E35: Anxiety Hacks for High Achieving Entrepreneurs

Is the "Anxiety Alarm Clock" your unwelcome morning wake up call? Time to hit snooze on stress, Powerhouse! The great news is that your fierce drive for success doesn't have to come with a side of panic!

In this episode, we're flipping the script on anxiety in high achieving entrepreneurs. Get ready to:

✨ Harness Your Drive: Learn how to channel that fierce energy without burning out

✨ Dodge Common Pitfalls: Uncover the sneaky mistakes amplifying your anxiety (and how to avoid them)

✨ Master Your Time: Debunk the "no time" myth and prioritize what truly matters

🎧 Listen Now and Discover:

• Why stress isn't the fuel you think it is (and what actually propels success)
• The hidden ways anxiety is sabotaging your productivity (and how to stop it)
• Practical strategies to transform anxious energy into focused power
• The truth about time management for high achievers
• Simple yet powerful techniques to start and end your day anxiety-free

Don't let anxiety hijack your entrepreneurial journey any longer. If you're ready to trade panic for productivity, worry for wins, and stress for sustainable success then:

Grab the "5-Minute Entrepreneur Freak Out Prevention Therapy Session" here: https://www.megan-nolan.com/freakout 

Your future, zen-like self will thank you!

#AnxietyHacks #HighAchieverAnxiety #EntrepreneurMindset #StressManagement #ProductivityTips #TimeManagementForEntrepreneurs #EntrepreneurialSuccess #MindfulBusiness #AnxietyRelief #PurposefulPowerhouse

Please find the show notes below. Since it is a transcription there may be spelling errors and/or weird grammar. Ignore that and enjoy!

00;00;00;17 - 00;00;23;08
Speaker 1
Hello and welcome to a movement of heart led entrepreneurs who care so much about how they feel that they make time for themselves every day because they want to be living their life and doing big, incredible things in the world at the same time. Because, yes, it is possible. I am the leader of this Rise and Vibe movement and the host of this podcast, and my name is Megan Millen.

00;00;23;11 - 00;00;47;11
Speaker 1
I'm a movement therapist who helps part LED entrepreneurs get the story out of their bodies so that they can be living fully and vibrantly. And I actually have a really special event coming up in September, so make sure to save the date for September 16th, because I'm kicking off a brand new Free Sanity Saver mini series that you are going to want to be a part of.

00;00;47;11 - 00;01;20;01
Speaker 1
So stay tuned for that. But in the meantime, let's jump in to today's episode. Hello. Hello. Welcome back to another episode of the Purposeful Powerhouse podcast. And before we jump into some really potent anxiety hacks for high achieving entrepreneurs, have you grabbed the brand new entrepreneur freakout prevention therapy session yet? Because the people that have are telling me how much they love it, how impactful it was.

00;01;20;01 - 00;01;46;17
Speaker 1
Just 5 minutes total game changer. And if you haven't yet, then why not? It's totally free. Check it out. The link to grab it is in the show notes or around this video. So let's talk about the chicken and the egg scenario that is anxiety in high achieving entrepreneurs. Chicken and the egg. What do you mean? Well, I'm wondering if one is a precursor to the other.

00;01;46;17 - 00;02;22;06
Speaker 1
Does one cause the other, you know, that sort of thing. And actually, neuroscience tells us that they are very, very common factors for very high performing driven people to experience anxiety and stress pretty consistently, although that's not necessarily mandatory. And so it's interesting because in our entrepreneur community, we have a really high prevalence of that drive for more that goal oriented, high performing personality type.

00;02;22;08 - 00;02;48;10
Speaker 1
But it's kind of necessary, I would argue, to a degree when it's used properly with intention to get to where we want to go, because having that visionary drive for more got you where you are. But what got you here won't necessarily get you to where you want to go. And that means that that drive for more, that insatiable drive for more can become our downfall.

00;02;48;13 - 00;03;28;26
Speaker 1
And we talked about that in last week's episode about entrepreneur burnout and hustle culture. And so if you haven't listened to that, you can go back and listen to that one, because the reality is, is that when we are not using that visionary goal driven focus from a place of presence and purpose and intentionality, it can cause us to feel more anxiety, can cause us to feel more stress, and it can become something that really puts an end or at least slows down our journey.

