What if I told you there was an entire column missing from your profit and loss statement? This sentence definitely shocks you a little.

Now, what if I say, “Are you calculating the effects of your business as a result of physical and mental health?” I bet this question probably doesn't have the same effect.

It's easy to hide things that aren't measurable on paper. You can't put a number on a “panic attack” or “16-hour day,” so it can't be deducted from your loss column. But the hard truth is that we pay for these things. They are called Emotions taxes and are the ones your CPA won't count on your Schedule C because these are things we pay for using our most precious, wisest, and often ignored currency: our health.

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What is emotional tax?

Think of the emotional toll as the exchange of energy and value. If you are impoverished, this exchange of persons or project is a cost. If you are full of energy and have received value, the exchange is a plus or profit. However, emotional tolls cannot be measured by a single example, because stress triggers and emotional toll are unique to the entrepreneur or leader.

An example is constant conversations with team members about performance and nothing changes. You have gone through the formal route where you have documented the issue and they have accepted it. But somehow, you're still square. Each of these conversations begins to compound interest in your emotional spending.

In 2023, I took many roads. When I looked back at the end of the year, I realized that most of the stress I had experienced was related to keeping on a path of lead generation in my business. This path made sense when I started and my business was in its infancy. But six years later, my business had grown exponentially and my team had quadrupled. Trying to juggle everything caused a ripple effect of suffocation, resentment, and feelings of neglect from those I cared about. And when I stopped, I realized a hard truth – I just didn't enjoy this way of working anymore. I finished paying emotional toll.

If you're ready to stop paying your emotional toll, here are three practical ways to identify how to lower your emotional toll—and what to do next.

1. Start with your strengths and weaknesses

Emotional intelligence it's a term we've become very familiar with as entrepreneurs thinking about our leadership capacity and how we relate to our team members. But you can also turn those principles on yourself. Mindfulness is knowing your biggest stressors because these can reveal your weaknesses.

A quick way to identify them is to make a two-column list. In the left column, write down the most stressful aspects of your job, the things that make your stomach turn when you know you have to deal with them. In the right column, write the things you like best about your job.

Note which column is longer. If your left column is overflowing, then it's time for something to change. Try and identify what features the items in that column have in common. Brainstorm ways to delegate your weaknesses to someone who has those strengths.

Running a business isn't going to be a bed of roses all the time, so eliminating all your stressors is a no-brainer. But it also doesn't have to be miserable or emotionally draining. If you aim for a better balance between your columns, you'll start to see the weight of the emotional toll distributed in a way that's easier on you and the business as a whole.

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2. Include peak time

Rush hour is a fancy way of saying “give yourself space.” It's setting aside a certain amount of time to collect your thoughts, evaluate your business and see what's working, what needs fixing, and checking in on your physical and mental health. Maybe it's a week every month , maybe it's just One day a month or two hours a month is great.

You can also customize the settings to work in harmony with the nature of your life and business. For me, I schedule this time in advance on the company calendar so my team knows I'm effectively out of the office. I turn off email notifications and keep my phone on silent so I know the space I need to think deeply is free of distractions.

Many entrepreneurs do this as a year-end internship, which is great for big-picture thinking. Most frequent personal and the health of the company Records can help identify the cyclical nature of life and work.

3. Learn how to say “no”

In my early days as an entrepreneur, I forgot this word existed. and if it did, I definitely didn't think I could use it. Turn away potential business? Hell, no! I was rushing and trying to gain momentum. It was the season of “pove”. And that was okay – then, at least.

Once my media company started gaining traction and clients were coming to me, I still wasn't ready to put the brakes on. It took a model of continuous overload and that feeling of immediately pulling in 17 directions for me to realize I was firing on cylinders that didn't even exist.

Here's what I learned the hard way: It was time to grow my support team, and it was time to exercise my right to it. say no.” Yes, hiring and delegating took time, but it was an investment in my future health, both personally and for the business that bears my name. Saying no felt weird at first, but the podcasts I produce have a certain quirky quality to them. To stay true to that ethos, I had to get comfortable being more selective.

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Becoming more emotionally intelligent with what you're taking on, what drains and energizes you, is a straight path to delegation. But like anything you successfully create in your business, it takes time and you have to spend that time. It is the rinse and repeat of awareness, reflection and setting appropriate boundaries around your energy by saying no. These are small steps that result in big changes for your business, your body, and your emotional toll.