Negosentro | Coping With the Stress of Managing a Startup | Managing a business has its perquisites and drawbacks. The first few years are usually the most difficult. On the one hand, you are excited at the prospects of what you can achieve with the business. On the other, you are battling everyday challenges with little to no money and expertise. It might get hard, or worse, cause stress. As the owner or manager, your presence and input are necessary during these pioneering years. Manage your stress levels so that you can be at your best in managing the business.
What are the Side Effects of Stress?
Affects Your Focus
When stressed, your body goes to panic mode, which in turn affects your ability to focus. You might find it challenging to generate ideas or work.
Reduces Your Productivity
Stress makes you feel like you are losing control. Imagine your business having no sales, problems in operations, and a loan to service by the end of the month. Your enthusiasm and motivation might start to decline, which eventually will affect your productivity.
Affects Your Decision-making
Research presented at the University of Southern California concluded that stress affects your ability to make the right financial decisions. According to the study, men tend to make riskier decisions when stressed, while women become conservative. Under normal conditions, both genders have a healthy appetite for risk. Stress also causes one to be irritable, which affects your judgment and leadership towards your team.
Causes Depression
Chronic stress is one of the major causes of depression. The brain responds to stress by releasing cortisol, a hormone that triggers the fight or flight mode. During this period, the brain inhibits the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine that regulate energy, appetite, and motivation. Your motivation to perform tasks reduces, and your self-esteem drops.
Elevates Risk of High Blood Pressure
The effect of stress on high blood pressure can be direct or indirect. The direct link is through the release of stress hormones that narrow your blood vessels and increase your heart rate and blood pressure. These hormones prepare your body to act in moments of tension or adversity. The indirect link is through a behavioral change. Stress affects your appetite. You might start eating unhealthy diets or not eating at all. You might sleep more or exercise less due to a lack of motivation. In the long term, these changes in behavior elevate your risk of hypertension. Seeking medical treatment will help lower your blood pressure, consequently decreasing your risk of heart disease and stroke.
How Can You Manage Work-related Stress?
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Engage in activities that help you relax. Simple techniques like deep breathing and meditation will do. You can take periodic breaks at work to sleep or take a walk. You can exercise or practice a sport to blow off steam as well.
Share Responsibilities
Sharing responsibilities enables you to tackle adversities affecting your business while still focusing on your goals and strategies. If you have employees or partners, try to delegate tasks to them.
Formulate a Schedule
Having a schedule increases your confidence in doing tasks. It enables you to assess and divide your time accordingly. A schedule ensures you do not neglect a task at the expense of another. You should prioritize those that demand more attention and leave the rest for later.
Acknowledge What is Working
At times, you might focus so much on the negatives that you forget to appreciate the things that are going well in your business. Shifting your attention to the positives might kindle the drive needed to keep going.