00;03;28;29 - 00;03;52;09
Speaker 1
And so let me know if this sounds familiar to you at all, because I want to point out some things that I used to do that were actually causing and triggering more anxiety, because when we have this awareness, you may start to recognize yourself in these and then that in and of itself can be really helpful in transforming this.

00;03;52;12 - 00;04;16;09
Speaker 1
So let me know if this sounds familiar. Waking up first thing in the morning to the anxiety alarm clock, not an actual external alarm clock, but the internal feeling of vulnerable people. Your heart racing, your mind is already spinning in a million different directions and you might even be sweating a little bit. And it feels like somehow, even though you just woke up, you're already behind and maybe even behind in life right?

00;04;16;09 - 00;04;36;16
Speaker 1
Because your brain is telling you, Oh, you should have been this further ahead by now. You should have accomplished this by now and then That and anxiety just kickstarts the day. So that feeling that you you wake up with or that I woke up with and then trying to avoid that, I would grab my phone and I'd start scrolling.

00;04;36;18 - 00;04;58;15
Speaker 1
So it starts scrolling. I check my notifications, I check my emails, and then inevitably, because I was already in a stressed state, I would get triggered by something. I would get triggered by somebody who's, you know, have in the ten k 10 seconds, you know, those high incredible achievements that I was then triggered by starting to get jealous, getting resentful, like, why is this happening for them and not me?

00;04;58;23 - 00;05;21;07
Speaker 1
And already feeling that tightening that that that achievement oriented push can cause if we're not where we want to be because that happy when situation doesn't allow us to feel happy now it feels it just focuses on the get up between where I was and where I want it to be. So there I am already. Like the stress, the anxiety is mounting.

00;05;21;07 - 00;05;43;17
Speaker 1
I'm like, Oh my God, I should be doing more. I should be doing more. Okay? I should be meditating because I need to meditate, because I need to do this for myself and for my brain. And so I go to sit down to meditate. And it was really just mentally pacing back and forth, maybe hearing and saying the mantra a few times here and there, but mentally doing my to do list.

00;05;43;17 - 00;06;28;14
Speaker 1
And then very quickly getting swallowed up into a spiral of self-doubt and shame and confusion and worry and fear, who That's a lot. And so wasn't really meditating. It was more just pacing back and forth and then, you know, feeling like, okay, I need some inspiration here. I'm going to go on Instagram, and then I find myself on Instagram and instead of like doing research or what have you, I would be constantly checking the hashtag entrepreneur burnout, looking for solutions, and the solutions that I would find would be temporary fixes, like, you know, taking the supplements, doing the oils, doing the breath work, doing the cold plunges, drinking the mushroom coffee, wearing the blue light

00;06;28;14 - 00;06;46;00
Speaker 1
glass blockers. You know what I mean? Blue light blocker glasses. There we go, wearing those, you know, all of those things that are helpful, but not getting to the root of the issue all the while telling myself, yeah, maybe I'm just so out of alignment right now. I need a vacation and I don't know if I have what it takes.

00;06;46;03 - 00;07;11;08
Speaker 1
I'm just I don't know if I can do this anymore. Maybe I'm not strong enough, maybe I'm not manage my stress well enough. All of those things that in and of itself is just causing me to feel some kind of way right now. And so then so let me know in the meantime, if you recognize yourself in any of that, because the opposite to those which we'll talk about in a second is the antidote, right?

00;07;11;09 - 00;07;34;21
Speaker 1
The the medicine is in the poison, if you will. And so then I would, you know, drink some yummy coffee, have Miller oatmeal until that day, and then maybe have a little almond here and there. And then I just be powering through my day because I would be trying to avoid that anxious feeling all the while, that voice in my head that was like, better, more, do it again, do it better.

00;07;34;21 - 00;08;05;25
Speaker 1
It would just be relentless. And so what I'm describing is a dysregulated nervous system and when we are in that dysregulated state, i.e. fight or flight survival state is when those patterns tend to kick in. And if your pattern is that hyper achiever wanting more, wanting better, going after the next thing or bouncing from thing to saying right, that restlessness that's like, well, that's not working.

