April is Stress Awareness Month. As driven entrepreneurs, members of EO are quite aware of the high-level stress involved in running and growing a company — and many have developed unique ways of mitigating its potentially damaging effects. Managing stress is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle and strong leadership.

In part one of our three-part series about mitigating stress (check out part two and part three), we asked EO members to share their fresh perspectives on go-to stress reduction techniques, quirky daily rituals, or lesser-known techniques and hacks to alleviate stress in daily life. Here’s what they shared:

An Uplifting Morning Routine

“I wake up in the morning, read my Bible for spiritual inspiration, practice yoga for 10-15 minutes, then do a 10-minute meditation or morning prime with Tony Robbins. Next, I time-block my morning using Grant Cardone’s 10x Planner — all before I open a single email. It gets my mindset right before the craziness of the day begins! Finding a mind, body, and spiritual morning routine to properly align my mindset for the day has radically changed both my personal and professional life!”

— Rami Kalla, EO Arizona, president, Point in Time Studios

Own Your Stress to Resolve It

“After my son passed away unexpectedly, I went to a retreat in Thailand where I met Rajesh, a former monk, who helped me through that trauma. I still work with him remotely. He brings a different perspective of learning to be present as the core message in dealing with traumas and anxieties via understanding yourself and your mind. My favorite message from Rajesh: My stress is mine to resolve.

“It means you must resolve stress by taking away the blame or reasons for the stress and focusing on your abilities to accept and resolve your issues. Simple, but powerful.”

— Tina Hamilton, EO Philadelphia, founder and CEO, myHR Partner

Adventure Dialing 

“One of my stress-busters is daydreaming on the phone with a friend about an upcoming trip together. I need the escape, and my friend on the other end of the line likely does as well! We’ll plan outlandish trips or laugh about past escapades. It’s our way of escaping the grind for a bit and remembering more adventures await. That little escape helps me come back to my tasks with a fresh perspective and a lighter heart.”

— Trevor McCandless, EO Puerto Rico, founder and CEO, Fusion CPA

Forget Balance; Go for Focus

“I’ve been able to reduce stress and achieve balance by rejecting the idea of balance! There is no balanced life as an entrepreneur — there are times of crisis, times of intense focus, downtimes, and in-between times. As a former professional actor and improviser, that’s the schedule I love. The key was to realize that my personal life would also look a bit like my professional life and embrace it. 

“Many days a week, I’m a fantastic CEO: visiting clients, closing deals, creating new service lines, interviewing potential employees, and sweating spreadsheets. On those days, I’m a not a great spouse, mother, community member, or friend. I set expectations with my family and friends in advance, and do a lot in advance to ensure they have everything they will need. On other days, I’m an amazing spouse and mother: cooking, helping with homework, and planning vacations or date nights.

“There isn’t balance, there’s focus. Be completely present and focused with the people in your room at that moment. And be sure your priorities even out in the long run — you have to schedule your priorities, not prioritize your schedule. YOU have control.”

— Karen Hough, EO Columbus, founder and CEO, ImprovEdge

Plan Vacations in 15-minute Increments

“When there’s too much on my calendar and very little I can do about it in the short term, I find joy in taking small steps to plan a future vacation.

“I take a deep breath and look for one or two weeks to claim as vacation. Sometimes it’s three to six months’ away, buy that’s fine! Once I have the magical date range, I celebrate that small win.

“During the coming months, I research ideal destinations and activities that fit my timetable. Even if all I get is a 15-minute investment in planning part of the perfect trip (or identifying projects to offload before then), I experience the joy of anticipation.

“This strategy helps me get through stress, move forward with my life exploration goals, and carve out recharge time.”

— Cal Al-Dhubaib, EO Cleveland, CEO and AI Strategist, Pandata (acquired by Further)

Remember Your Purpose

“I believe stress comes from forgetting your purpose in life. When you know and remember your life’s purpose, then you understand that every challenge, setback, and step up is all for a reason: To make you more of who you are meant to become. 

“I come back to my purpose on a daily basis, starting the night before. I write down three goals to accomplish the next day, write my hour-by-hour schedule, and my five-year goals right before going to sleep. This allows my subconscious mind to go through my whole day while I am sleeping. When I wake up, I have a clear direction and purpose for the day. The writing stays in front of me throughout the day so that when a challenge arises, I go back to my plan. 

“When you are guided, nothing can get you down.”

— Ruben Resendez, EO Silicon Valley, founder and CEO, adHere

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.