Stress is difficult to avoid if you work for yourself or run your own company or just live life on Earth. However, it can be minimized. There is always more to do. You finish a project and there’s always another one. It’s an endless list of tasks, projects and improvements, which can be overwhelming and anxiety-inducing.
How you deal with stress can affect both your company and your personal life, so it’s important to think about and work on continually.
Where does stress come from?
Stress comes from uncertainty and there’s a lot of uncertainty in our business and personal lives. The sense of feeling out of control can be overwhelming as we feel we’re drowning in tasks, jobs and projects. At the same time all our co-workers, employees and family members are clamoring for our time.
How can we avoid stress?
First, take a break occasionally, exercise, eat right and get plenty of sleep. Basically, take care of yourself like a normal, healthy human should. All these things have been proven to lower your stress level, not to mention improving your health.
It’s easy to get in the whirlwind of tasks and forget to do the basics. Maybe we remember, but don’t prioritize them as important or put them off until after we complete a project. I know several people who get so into their projects that they forget to eat. Sometimes I get writing and don’t want to go to bed because I’m “in the zone.” At the time it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea to keep working, but that opinion quickly changes the next morning after only 4 hours of sleep.
Second, schedule as much as you can. Scheduling tasks and allotting specific time to projects and tasks removes uncertainty and can help you feel more in control, which takes a big burden off your mind.
Third, manage your finances. This may seem like an odd suggestion given a list of only 3 things but money is one of the top reasons people worry. It’s important to note that it’s not the lack of money that causes worry, but the feeling of not having control of it. Related to that is money in marriage. Couples fight about not communicating about money more than they fight over not having enough.
Most people don’t like to deal with finances, but not managing your money properly can cause a lot of stress. Having money saved can really reduce your stress as well. It’s common to avoid looking at your bank statements or bills because you don’t want to deal with them, but you mind knows they are out there waiting for you and that causes stress.
Face the Music
Dealing with your finances or other issues head on can actually make you feel more in control. Facing the music is one of the best things you can do. At one point I had a lot of debt, which was difficult to climb out of. One of the best things I did was to check my bank account and bills every morning to see how I was doing and attack it head on. This made me feel more in control, even though I didn’t always have enough money to pay all of then. I knew where I stood and could formulate a plan.
If you have money set aside for emergencies, like unexpected expenditures, big bills for your business or if you have a month or two with lower revenue, you’ll feel more confident and less stressed.
Take one step today
There are few things more stressful for a business owner than juggling money to pay the bills and meet your commitments.
Research shows that taking care of yourself and your finances and dealing with your tasks and responsibilities can greatly reduce your stress and increase your happiness. So think of one new habit you can create today to reduce your stress.