The Stress of Running a Business

The challenges of owning a business aren't always about hiring employees or satisfying customers. Sometimes, the struggles are a little more personal – and the result is usually stress. This, in turn, could affect your ability to run your business and impact your relationships with family, friends, employees, suppliers, and customers. Therefore, learning how to deal with stress may be as crucial to your long-term business success as learning how to make a profit.

The following are some other known dangers of job stress.

• Anxiety: Owning and managing a business comes with a lot of uncertainty. The fear of the unknown in business, whether about finances or management issues, can increase anxiety and pile on the stress.
  
  

• Isolation: Business owners tend to work alone as they build their brand and deal with paperwork, clientele, and other organizational tasks. When immersed in your to-do list, it's easy to isolate yourself from others, making you feel like you aren't seen – even when surrounded by employees.
  
  

• Fear: Every business owner has their strengths and weaknesses. A lack of confidence in certain areas may drive them to overwork themselves to learn or master skills or information, avoid failure, and justify their lack of trust in others. Fear like this can disrupt a team's whole dynamic and workflow.
  
  

• Burnout: It's great to be dedicated to something and work hard at it. However, when you work at an unhealthy level, it can lead to burnout. This can be due to taking on too many tasks by yourself, working excessive hours, or trying to do everything at once.

Stress Management is Important

By learning how to handle stressors, you gain more control over your life and reactions.

Managing stress is keeping a good balance between work and home, even if you work long hours.

• Set a schedule as if you were going to a regular job.

• Plan out your day in the morning.

• Write in a journal to help you stay focus

• Be clear with yourself about your top priorities and focus on the ones that will bring in business.

• Focus initially on marketing your business; don't spend all your time on administration.

• Keep reassessing your goals, and don't let things get away from you.

• Get help. Please don't do it all yourself.

• Develop a social support network of friends and family.

• Don't sacrifice relationships for your business.

• Talk to someone

• Get up early and go for a walk.

• Eat properly, and not at your desk.

• Drink lots of water.