Are you always sick and just can’t seem to get over it? Are you having trouble concentrating? Do you have a constant headache that just won’t go away? Are you having trouble sleeping well? Chances are you are over-stressed; and being a business owner, the likely cause of that stress is your business!
‘Stress’ is not an inherently bad thing. When stress is within your comfort zone, it can help you to stay focused, energetic, and alert. It can help you perform under pressure, motivate you to do your best, and even keep you safe in dangerous situations. Stress is what keeps you alert during a presentation to a new client, or drives you to study for an exam.
But beyond your comfort zone, stress stops being helpful and can lead to a host of serious mental and physical health problems. The way most of us run our businesses these days, we can be so used to operating at a high level of stress that we don’t even realise the damage we are doing.
There are some daily things you can do to alleviate your stress levels to a healthier, more sustainable level:
- Move your body often. If you primarily sit at a desk, don’t sit for more than an hour. If your tasks involve a lot of standing, move to a different position or take a short walk outside.
- Listen to music that energizes you and makes you feel good.
- Visualize your next holiday destination or your favourite place to relax. This has the effect of switching your brain to a different ‘gear’ and can make you feel peaceful.
- Assess your diet and ensure you are not ‘stress eating’. Many people crave sweet, empty calorie foods when they are stressed. Instead, ensure you are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, and drinking lots of water.
- Get enough sleep. For those of us with younger children, this can be easier said than done! But most of us are aware that good quality sleep is best had by going to bed well before midnight, and limiting the use of screens in the hours before bed.
As articulated so well by Sydney J. Harris: “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
