Susan McBride was riding high back in 2006. The 42-year-old author was about to publish her fourth mystery novel in a five-book series for publisher Avon. Harper Collins added another deal, that one for a young-adult series. She also bought, with her boyfriend, a three-bedroom house in a St. Louis suburb, near both of their families. Wedding bells were nigh. "I had so much happy stuff going," she recalls. "That's when the bad stuff happens."
That December, months after a clear mammogram, McBride felt odd pains in her left breast. Her doctor chalked them up to a pesky cyst, but "I knew my body was trying to tell me something," she recalls. Her dark suspicions proved out: McBride had a rare form of breast cancer, called mucinous carcinoma, and the pain was from a rather large and advanced tumor.
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With a Jan. 1 deadline looming, McBride burned hours during the holiday meeting with surgeons and scheduling appointments. One editor agreed to extend her deadline indefinitely, and another gave her a month reprieve. "I knew I had to get the books done and keep things on schedule," she recalls. No mean feat when you throw in two surgeries and six weeks of radiation treatment, five days week.
When it comes to soldiering on in the face of stress, fatigue or even life-threatening illness, McBride has plenty of company. The U.S. Family Medical Leave Act allows employees of companies with more than 50 employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for sick relatives, but many entrepreneurs and other cash-strapped, self-employed folks don't have that luxury.
How to muster the strength when physical and emotional exhaustion take hold?
McBride relied on two seemingly small but effective tricks. First, she maintained her routine. Even mundane household tasks—like dusting and washing dishes—imposed much-needed order and clarity. "It really makes you feel out of place with the whole world when you're going through treatment," McBride recalls.
Second, she looked for an ear to bend. No matter how strong you think you should be, never shoulder stress and sadness alone, advises McBride. That support can come from all sorts of people, even those you're not completely close to. While McBride had plenty of support from her family and close friends, "I met other writers who were cancer survivors and they really kept me going," she says. Indeed, even as she grew weary from the radiation, McBride managed to meet her new deadlines. Her fifth mystery novel, Too Pretty To Die, was published in February 2008, and her Harper Collins effort, The Debs, followed in August. Best of all: Three years later, she's still cancer free.
Weathering fatigue is about serious physical preparation too. Consider yourself an "entrepreneurial athlete," says Jim Loehr, performance psychologist and founder of Human Performance Institute, an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm and author of 13 books on boosting human performance. It's a good buzzword, but the real challenge is sticking to healthy habits as the hour grows later and the pressures mount.
"When people are entering a high-stress period, they don't sleep and don't exercise, but in fact, it should be just the opposite," says Loehr. "[Exercise] helps them clear the emotional channel." Even if you're ill, physical activity at a lower level will help you beat it, he adds.
When it comes to sleep, getting those seven to eight recommended hours may not be feasible. If you're trying to decide between a few more winks or reps, you're better off hitting the gym, says Loehr. Those who exercise need less sleep—and they sleep more deeply when they do.
As for eating, try to consume around three or four meals a day and two snacks—bananas and peanut butter work well—and never go more than four hours without sustenance, says Loehr. Avoid sugary drinks, candy or any other glucose boosters: After all, what goes up must come down, and you'll come down even harder if you're already overtired.
If you're really desperate for a boost in the 11th hour, stick with coffee or tea rather than soda and energy drinks, which come with a sugar slump, says Helen Pak, registered dietitian with Bay Area Nutrition in Campbell, Calif. And caffeine will work best if you're not used to it, so try to lay off the java throughout the day.
Finally, avoid over-the-counter "alertness aids" like NoDoz and Vivarin, which are overloaded with caffeine. While not addictive, says Pak: "Those pills can be counterproductive, since they make you jittery and decrease your concentration and ability to focus."
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