TED Talk
Psychologist, Kelly McGonigal discusses how to make stress your friend.
Ever find it hard to 'switch off'? In many jobs, it can be hard to ‘leave the tasks at work’ and go home for the night. This can be exhausting as it doesn’t give you a break at the end of the work day. It can also be particularly hard to 'switch off' when you feel solely responsible for the business’s success.
Learning how to identify, manage and reduce workplace stress is an important part of staying healthy and productive in your business.
It’s normal to have some stress in your life, and often it can motivate you to reach your goals. Our bodies respond to high stress by releasing stress hormones which activate our flight or fight survival response. This is our body’s natural response to threat or danger, and in the short-term, can help us deal with stressful situations.
But stress becomes a problem when it tips over from being helpful to overwhelming. Too much stress over a long period of time leads to exhaustion and burnout, and persistent stress can increase your risk of developing mental health concerns or mental illness.
Just like an athlete, a small business owner can benefit from finding the right balance between too much stress (for example, overwhelmed) and too little (for example, unmotivated) to perform at an optimal level in business. This is known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law, a psychological explanation of the relationship between arousal (or stress) and our performance.
Prolonged exposure to high levels of stress hormones can negatively impact our mental and physical health. Signs that your stress levels are too high might include:
If you’re experiencing any of these signs, it’s a good indicator that you need to prioritise self-care and add some stress relief tactics into your work life.
There are a number of common stressors that can have an impact on small business owners, such as:
Pressures outside of work such as relationship difficulties, fatigue as a new parent, an experience of bereavement or other life events, may exacerbate these stressors.
Knowing the source of your stress is important in selecting the best strategies to manage it.
While all small businesses are different, these general tips may help you manage stress and build resilience to work-related stressors.
Psychologist, Kelly McGonigal discusses how to make stress your friend.
Information on stress in the workplace - symptoms, causes, treatment and research paper references.
An online course to help you cope with stress.
An online self-help tool for mental health.
A mobile app to help control everyday stress and anxiety.
A mobile app to help reduce the physical symptoms of stress.
A mobile mindfulness app with a small business program to support healthy minds.
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