Ideas for Reducing Your Stress Levels as A Small Business Owner

The challenges that come with running a small business aren’t always related to how you satisfy your customers or the criteria you use to hire personnel. In some cases, the struggles you face tend to be a little bit more personal.

Often, small business owners have no option but to sacrifice quality time with their loved ones to enable them to build the business. But while the intentions are good, the added stress that comes with overworking and missing out on your favorite pastimes can add up.

As shown by this study conducted by Small Biz Silver Lining, up to 75 percent of startup and

small business owners have expressed concerns about their mental health. Of this, 56 percent have already received a diagnosis for stress, anxiety, and depression.

Below, we will look at how owning a business can be stressful, how it can hurt your business,

and the various ways in which you can benefit from performing stress relief techniques. Here are a few ways business owners can reduce their stress:

What Are Some of the Stresses of Small Business Ownership?

You can’t escape the fact that running a small business comes with its share of stressful

situations. However, there are a few steps that you can take to address the issues that may

cause stress.

Examples of issues that may cause stress for a small business owner include:

1. Managing Personnel and Team: No matter your industry, the people working with you and for you are your most important resource. It, therefore, shouldn’t come as a surprise to note that staff management is one of the most common stress triggers among business owners.

2. Administration: Bureaucracy can impact company growth, a fact most business owners know all too well. According to the Federation for Small Businesses, the average entrepreneur spends up to 70 hours per month dealing with employment contracts, reliefs, and tax returns.

3. Time Pressure: Running a small business is a time-consuming affair. Given the many number of things that you must complete on any given day, you’re likely to end up feeling as though there aren’t enough hours to get it all done. In the long run, this may force you to work well into the night.

4. Impostor Syndrome: It’s not uncommon for small business owners to feel like impostors. For many, this is because they have to wear multiple hats and deal with a variety of issues on an ongoing basis. If you fail to care for yourself, all these curve balls coming your way could make you feel unqualified.

How Can Stress Hurt the Way You Run Your Small Business?

Tension can hurt much more than your emotional and mental state. It can lead to unwanted

weight gain, among other health-related issues. For a small business owner, stress can hurt

how you run your venture in the following ways:

• Isolation: The fact that you have to deal with multiple issues as you build the brand may leave you feeling alone and isolated, even when in the company of your personnel.

• Burnout: You may experience burnout due to prolonged exposure to stress, which is likely to manifest as emotional exhaustion.

• Fear: Every entrepreneur has their strengths and weaknesses. Lacking confidence in some

areas can cause you to start overworking in an attempt to avoid failure. This type of fear can

cause a disruption in the business and affect its workflow.

How Can You Benefit from Stress Techniques as a Small Business Owner?

Recognizing stressors is an excellent first step to getting your mental health sorted out. It

enables you to prepare for when they might come along, ensuring they don’t catch you flat-

footed.

Some of the things you can do to keep stressful situations at bay include:

• Learning to say ‘No.’

• Prioritizing self-care

• Putting systems in place to help structure your daily activities

• Making changes to your diet

• Delegating tasks to your personnel

Stress management can benefit your small business immensely. When leadership fails to model proper work-life balance and stress management, the workforce will likely become affected as well. This will result in increased absenteeism, which translates to reduced productivity.

Try to lead by example. Learn how to manage the stress of running a small business, and then ensure your people have the tools they need to destress. The results of such an approach are a happier workplace environment and a successful business venture.