Minimising and Managing Stress For Business Owners
Stress less.
For business owners, stress is often an unavoidable aspect of the job. It’s coming your way whether you like it or not—but how you respond to and manage it can make a big difference.
Read on to equip yourself to stress less.
Why manage stress?
Managing stress and minimising it as much as possible is important for reasons beyond making life a little easier. Extreme or extended stress has very real health consequences: this scientific journal article which reviews some of the stress responses and their effects notes that it “can be either a triggering or aggravating factor for many diseases and pathological conditions.”
The harmful tendrils of stress touch a wide array of bodily functions. It can adversely affect sleep, cognitive function, mental health, immunity, and more. This UK biobank study even suggests that stress can affect the very structure of the brain.
The research is clear: prolonged stress is bad news! If your work tends to have you under the pump on a regular basis this is definitely something you should be addressing.
Tips for stressing less
If you’re feeling the effects of stress, read on—these are some simple but effective steps you can take to prevent and manage it.
Identify your stressors
Knowing what causes you stress is a great place to start. For some, deadlines are a major trigger. Others thrive on that pressure! There might be particular people who you find it hard to interact with, or even certain sounds that make your heart race. Often, uncertainty about a particular project or aspect of your work is very stressful.
Take note of when you feel tense or begin to experience physical symptoms such as an increased heart rate, headaches, sweaty hands, trouble sleeping, etc. You could even keep a diary to link stressors and symptoms together.
Figure out how to respond in a healthy way
Look, it might be tempting to chug another coffee and ingest as much sugar as possible to get you through a stressful day, but in the long run that’s not helpful (sorry).
What actually helps might change a bit from person to person, but here are some good options:
Go for a short walk.
Take a break from what you’re doing and work on something else for a while.
Engage in a spot of meditation.
Drink water and stretch.
Mindfully relax all your muscles one by one.
Go to bed early.
These are all short-term responses you can use immediately or within the same day. However, there are some longer-term stress management strategies you can incorporate into your routines to help in a more holistic way, such as:
Take up a form of exercise you love. A sport, regular walks, lifting weights, dancing: whatever it is, it will help to improve both your physical and mental wellness which is a great protector against stress.
Work on ensuring your diet is balanced and nutritious. More whole foods, plenty of protein, lots of vegetables—less caffeine, sugar, and alcohol.
Take time to establish and maintain your social connections. Feeling isolated is not good for stress management, so prioritise your friends and family.
Make friends with boundaries
All of the healthy responses and stress management strategies sound great, but most of us will spot the problem here: when are you gonna find time for all that?
The key is having boundaries around your work so that it does not take over your life. If you’re a business owner, this is extra challenging—but certainly something to work on. It might look like turning your notifications off at a certain time, saying “no” to additional responsibilities when you know they will overwhelm you, and ensuring that your weekends and holidays remain work-free. It could also mean putting clear limits on relationships with colleagues or clients.
Seek support
If managing your stress is proving difficult, it might be time to ask your doctor for help and resources. Counselling is a good way to equip yourself to manage stress, and you may be eligible for free sessions with a referral from your doctor.
The Groov app is a great free resource. It encourages and guides users to focus on their wellbeing every day, building resiliency and protecting against stress.
Consider your workload
One of the most practical ways you can manage stress is to take some things off your plate. Cut it off at the source! For a lot of business owners, this means delegating work to other team members or outsourcing it to experts: bookkeeping, customer communication, scheduling, general administration, and digital marketing are all easy to pass on to experts who can do it much more efficiently—like the Released team.
We wish you mental clarity and wellness in your work! If you have some tasks that you’d like to hand off, book a quick chat with Kellie and let’s talk about how we can help.
