7 Ways For Business Owners To Deal With Stress

The challenges of owning a business aren’t always about hiring employees or satisfying customers. Sometimes, the struggles are a little more personal. And usually, the end result is stress. Learning how to deal with stress may be as important to your long-term business success as learning how to make a profit. In fact, failing to manage stress can be detrimental to your health according to numerous studies.

Stress is a reality for everyone. As an entrepreneur running a business, you have your fair share of stresses to deal with on a day to day basis. From finding new customers, managing your current customers, financing a business, keeping your employees happy, paying your business taxes and so much more, the list of daily stressors can go on and on. However, as the owner of your business, all you can do is put a courageous smile on and move forward.

Well, a lot of entrepreneurs have a hard time stepping away and keeping their mind off their businesses. I was the same way early on until I realized it wasn’t the right way to deal with things. I found that taking time to clear my head of the day-to-day worries of running a business was just as important as being super plugged into the business.

In this post, I will share with you 7 ways for business owners to deal with stress:

1. Identify The Real Problem

Entrepreneurs often say they just need more sales or more good employees for their problems to be solved. However, this is frequently referred to as just the symptom. More often, the problem is bad marketing, bad management or poor financial management (often pricing and debt-structuring mistakes). It might take someone with more expertise to analyze the situation and identify the weaknesses and solutions. Joining a business group, interviewing new accountants or reaching out to other business professionals you respect can make a huge difference.

2. Get Comfortable Delegating Tasks

Another way to take things off your plate and de-stress is to learn how to delegate. Of course, you can’t say “no” to everyone all the time. Things need to get done for your business in order for it to run smoothly. However, that doesn’t mean that everything needs to be done by you.

Overwhelming yourself with projects and jobs is a common way to get stressed. If you can hand those jobs over to your employees, your mindset and energy levels will be much better off. As a business owner, your business is your baby. You’ve grown it from the ground up so it might be hard to hand your projects over to other people. Nevertheless, you hire competent  employees so it’s time that you trust them to get the job done. If you are a solopreneur with no employees, consider outsourcing work that other people can do for you.

3. Separate The Fear From The Anxiety

Fear is a rational and healthy emotion that keeps us from doing reckless things while keeping us focused. Some would argue that starting a business is reckless, but it’s more of a calculated risk. In business, you have to manage fear and overpower it. Whether the tight rope is 100 feet up or 1,000 feet up, it shouldn’t make much of difference. Don’t look down., look straight ahead and focus.

Anxiety, on the other hand is unwarranted and often times irrational worrying. Do your best to recognize anxiety and eliminate it from your mind. I know it’s easier said than done, but you have to do what you have to do. Go to a professional if necessary, exercise and find alternatives that can help you overcome your anxious feelings.

4. Put Some Structure In Place

Running a business is chaotic. As the owner of a business, you’re wearing multiple hats and building the future of your company. Worst of all, that future isn’t always a predictable one. Thus, whenever possible, it’s crucial to try and create some systems and order in place.

With some structure laid out, you won’t have to worry about reinventing the wheel every time you move your business forward. And for people who thrive in systems and benefit from organization, putting structure into the business might help remove clutter and unnecessary stress from their mind. Plus, when you put systems in place, it’s much easier to delegate tasks and monitor progress. When it’s easier to keep a tab on what’s going on in your business, you’ll save yourself a ton of time and headaches.

5. Think Positively

If you think negatively, you will fail. If things are so bad that you can’t move forward with the proper mindset, it might be time throw in the towel. The way you think and how strong your mind is extremely crucial to long-term success in a business. If you aren’t mentally there, don’t force your business to succeed. Work on yourself and return to the business when you’re ready.

6. Learn To Say “No”

When you’re a business owner, it’s much easier to say “yes” than it is to say “no.” You’re trying to help your business reach new heights so you’re willing to go above and beyond to satisfy other people. I had the same issue early on, but I realized that the word “yes” was very costly.

If you pile up too many things on your plate, you’ll quickly get overwhelmed by everything you have to do. If you can learn to say “no” to the things you don’t really need to do, both your stress levels and your business will be better off in the long run. By saying “no” more often, you’ll have more time and energy to execute on the things you said “yes” to.

7. Take Care Of Yourself

Taking care of yourself both physically and mentally is one of the easiest ways to manage your stress levels. You might not realize it, but staying healthy has a huge boost in your energy levels and your mental state. So, do your best to maintain a healthy diet, drink lots of water, get a good amount of sleep and get enough exercise each day. You’ll find that when you’re in great physical and mental shape, you’re much more prepared to deal with stress when it comes around.

Conclusion

Entrepreneurship is not easy and it definitely is not for everyone. It can provide great rewards, but at the same time it can also be extremely stressful. In this post, I shared with you 7 ways for business owners to deal with stress.