Managing Stress As A Small Business Owner

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A 2022 survey found that nearly half of the surveyed business owners in the US felt stressed at some point in the previous 12 months, while half of respondents identified being close to burnout at the time of the survey.

Stress is a shared experience among all business owners, irrespective of the scale or type of their operations. The distinct challenges and obligations that accompany entrepreneurship often lead to heightened stress levels. This shared experience can provide a sense of camaraderie and understanding, reducing the feeling of isolation that stress can bring.

If this sounds familiar or you want to avoid falling into this trap to support your business as you need to, knowing how to tackle business stress and get yourself back on an even keel can ensure that you’re fighting fit and in the right frame of mind to support what you do with ease and not drown under the pressure of running your own business.

How can you beat small business owner stress? Read on to learn more.

Know Your Stressors

Is it the pressure of tax season that pushes your blood pressure up and leaves you tossing and turning at night? Or is the uncertainty of funding your business or a sudden change in consumer habits causing you stress? Identifying these specific stressors can be of great value when it comes to tackling stress. So, before you do anything, sit down and be honest about what is stressing you out or has the potential to increase your stress levels and what you can do to help you eliminate or reduce your stress.

Maintain A Healthy Work-Life Balance

Or if you don’t have one, find one. A healthy work-life balance enables you to close the door on your business and get some items back for yourself. This could mean setting specific work hours and sticking to them or designating certain days as ‘off’ days where you don’t check work emails or take business calls. In the early days of setting up a new business or when you expect massive growth, establishing healthy boundaries from the beginning can help you avoid falling victim to the common traps that befall small business owners, such as not switching off or giving yourself a break. But if you’ve implemented a healthy structure from the beginning, you will be well versed in learning to shut off and relax, which is massively beneficial for reducing stress levels. 

But if this isn’t you, then now is the ideal time to step away and stop because if you reach burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress, you won’t be any good to anyone. Try taking an hour away at first, when your phone is switched off and you put your out-of-office on. Then, increase by an hour; increase it to half a day, or try stopping work after a specific time, etc., until you find a balance that works for you and your business.

A Healthy Lifestyle

Easier said than done in many aspects of life for a lot of people, not just business owners. However, a healthy lifestyle is your best tool against being overwhelmed and stressed, and a healthy diet and exercise schedule can help you avoid stress and be a stress buster.

Let’s talk about a healthy diet. Eating a well-balanced diet full of whole foods with a majority of healthy choices such as lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables can fuel your body correctly, giving it the energy and support it needs to sustain what you need to do. On top of this, it can remove any feelings of sluggishness or drops in your energy level throughout the day as keeping yourself well-nourished. From here, staying adequately hydrated by drinking plenty of water can help you to stay focused, which is vital when you’re feeling stressed so you can think clearly and power through your problems to come to a suitable resolution.

In addition, trying to maintain an exercise schedule can offer you a way to burn off stress, give you a healthy outlet for your frustrations, and support a fit and healthy body that can match your lifestyle and give you the foundations to move forward and be in the best shape possible. Even if its a quick 15 minutes workout session in the office a couple of times per day. Fit something in somewhere. The more you look after yourself, the easier it will be for your body and mind to overcome stress, as you already have good foundations.

Sleep

Sleep is the cornerstone of your well-being. Without adequate rest, your ability to perform at your peak or effectively handle business challenges is compromised. Your body craves sleep, ideally 7 to 9 hours every night, to repair, rejuvenate, and process the day’s events, preparing you for the next day’s tasks.

When you sleep, so many vital functions are performed that sustain your health and wellbeing. If you’re ‘burning the candles at both ends,’ that means you’re working late into the night and getting up early in the morning. This will impact your energy levels, dietary choices, mood, and cognitive abilities, making everything seem much worse and harder to overcome than it might be in reality. 

So, if you’re feeling particularly stressed, force yourself to switch off and head to bed to see how much better you feel after a good night’s sleep.

Get A Support System I Place

When things aren’t going right or are extremely stressful, it can be tempting to take on the world alone, but that could be a recipe for disaster. Instead, try building a personal and professional support network that you can lean on when things get tough.

You might find value in a business mentor who can help you see the wood for the trees and develop solutions to your issues. You might also find that talking to a lawyer or other small business owners in your niche or local area can help you.

At home, your family and friends can be excellent confidants. You can use them to talk thoughts through, bounce ideas off, and just get help when you need it to support your mental health and allow you to navigate your stressors and your business woes.

The more help and support you have, the easier it will be for you to move forward effectively and not drown under the weight of your problems.

Set Boundaries

Do you have boundaries? If not, you need them to facilitate lower stress levels and avoid taking on more than you can handle.

It might be that you know you have reached total capacity as a business and say no to taking on more clients. You might say no to others wanting to take advantage of you or simply monopolize your time and resources.

Set limits, be firm, and remember that “no” is a full sentence. If you’re unwilling to cross lines, you must be firm and draw that line in the sand, or even better in concrete as a mruoe permanent fixture in your life. Only you can set your boundaries and limits, so understand them and be prepared to stick to your guns once you have put them in place.

Find Ways To Relax

Relaxation techniques come in many different ways, and what works for you or someone else can be wildly different. But what’s important is knowing and understanding them so you can use them to your full advantage.

Is hitting the gym the perfect way to unwind for you? If so, get out of the gym and work through your stress. Or are you fond of good food and a glass of wine to help you rest and recharge? Maybe you enjoy indulging in gaming, either video games, board games, or playing online games like sudoku? Whatever it is that helps you to unwind and release tension from your body and mind, find it and indulge in it to make you feel better. Because the more relaxed you are, the easier your worries will be to approach and deal with.

Get Help

Of course, the exact type of help you need will be dictated by the problem at hand, but there are many ways, as a small business owner, you can get help to reduce stress or move past roadblocks, keeping you up to speed.

First talk to professionals who might be able to help you. Be it a financial advisor, lawyer, or other business owner. Get the correct type of help from experts who can assist you with information or options that can help you.

Or you might need to hire employees or learn how to effectively delegate for more manageable working days and a lighter workload to help you get stuff done and improve your situation.

Implementing automation, software, or outsourcing to third-party companies could be a good compromise if you have too much on your plate and are not juggling everything well. Look at what you need help with and where, and then find resources to help you improve results and have an immediate impact on your stress levels.