Today’s guest post comes from Craig Brown of Your Career Boost. Brown, an HR expert, provides expertise on ways stress reduction and achieving business goals.
Entrepreneurs often have a high threshold for the ups and downs of business ownership. Living with unpredictability is a bit of an occupational hazard for entrepreneurs, but that does not preclude them from experiencing stress and anxiety. Whether you are working to launch a startup or trying to grow an existing business, the pandemic has increased stress levels.
Considering all the stress, entrepreneurs may wish to reduce tensions with intentional, mindful practices. Reducing stress levels is key for improving quality of life for entrepreneurs. A great way to start is by taking an inventory of the way stress impacts daily life. Below are some tips to help you cut down on those stress levels.
Reducing Stress and Achieving Business Goals
Identifying the Impact of Stress
It may be worthwhile to consider scheduling a physical to find out how your health is faring from increased stress levels. Blood work can be a useful indicator of cortisol levels, and stress tests can indicate cardiovascular impact if your doctor deems it necessary. Steps you can take at home include observing areas of tension within your body and using progressive relaxation exercises to bring attention to those areas and consciously relax those muscles to reduce stress.
Often when stress arises, we push it down and avoid it, but sometimes it lies in wait, taking up space in our subconscious minds. Take an inventory of your emotional stress. Are there aspects of your business that you worry about most? Try some guided meditations for stress reduction. There are thousands of options on YouTube that you can access for free. Try to incorporate mindfulness into varying aspects of your routine to make stress reduction part of daily living.
Daily Mindfulness
When practiced routinely, mindful living can become nearly automatic. You do not need a meditation room or a ton of time on your hands; mindfulness can be incorporated into activities of daily life, it just requires you to tune in to your experiences in the present moment. Mindful eating is a great example of how to incorporate this relaxation strategy into daily life.
Mindful eating allows you to slow down an everyday process into an observational sensory experience. You may be surprised at how differently your food tastes when you savor it and experience the varying sensory factors involved. As you participate in mindful eating, also consider other mindfulness strategies such as taking a mindful walk in which you tune in to your surroundings and use your senses to stay fully engaged in the moment. Even daily tasks such as doing the dishes can become a mindfulness exercise; the key is slowing down the moment and being present for it, which reduces the mental clutter and stress. Choices in your business practices can also bring stress relief for business owners.
Stress-Reducing Business Practices
Stress may be more manageable when business practices are simplified. Delegating tasks is a great way to simplify and de-stress daily business life. Consider delegating non-managerial tasks to a trusted employee and hire freelancers or contractors to complete tasks that require a specialty, such as marketing, developing a website, or accounting needs. Create time during each day to unplug from the business, shut off your phone and do something to relieve pent-up stress, such as walking, yoga, or meditation.
Even the way you set up your business can impact stress levels. If you’re in the early stages of becoming a COVIDpreneuer, consider running your business in a way to reduce stress. There are apps that tackle virtually every day-to-day task so you can ease your workload and focus on more important things. For example, when it’s time to do payroll, Quickbooks makes it easy with auto forms, auto payments and auto tax filing. They even offer tax penalty protection up to $25,000 if you’re penalized for any reason by Uncle Sam, which is bound to take a load off your mind.
Whether you are just starting out or have been a business owner for many years, you can reduce your stress and continue to achieve your business goals.
Image link: https://pixabay.com/photos/frustrated-business-frustration-4201046/
Image credit: Pixabay.com
Craig Brown
Craig Brown has worked in HR for several years and has plans to launch his own recruiting agency. He thrives on helping others achieve their career dreams and started Your Career Boost to share the best job-related resources on the web.
