Stress is not good for your business

Woman relaxing in a hammock on a sandy beach

We all feel stressed and overwhelmed from time to time. We all experience that feeling when there is too much to do and too little time to do it.

Woman relaxing in a hammock on a sandy beachThere can be many demands on our time and energy, not just from our business but also family and friends. Yet every part of our lives deserves and needs our energy and full attention.

If your feeling of being overwhelmed is left unchecked, it can become a big problem for your business. Too many thoughts, ideas and worries crowding your mind can leave you literally paralysed, sitting in front of the computer and wondering what to do next. Operating from a place of stress leads to feelings of fear and worry that we are making decisions that are not in line with our heart and vision.

In my own coaching sessions, I work from a place of intuition. If I am feeling overwhelmed it becomes difficult to separate the true concerns and feelings of the person in front of me from my own thoughts. The energy it takes to work from this place of stress is exhausting and not healthy, so that then I begin to struggle with my boundaries.

So how do I work to ensure this doesn’t happen?

Get out of your head

When we are feeling overwhelmed it is all too easy to get stuck in our mind and become lost in our thoughts. In my experience a mind that is full of internal chaos often results in lots of external chaos.

So do what ever you need to do to get it out of your head. Whether this means meditation, mindfulness, yoga or just plain old writing it on a piece of paper, do what works for you.

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Manage your time

If you are struggling with stress ask yourself the question ‘Are you using your time wisely?’

I can feel some of you rolling your eyes; not this time management thing again. If you are anything like me, the minute time management is mentioned I start to feel inadequate, closely followed by a sense of guilt. The idea of structuring my day can sometimes add to my stress, due to the fact that I need to move around a lot to be able to be productive.

I have, however, created a rhythm to my working day that works for me. It is important that you find a way to manage your time that suits you. There are always jobs in your business that you will not enjoy as much as others. Planning the time to do these will help to calm the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Could your time be better spent elsewhere?

I am a great believer in not out-sourcing business jobs until you fully understand what it is that you are out-sourcing. However, there should come a time when certain jobs could be done more efficiently by someone else, freeing you up to finish other tasks and eliminate some of your stress.

Managing your boundaries

When you own your own business, it is unlikely that you are going to work a conventional 9-5. The chances are that you work from your kitchen table, at least some of the time.

Setting some boundaries around work is not only healthy but essential to your business and family life. Answering an e-mail through dinner is not helpful to anyone.

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Owning your own business, whilst a lot of hard work, should also be about living the life that you want and serving your customers in the way that you set out to do.

Life should be about eating dinner with your family and seeing your friends. If we are consumed by stress this becomes more and more difficult. The end result – you will not be fully present with any of these people, or most importantly, yourself.

Life is not about the destination; it is about the journey. Yes, there are struggles along the way, and yes, there will be pressure from time to time.

At these times you must get out of your own head. See the wood for the trees. I’m sure you have some more clichés you can add.

Most of all, breathe. The chances are that once you are out of your own head, there will be some really exciting business for you to work on.


About Helen Pinnock

I work as a small business coach for women. My approach is to encourage and support you to work your business dreams, to help you work the innate knowledge you already possess to create the business and life you want. Working together we will create an individually tailored plan for you and your business, focusing on aligning all the elements you already have inside of you and then grounding this with solid business advice to create your most authentic self. You can find me at www.helenpinnock-businesscoaching.com.