We all experience it at one time or another; this intruder called stress. It is perhaps the number one cause of most health problems today. For solopreneurs stress absolutely impacts your business results. It is almost impossible to be creative, engage our prospects with a positive attitude and expect great outcomes when we are fighting the stress of growing a business. Let’s explore 6 ways to deal with the stress in your life in a healthy and effective manner.
* Talk about the problems you are experiencing with friends, loved ones or a professional. Keeping everything bottled up will only create more problems later on. Be certain the things you are allowing to keep you up at night as worthy of your attention. Many times we stress about the small things that really don’t matter.
* Exercise often. Go to the park and walk for 20-30 minutes either every day or every other day. Exercise relieves tension and produces a calming effect. Perhaps joining a gym with a friend would be more to your liking. As a solopreneur my office is in my home and it is easy to sit for hours at a time. I now set my timer to go off every 50-60 minutes and I get up and move for 10 minutes.
* Yoga exercises. Sit in a quiet room alone and begin breathing exercises. Choose a mantra which will help you to stay focused.
* Music does calm the savage beast. Listen to some classical or instrumental music. Ocean or nature sounds are a perfect way to release stress.
* Healthy meals can become an important factor in limiting your stress. Ensure you eat three meals a day, and make an effort to avoid too much caffeine and sugar. I read recently that a colorful plate indicates you are eating well. Keep that in the back of your mind as you prepare your meals or order out.
* Sleep deprivation can cause stress. Go to bed early. Seven to eight hours sleep can make all the difference. This is another challenge for some of us solopreneurs, we work too many hours believing that we are getting more done. In reality continuing to work without the proper amount of sleep just produces less than ideal work, putting our client and prospect relationships at risk.
Coping with stress can be challenging. Every day you seem to be pulled in every direction, trying to accommodate others. The first priority is to take care of you. You are the thread which holds your family and business together. If you are stressed, you won’t be much good to anyone.
Give yourself a break every now and then. Buy a new outfit; go to a movie; do something you’ve always wanted to do. Your family can take care of themselves for one day. Alone time is just as important to you as it is for everyone else. Think of yourself as a gas tank; eventually you will run out of fuel.
Laughter is a wonderful release. You’ve probably noticed those times when you’ve laughed so hard, you cried. This is probably due to the fact you haven’t laughed in a while, and the tension released through laughter is the best cure-all method for dealing with stress-related issues.
Avoid stressful situations whenever possible. Take everything in stride. Stop stressing over the small stuff. If you can’t finish a task, don’t worry about it. If dinner doesn’t turn out as you expected, improvise or order out.
Life is too short; and stress can reduce it further. Nothing is more important than your health or state of mind. Eleanor Roosevelt wisely said, “No one can make you a victim without your consent.” She was right; it is, after all a choice, up to you.

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