April is Stress Awareness Month
Did you know that April has been designated as Stress Awareness Month since 1992? Unfortunately, many business owners are all too aware of their stress levels on a daily basis. However, they might be less aware of possible solutions or coping mechanisms. Many of us have become used to living in a permanent stressed-out state.
Stress is a cornerstone of American life. According to the American Institute of Stress, up to 94% of workers feel chronically stressed during their time at work. When you’re running a business, stress can be almost impossible to escape. When your day is spent budgeting, planning, marketing, developing new products, and trying to keep your employees and customers happy, you’re constantly under pressure to perform and deliver.
Why Do I Need To Reduce My Stress Level?
If you’re living under constant stress but keeping your head above water, do you need to make any changes? The answer is yes! Even if you’re managing to survive, stress can have many harmful effects over time, including:
Social isolation
Physical problems like obesity and heart disease
Depression
Burnout
Mental health crises
Difficulty with emotional control
Turning to destructive coping mechanisms
If you’re constantly stressed out, your business and your quality of life will suffer the consequences. Are you feeling exhausted from running your own company? We’ve got a few proven stress-relief techniques to share with you!
Strengthen Your Social Support Network
When you feel alone, it’s easier for stress to take a toll on your well-being. Surrounding yourself with supportive people is one of the best ways to fight the stress of running a business. Take a close look at your relationships. Are you spending time with people who drain you or people who make you feel empowered and energized? You might not choose to cut ties completely with people who aren’t supporting you. However, you may want to adjust your priorities so that you’re spending more time with people who build you up.
Friends and family are essential, but if you’re running a business, you also need the support of others who are on the same journey. How do you connect with other busy professionals? Your local or state chamber of commerce can be a great place to find other business owners. You may want to look for your former classmates on professional social media networks. Their background is similar to yours, and they may be on a similar career path. Joining a professional organization for those in your industry and attending conferences can also help you spark connections. Try to establish at least one professional mentor who can help you stay grounded when things get tough.
Prioritize Diet And Exercise
When your calendar is too full, it becomes very tempting to skip your gym session. After all, you could knock out some emails or schedule a work meeting during that time slot instead. However, exercise is a powerful stress reliever, and it can also reduce the harmful impacts of the stress you experience. Exercise often boosts your levels of endorphins, the powerful transmitters that make you feel good.
Let’s be realistic–there will be days when you just can’t do a full-length workout. To keep your momentum going, commit to at least a few minutes of exercise every day. Keep a pair of dumbbells or a medicine ball near your desk, and use them when you have a couple of minutes to spare. If you’ve got ten or fifteen minutes, take a lap around your house, apartment building, or office. You don’t have to be inside a gym or wearing special clothes to reap the benefits of exercise!
Be kind to yourself when it comes to your diet, too. You might not have time to chop vegetables or scrub pots and pans after a long workday. However, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with takeout every night. Take advantage of meal kits and subscription services that can help you eat healthy with minimal effort. On your busiest days, try to keep some no-frills snacks like almonds, apple slices, or cheese sticks close at hand!
Delegate Responsibilities To Employees You Can Trust
When you’re personally invested in the success of your business, it can be hard to share the driver’s seat with anyone else. After all, you’re the one who’s taken on the most risk, and you also stand to gain the most reward if your business succeeds.
Unfortunately, trying to do it all yourself will probably lead to burnout. It’s vital to find partners and employees who can help you carry some of the weight. If you find it hard to delegate, consider forming SMART goals with your employees. Agreeing on metrics that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound can help. SMART goals can help you and your employees manage expectations and measure the success of your delegation efforts.
It’s also important to keep delegation at the forefront of your mind when you’re hiring. As you interview candidates, determine whether they can work on meaningful tasks with minimal supervision. If not, they may add stress to your life instead of reducing it.
Partner With Marketing Experts To Keep Your Workload Manageable
When you find a marketing team, you can trust, a huge weight drops off your shoulders. On the other hand, hiring inexperienced marketers can lead to even more stress. If your marketing team is taking a one-size-fits-all approach, you run the risk of damaging your brand. You’ll be stuck with the cleanup, of course! Working with marketers who don’t communicate well can also be a nightmare, even if they have strong technical skills.
You need a team with enough experience and insight to develop a personalized marketing strategy for your business. Personalized Creative is different. We understand that your business is as unique as you are, and we can partner with you to create a unique marketing strategy. We believe in clear communication, in-depth market research, and the power of customer engagement. Want to learn more? Send us a message today!