Ways for Business Owners to Cope with Stress

Written By: Paul Dalton, The Offices of Paul Dalton

Your entrepreneurial nature led you to tackle the world of small business. Your innovative thoughts, determination to succeed and seemingly endless energy converged to take on a myriad of challenges to begin this journey. And, while you are focused on things like growing your customer base, revenue, and reputation, who focuses on you and the associated fatigue and stress that happens when you are trying to accomplish so much? Starting your own business will challenge you on a number of levels, but learning to effectively deal with the stresses of change and growth will have a positive influence on you and ultimately your business.
Stress is your body’s reaction to a change in your environment. Our bodies are equipped to handle certain levels of stress, however, when you start to experience the physical and emotional effects of too much stress, your behavior can change as well. Using destructive strategies to deal with stress can be harmful not only to yourself, but potentially to your business. In order to better prepare you for this exciting adventure of new opportunities, it is important to understand the impact of stress and how to best manage it.
There are various mechanisms that can serve as stress relievers. Over time, we tend to develop our own coping strategies. However, it is important to understand that what we feel is the right strategy for us, may not be the most beneficial and can even be harmful to ourselves or those around us. The following strategies are examples of destructive or unhealthy coping mechanisms.
  • High-risk alcohol use
  • Drug use
  • Eating disorders
  • Excessive spending
  • Isolation
Unfortunately, at best these coping mechanisms may serve as temporary stress relievers, but ultimately leave us feeling more stressed.
A more constructive way to deal with stress is through healthy coping stills that prepare and provide long-term reliefs. This can be accomplished through emotional, cognitive and behavioral tactics that we can implement when faced with stressful situations. Constructive coping skills can range from:
  • Reading
  • Being outdoors
  • Exercising
  • Listening to music
  • Spending time with loved ones
  • Cooking
  • Or, even just deep breathing
Practicing and implementing healthy coping skills will allow you to better adapt to your ever-changing environment and maintain a positive perspective in stressful situations. With any skill we acquire, it takes practice to fully develop it. The more you practice the healthy coping skills the better equipped you will be. “Positivity and stress management have been my keys to success in business.”, says Dr. Pelphrey of Pelphrey Chiropractic in Lexington.
As a small business owner, you are in charge of making essential decisions, alone. At times, the responsibility of these decisions can feel overwhelming. Sharing your concerns and daily stresses with professionals can help provide perspective and relief. Whether you are already practicing constructive coping skills and need help honing them or need help moving to more positive adaptive behavior, talking with a professional can help you achieve your personal goals.

To learn more about managing stress, visit The Offices of Paul Dalton on Google , Yelp or their website.

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