00;08;05;25 - 00;08;37;08
Speaker 1
I should try this. I should try that. Those are the patterns that are triggered by stress. And so those stress states causing that anxiety, causing further dysregulation, we try to bypass it by doing the things I just mentioned. That's not getting to the root of the issue. So let me know because those are really common mistakes that that many worn out entrepreneurs make, myself included, because I thought, well, this is just what we do.

00;08;37;08 - 00;09;02;20
Speaker 1
This is how we get to where we want to go. This is what's required for success right? Based on all that hustle culture mentality that we've been taught, Fed, you know, both maybe depending on how you look at it. And so just take a breath and put your hand on your heart and give yourself some grace because these are so common.

00;09;02;22 - 00;09;31;23
Speaker 1
You were probably modeling behaviors like that as a child, but you are a purposeful powerhouse CEO, and you get to decide what is working for you and what you are going to allow to happen in your life, in your day, in your business, and learning to prioritize your inner state, learning to show up for yourself first because that matters to you.

00;09;31;23 - 00;10;09;20
Speaker 1
And you know, it impacts everything and it is a core value for you to enjoy life. That is the new direction, that is a more holistic approach to entrepreneurship and allows you to do things in a way that actually opens up a lot more within you because you're not in that contracted state. Yes, I'm not saying that you can't have big goals and you can't go for big things.

00;10;09;20 - 00;10;45;23
Speaker 1
You should. The world needs you to your heart is calling you too, but it's vital, literally vital, that you do this and that you learn to do this in a more expanded state of your body and your being. Because that push, push, push, go, go, go, contracted state of fight or flight is a precursor to problems, not just problems in your performance and your productivity.

00;10;45;25 - 00;11;16;12
Speaker 1
Those are short term potential issues, but it leads to potential problems in that it is a fast track to burnout. Stress is a precursor to every major chronic disease. It's steals the joy from each moment and potentially, you know, if we look at it from that risk factor point of view, that can lead to a whole host of problems, quality of life issues, length of life issues.

00;11;16;18 - 00;11;43;11
Speaker 1
You get what I'm saying here, right? I know you're smart. I know you feel me on that. And so it's so, so, so vital that we recognize the signs and the symptoms and take action in the moment to recover, but also take preventative action. And so take a look back and you can take a look back making it's an scenario.

00;11;43;13 - 00;12;05;11
Speaker 1
Let's think back to what I was just talking about, about do you grab your phone first thing in the morning and start to scroll? Do you in an attempt to calm and soothe yourself, go and meditate. Okay. Beautiful. I love that you are aware of these things. So let's take a look at how we can do that differently.

00;12;05;14 - 00;12;26;16
Speaker 1
Let's pause and recognize that when we jump right into that reactive scrolling, it triggers it can trigger us, right? It's it triggers dopamine release. And so we're getting that head of yeah, Oh, this is exciting. But the reality is, is that's taxing us and that's impacting the way that you feel and the way you're showing up into the day.

00;12;26;18 - 00;12;50;27
Speaker 1
So when you wake up water first nourish your body, you can drink an adaptogenic cocktail. What's that? What's an adaptogenic cocktail? Put some citrus and some Himalayan sea salt in your water and drink it. It's good for your adrenals, It's good for your liver and liver. It's good for your immune system, the vitamin C. So just drink some big glass of water first thing in the morning.

00;12;50;29 - 00;13;10;29
Speaker 1
And then if and when you feel that tightening of anxiety when you wake up first thing in the morning, move first. It's like trying to sit a wound up toddler who's just had a cupcake who's like, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, excited and wants to run around and play. It's trying to put them in a car seat and make them sit still.

00;13;11;02 - 00;13;37;00
Speaker 1
That's what's happening internally. If we just try to sit there and meditate, because that energy that pent up stress energy is just being banging back and forth inside your brain and inside your physical body. So movement, movement, breathwork getting your body involved so that you can allow some of that cortisol and adrenaline to be processed through your body, then you'll be able to sit and meditate.

00;13;37;02 - 00;13;56;22
Speaker 1
Right? Then you'll be able to access a higher state of mind because your amygdala, your stress center is quieted and your prefrontal cortex, the higher center of the mind is online. Okay? We can't, you know, go from that frantic, frazzled vibe of like, yeah, I'm freaking out. And you know that if we wake up by the anxiety alarm clock, we can't go to that.

