Feeling a little stressed out lately? Still feel like you are recovering from the dizzying pace of change and adjustments made to just stay afloat during the worst of the pandemic and shutdowns?
You are not alone. The pace and demands of being a business owner or leader on a daily basis can be pretty grueling to start with let alone all the extras that have been thrown our way in the last few years.
With that said, we know that carrying a chronic stress load- that is feeling stressed out all the time is a recipe for poor health, challenged relationships, difficulty in finding time and balance with seeing family, friends and engaging in anything that could be considered self care.
Ultimately, this is a recipe for reduced quality of life, health and joy.
There is a better way and it involves managing you! As leaders and owners it can become habit to consistently look externally, or outwardly and see issues and problems to be addressed and solved.
However, many of those issues can feel more manageable when we begin the practice of looking inwardly.
Looking inside one’s self- engaging in self reflection and in the process of asking questions does not come naturally for most.
Men in particular are wired to listen with an ear towards identifying a problem and then leaping into action to resolve it. This is an example of being externally focused.
It takes pausing and remembering that dealing with oneself first, can make the biggest difference in outcome of many problems and issues that business leaders face.
For example, when we are chronically stressed we know that stress hormones are flooding our body often resulting in a feeling of tension, distress and heightened emotion.
When we are in that state, we are more likely to be irritable, critical and short with others.
That breeds dissatisfaction and often distrust for those around us- our staff, team and /or clients or customers.
If you want to improve your health, mood and how you show up, as well as your ability to engage and appropriately problem solve, here’s some ideas for a better way and thus better outcomes.
1. PAUSE AND BREATHE DEEPLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. Practicing this one activity several times a day can create the habit of slowing down, and therefore not allowing emotion and especially frustration to overtake you. When we feel riled up, our rational good thinking brain goes offline. Once you feel calm again, your rational brain can return and allow you to begin to identify specific problems and consider possible solutions.
2. RECOGNIZE AND MOVE AWAY FROM TRIGGERS. Once you can begin to recognize we all have things; people, or situations that set us off, you can begin to learn what your common or typical triggers are and plan and prepare for them. Once you recognize them you can develop better strategy around how to cope and be more effective.
3. SCHEDULE REGULAR CAVE TIME. This intentional time away from people and responsibilities can allow you to refuel, think, dream, strategize and otherwise give your brain a needed break from your daily roles and responsibilities. Clients who take cave time even 10 minutes daily report feeling calmer, at ease, more in control of their thoughts, words and more refreshed.
Managing you ought to be more of a priority than anything else that clamors for your time and attention. When you have the ability to stay calm and present in everyday situations people trust that your decisions are well thought out and not from knee -jerk reactions.
Managing you is the gift you give to your own health, your family and especially your workplace culture and all the people who make up your business or entity. Serve them well by taking the time to manage yourself, your health, and your emotions to bring your best self to the table.
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