or not doing. If we live our life based on our own value and what truly brings us joy then everything else is just noise," Terry says.

“I can outwork you — and I will outwork you.”

Step one in reaching success? The belief that you can go above and beyond with hard work, determination, grit — and a little luck.

For the founder of Strollers & More and Discreezips Dominique Penn, the reminder that everything she desires is within her capabilities motivates her to stay hungry and to learn more. Even if this means some late nights and early mornings, being sure of her skill set and her dedication makes the road seem less stressful.

Though her powerful mantra entices a healthy sense of competitiveness, Penn also stresses another mantra for when the work starts to get to heavy: "Take time for yourself."

“Take a moment for a vacay, a recharge,” she explains. “It’s truly important. When you add those components, how can you not be unstoppable?”

“To every problem there is a solution.”

A business that takes off instantly, faces no hurdles, and brings home a cool million in a year; a relationship where you never fight, have great chemistry, and want the exact same thing at the exact same moment. Who wouldn't want that?

Though life would be rosy without problems, co-founder of Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Jodi Lavian has learned that most of the time, things don’t go the way we plan them. But, that’s okay when you have this mantra in your backpocket.

“As a business owner I know firsthand that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Fortunately with the proper maneuvering and adjustments, they can be even better than you even imagined,” Lavian says. “For me it’s all about perspective. Sometimes the biggest mishaps can become the happiest accidents.”

“You are worthy.”

Founder and senior partner of Notion Consulting, Christine Andrukonis says entrepreneurship requires taking thoughtful risks and putting yourself out into the world, only to be possibly (and probably) rejected. When this happens, knowing your personal value and standing by your expertise becomes that much more important. After all, the image you send to potential clients and partners is the one you’ll get back.

“It's easy to let a deep feeling of unworthiness subconsciously stand in your way of taking risks and seeking out what you need. You must find authentic reasons to feel worthy and channel that energy to be a successful entrepreneur,” she explains.

This also means being comfortable with falling short along the way, and taking pride in what you take away from the scrapes and bruises.

“Mistakes are how we learn and improve, and we need to give ourselves permission to do so — and forgiveness after the fact — if we're going to continue trying new things, learning and growing,” Andrukonis adds.