00;13;56;22 - 00;14;14;02
Speaker 1
To the peace, that peace out, blissed out Zen, the Buddha calm state, because it's just you can't it's really hard to flip the switch like that. I mean, some people might be able to. I cannot. So tell me, teach me your ways of matter.

00;14;14;05 - 00;14;45;10
Speaker 1
That doesn't work for me and for many other people. It just doesn't like asking somebody to sit quietly and watch their breath when they're feeling anxious. That's just not accessible for many people. And so if it is for you, go darling, go forth and do it. So recognizing that, you know, the things that you're doing to try to shift this, the the goat yoga, the breathwork, the supplements that this, that and the other thing that, you know, microdosing, whatever it is that you're trying to do, that's all very impactful.

00;14;45;12 - 00;15;14;13
Speaker 1
But it's so important that you also take a body based approach to managing stress and to regulating your nervous system. Because as you learned earlier, when you're under stress, the hyper achiever aspect of ourself gets kicked into overdrive. So it's so important that we are taking these little intentional pauses throughout the day to cultivate that sense of calm, to calm the crazy.

00;15;14;16 - 00;15;40;05
Speaker 1
It's like dripping the calm in throughout the entire day. So that is where your amplified morning routine is so important, right? That's what we do inside. The Rise and Vibe movement is really powering up the way you start your day by showing up for yourself first. And it's a movement. It's so important because it's it really is the foundation and the precursor to all of this.

00;15;40;07 - 00;16;11;17
Speaker 1
So having that first thing in the morning, moving your body, getting into that that centered state within yourself, and then throughout the day, taking these little intentional pauses. And if you hear yourself saying the AB, that's great. I don't have time for that. More important for you, because if we are allowing that part of our mind, that is that that driving relentless force for more to run the show, that's where we were triggering stress and we are overwhelming our system.

00;16;11;20 - 00;16;36;04
Speaker 1
And you're not in that tapped in state, you're not poured into you're not in that you know, on point in flow, the vibe that we live. It's really important to take these intentional pauses, especially if you're like me and you're neurodivergent, especially if you have a tendency to lean towards high functioning anxiety, especially if you find yourself getting prone to burnout or over giving, overdoing over thinking.

00;16;36;07 - 00;17;08;21
Speaker 1
Okay, so it's like little snacks. It's like having little snacks throughout the day so you don't get ravishingly hungry and you don't end up just like eating the whole bag of the crisps or whatever it is because you're starving. It's like giving yourself these little drops, these little power pauses throughout the day. And that's where using your freakout prevention therapy session grab that, make sure you grab that and recognizing the cues.

00;17;08;23 - 00;17;35;21
Speaker 1
Because when we are in that frantic, frazzled state, when we are on that vibe of like the chaotic, you know, just fueled by the oat milk lattes and the two almonds that you found at the bottom of your purse, who does that mean? It's me. We want to make sure that we are taking care of. We're getting back to basics in a way.

00;17;35;21 - 00;18;08;15
Speaker 1
Right? And so recognizing the cues and that tendency to for us to say, no, no, just a little more, I'll take a break. When I've done five more things, it's it's so, so impactful for you to calm the crazy, take the power pause so that you can show up as your purposeful powerhouse CEO self. That is focus, that is in that centered leadership, power, full energy.

00;18;08;17 - 00;18;33;06
Speaker 1
And that's the vibe, right? You're able to stay calm and consistent, you're able to navigate and you know, you handle the challenges, right? Zoom stops and updates itself in the middle of the webinar and you are able to push smooth sailing, Baby, I got this. Oh, no problem. And you know, or you get on the last day your launch and your website crashes and you know, that could throw a lot of people.

00;18;33;08 - 00;19;01;14
Speaker 1
But if you are in your center, you're able to do stuff and handle stuff like that without getting triggered, without getting back into that stress cycle. So we want to make sure that that that story that we have of I don't have time for this. We recognize that because when you hear yourself respond to that, is that true?

00;19;01;16 - 00;19;29;07
Speaker 1
Do you not have time for this? Because the reality is it actually makes you more productive, it makes you more focused, you're more clearheaded, you are more grounded. You have that flow state you've tapped into. Because I would argue that what you don't have time for is burnout, sickness, injury, illness, resentment, quitting. That's what we don't have time for.

