5 Simple Ways to Handle High Level Stress

If you were to list the most stressful jobs in the world, running a small business (any small business) would surely be near the top. After all, you’re in charge, you’re probably wearing a dozen hats and you haven’t had a vacation in as long as you can remember. It’s easy to let your stress level skyrocket. But, for obvious reasons like your health and the ongoing success of your company, it’s important that you take measures to reduce your stress and anxiety. Here are five simple ways to do so.

Assess the Situation and Take Control – When you first started your business you inevitably created a detailed business plan that took into account things like growth and finances. When we lose sight of these details we begin to feel stressed. Take a step back and review your plan. Update it if need be. Take the time to assess the current state of your company, develop a clear plan for the future and take control of that plan. Once you regain that control you’ll see your stress level drop dramatically.

Schedule and Manage Your Time – It can be tempting to tackle every new problem as soon as it comes through the door, but doing so can leave you feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Develop a schedule and stick to it so that your time is managed in a way that is productive and lets you maintain your sanity.

Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate – Your business is your baby – a concept that you nurtured and put your blood, sweat and tears into. As such, it can be hard to hand over the reins to someone else and trust that they’ll do the job as good as you. But if you continue to hoard every responsibility, you’ll quickly burn yourself out and your business will ultimately suffer. Pick a few tasks that you feel most comfortable divvying out to members of your team and let them take some of the weight off your shoulders.

Prioritize – If you start every day with a huge list of things to accomplish but no clear direction on what’s most important, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed. Create a to-do list which lists the items in order of importance. Then, just tackle each thing on the list consecutively. That way if you don’t get to everything you wanted to, at least you’ll know the most critical tasks were taken care of.

Be Positive – I know it sounds cliché, but a positive attitude can make a huge difference in your overall mental health. If you feel dragged down by the day to day drudgery of things, take a few moments to reflect on why you started your business in the first place. This will help reignite the passion that you once had and give you the motivation to keep pushing forward.

While there’s no magical formula to take away all the stress that goes along with running a small business, these five simple steps can help you manage your emotions and stay positive so that you (and your company) can avoid a disastrous burn out and survive to see another day.

Labels: small business tips