- Sep. 03
- Richard Parker
Workplace Stress? Techniques for Lightening Your Load
Stress is a natural part of life, and everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. While essential in a life-or-death emergency, prolonged stress can be detrimental to the human mind. When you operate your own business, daily duties and deadlines may quickly lead to stress, and if you don’t know how to cope with it, you could end up jeopardising your health, not to mention the integrity of your company.
So, to ensure that neither of these things occurs, consider the following methods for relieving stress.
Hire a Second Hand Man (Or Woman!)
Whether you manage a large or small business, you’ll have a lot on your plate to keep you going. And you shouldn’t have to do it by yourself! Every company requires a second in command to not only help with the workload but also to manage the team, step into your shoes if necessary, and back you up with employees, clients, or even investors.
Hiring a second in command might be a frightening prospect. You’re ready to place your faith in someone and let them into the empire you’ve worked so hard to create. If you don’t have somebody in the business that is close to you and aren’t sure how to go about this process, have a look at these ideas on how to choose your second in command properly.
Outsource Departments
There will be a multitude of jobs that will arise at work that will not need you to hire someone on a permanent basis, but you will still require someone to take on the responsibility. If you haven’t already, looking for a managed service provider will help take care of the majority of any IT issues you may face. Here you can read about what is a managed service provider if you’re not sure about how they could help. The same goes for other departments, from anything as small as content creation all the way to delivery drivers.
Use Time Management Tools
It’s easy to lose track of time when you have a list as long as your arm to accomplish each day. It’s even easier to become involved in a task that appears to be more important than others. However, doing so may result in an increased burden or even more deadlines creeping up on you. Fortunately, time management tools can assist you in segmenting your job so that you not only spend the appropriate amount of time on each one, but it also does not feel as intimidating. Not only that, but most time management software provide breaks in their schedules, which you should take! A well-rested mind will be more productive and accurate than a rushed and exhausted mind, and there’s plenty of free time management tools online to try before investing.
Take Time to Look After Yourself
Physical and mental health are inextricably linked, and it is likely that if your mental health is suffering, so is your physical health in some way. Examine what you’re putting into your body…could it be better? Did you know that junk food can mimic stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms? The same is true for caffeine and alcohol. While it’s fine to indulge in any of these once in a while, make sure you’re eating a healthier diet, limiting your intake of alcohol and caffeine, and avoiding any other substances such as narcotics. After you’ve taken care of your physical health, you should notice an improvement in your mental health as well.
Put More Effort Into Your Team Relationships
Tension in the workplace can cause stress, especially if your team is a newly founded force. It takes time for people to bond and trust each other, but as you know, you don’t have that luxury when it comes to your business. Arrange team building exercises to help your team bond faster and to relieve any tensions that may be present. While workplace conflict can occur at any time, providing your team with the tools to address it will help take the stress off your back.
Don’t Take Everything as Seriously
Finally, while your business is important to you and should be handled seriously, not everything has to be so direct and straightforward. Have a good time with what you’re doing! After all, what is life without a little fun now and then? Allowing yourself and your employees to have fun on the job will help reduce stress and make you a more likeable boss!
As you can see, there are numerous options for relieving your stress. Which one do you think you’ll try first?