00;19;29;10 - 00;20;23;27
Speaker 1
Blink, blink, because our brain will tell us otherwise. But that's the stress response. And if we truly if you truly care about your vision and about the things that you're here to do, the goals that you have, you will recognize that you are the driving force in making that a reality. And when you are taken care of, when you show up for yourself first, like we do in Rising Vibe movement, everything else benefits because your success should not cost you your sanity, your success should not cost you your joy and in fact, your joy and your health and your happiness and your particular flavor of crazy is essential for your success.

00;20;24;00 - 00;20;42;09
Speaker 1
So I hope that this was really helpful for you, and I hope that you feel seen and supported because these mistakes that many of us, myself included, have made over and over are, you know, sometimes they're more subtle. Maybe you're not aware of it yet, but when you have that awareness, when you know better, you can do better.

00;20;42;12 - 00;21;08;29
Speaker 1
And you are here for a reason. And I am honored to be able to serve you. And I hope that you found this really helpful. And so make sure to grab the five minute free entrepreneur emergency kit, the Entrepreneur Freakout Prevention Therapy session. It is movement is tapping back into that centered flow state of okay. Yep, here we go.

00;21;09;01 - 00;21;34;11
Speaker 1
I got this big thanks. Big drinks, big goals. Here we go. It takes your energy being in alignment with that. And if you're in that frantic and frazzled rush, worn out entrepreneur. But that's not it. But that ain't it. That ain't it. So until next time, thank you for taking these tools and bringing them into your heart. Taking what I said, starting to practice these little breaks.

00;21;34;11 - 00;21;51;28
Speaker 1
Set a timer on your phone. Right? Maybe it's every hour, maybe every 2 hours. And when it goes off, make it a nice one. Not like that. Make it a nice one and take a power pots. Breathe. Put your hands on your body. Drop into that vibe, that energy that you want to feel. That is the vibe of your vision.

00;21;51;28 - 00;22;24;05
Speaker 1
That is the golden thread of your future that's pulling for drop into that, right? Drip it into your life periodically because it's all well and good for you to, you know, do yoga once a week and then the rest of the week be freaking out. No, that's not effective. It's so important for you to have these little consistent moments, these little mindful moments throughout the day, ideally throughout the week, hopefully, so that you're able to stay in that vibe and using your mind very intentionally because, you know, blessed.

00;22;24;05 - 00;22;44;09
Speaker 1
But it's a liar. It's a liar. It does not have your goals as its top priority and has your safety right? So it's going to do everything it can to make sure that you stay where you are. And I think we talked about this in another episode of like the brighter the light, the bigger the challenge, the brighter the light, the bigger the shadow.

00;22;44;09 - 00;23;18;06
Speaker 1
And so it is really, you know, those of us, you that are here to do really big things, there is going to be work that gets to be done in order for you to recognize the value of your energy and be able to integrate all of these patterns and responses. Some people say these trauma responses of these patterns of the way that we typically tend to do things we get to change that.

00;23;18;06 - 00;23;35;07
Speaker 1
We get to love, that we get to approach it differently. We get to regulate. We get to come back to a state of expansion. You get to use your body as a tool to do that. And that's what I I'm so thrilled to help you to do so that you can show up as your purposeful powerhouse of self because that is who you truly are.

00;23;35;12 - 00;23;57;16
Speaker 1
And the beautiful benefit of of all of this is that evolution of self. And that is what we get to do and what I get to support you with and what I hope that you found insightful and helpful here. So until next time. Love you so, so much. Make sure to grab the free session from the link below and let me know how it goes for you.

00;23;57;16 - 00;24;03;10
Speaker 1
I would love to know how you feel after I see you. Take care. Bye bye.

00;24;03;13 - 00;24;22;28
Speaker 2
Thank you so much for listening. I hope you really enjoyed this episode and got a lot out of it. Please let me know what landed for you by taking a screenshot and sharing your takeaways on your Instagram stories. Make sure to tag me at I am Megan Nolan for a shout out and future episodes and.

00;24;23;00 - 00;24;24;24
Speaker 1
Don't forget to grab.

00;24;24;24 - 00;24;33;29
Speaker 2
All the goodies that we mentioned during the episode because you're going to love them. So all the links are in the show notes. So until next time. Cheers to.

00;24;33;29 - 00;24;36;13
Speaker 1
You. Living on purpose every day.