Managing Stress In A Small Business
Managing stress in a small business can be exhausting. With deadlines looming on near-daily basis and the pressure of potentially making or breaking a company, many working professionals find themselves constantly running on fumes.
Stress is not only exhausting for you personally, but can have serious consequences for your business as well. The good news is that there are physical ways to cope with stress, mental ways as well as emotional ways, therefore you can choose the right remedy for you and your business.
This article is intended to help small business owners who are experiencing a hectic work schedule, do not plan enough time for themselves, the demands of their company or those of their family, have high levels of stress and need to work on finding solutions.
I have listed below ten ways to manage stress in a small business. These are not listed in any particular order and everyone will have their own ways of dealing with stress. Please feel free to choose the ones that appeal most to you.
1. Planning time for yourself away from the business: This can be anything from an hour each day, once a week or more depending on your needs. This can be used as time for personal development, exercise or just some quiet time to enjoy the company of someone special in your life (your family, friends or spouse). It is your time to do what you wish so do not feel guilty about spending it doing something you enjoy even if it has nothing directly to do with the business.
People who do not plan time for themselves, can find that they are often resentful of the time they spend working on the business and also with their family or friends. You will find that you are more productive in your personal and business life when you have planned and allowed for time to relax.
2. Setting a realistic schedule for yourself: This can be a weekly or even daily schedule, depending on you needs. Include all of the various tasks that need to be done in the business on this schedule such as phone calls, talking with clients, emailing associates and also include items like exercise, meal times and other necessary appointments. If you find that the schedule is often full and you are simply too busy to do everything on it, you may have to consider either cutting out some items or adding others that will be important for your well being.
3. Setting goals for yourself: Think about how stress can take its toll on a business and especially on you as the owner. If you find yourself constantly tired, stressed out with no time for your family or having difficulty coping with the demands of your business, you should set some goals for your business and also some personal goals for yourself.
Goals are important to focus on within a company and also personally because they give us direction; without them we can flounder aimlessly through life. Once you have planned your goals, make sure that you go through each one and write it down. This will help keep you focused on what you are trying to achieve. You may want to give yourself rewards when you achieve short term goals that lead toward your long term goal.
4. Prevent stress with regular exercise: When we work an eight hour day, then do not plan time for our well being, eating high amounts of junk food and not exercising, we are inviting stress into our lives on a regular basis. Exercise is an important element of managing stress and also has other physical benefits such as improved circulation, weight loss and increased muscle tone which can help banish the bloat from your midsection!
5. Learn to cope with stress: Stress can be a difficult foe threatening to take over our lives and destroy our health. Learning ways to cope with stress is a valuable skill that you can use in your business as well as personally. Some of the things that can help are learning breathing techniques, working out, listening to soothing music and even spending time with those who will make you feel better.
6. Connecting with others: Sometimes it is the people around us that bring on the stress rather than anything we do ourselves. This is often true in small business; trying to manage multiple projects, clients and employees at once can cause us a lot of stress. If you find that others around you are causing you stress that is not needed, it might be time to talk with them. If the person has a problem with how you handle the stress, then it might be time to learn other ways to cope with it.
Sometimes it is difficult for us to cope with something in certain people and we have to decide if we can overcome this obstacle or not and if not, then what other avenues would we need to explore.
7. Remembering why you started your business in the first place: Small business ownership isn't easy, but there are many benefits too. If you find that you are finding it difficult to cope with the stress of owning a business, try to remember what benefits you see from being your own boss. You might even want to take some time for yourself each week if things are getting to much for you; you never know, this might just make it easier for you to work long hours - always a good idea!
8. Caring for your body: All of the stresses in our lives can lead to poor health and physical problems. By caring for our bodies we can give our insides a chance at fighting off stress and keeping us feeling healthy. We can do this by eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep and managing our stress.
9. Learning to relax: We all know that a few moments of relaxation during the day can do wonders for relieving stress and helping us cope with the demands at work. In fact, we can actually train our daily routine to include relaxation time as part of it. This is not only a great way to reduce stress but also gives us something we can enjoy during our day.
You do not have to relax in one particular way, you can try different ones until you find the method that suits your needs best.
Conclusion:
Small business owners can often find themselves stressed out, tired and burned out. From the pressure of their life to the challenges that they face as a small business owner, they can find themselves pushed to the limit. However, by following these suggested ideas, they will soon find that they are able to relax and be much more productive at work. This can help them deal with the stress better and lead a healthier business life as well!
If you have any questions about this article or would like to share your own ideas on how to relieve stress, please feel free to comment.