Free planning tools - coping with stress

Free Planning Tools - Coping with stress

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Startup Donut !

http://www.startupdonut.co.uk/startup/start-up-business-ideas/running-a-business/how-tomanage-your-stress

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Recognise physical symptoms of stress such as headaches and tension, upset stomach, continual tiredness or problems sleeping.

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Recognise behavioural symptoms such as nervousness, irritability, excessive smoking or drinking or communication problems.

iii. Recognise work symptoms: for example, inability to focus, poor decision-making, loss of enthusiasm, feeling overloaded. iv.

Identify any work causes: for example, unrealistic targets and deadlines, bad timemanagement, overlong hours, or poor working relationships.

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Identify any domestic contributors such as money or relationship problems, or bereavement.

vi. Tackle any workplace causes of stress: for example, refuse additional work and delegate any tasks that can be outsourced. vii. Break down big jobs into smaller, achievable tasks, and decide what to prioritise and recognise each step you achieve. viii. Try to resolve non-work issues. Can you arrange extra assistance with childcare and domestic chores? Consider whether it is possible to take time away from work to unwind and sort out relationship problems. ix. Accept your limitations and avoid taking stress out on others instead of dealing with the problem. x.

Get support: talk problems over with friends, join a group of others in a similar position, or get a business mentor.

xi. Get a healthy life: eat properly, take exercise or practise relaxation techniques. xii. Be active: physical activities and hobbies are far more relaxing and effective at relieving stress than watching television or doing nothing but worry. xiii. Take breaks during the working day; set aside 'quality time' at home, and plan (and take) long weekends and holidays. xiv. Learn how you react to pressure and how you can best deal with stress.

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Can You Handle the Stress of Running a Business?

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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/64824 Q: I opened my new business two weeks ago, and already the stress of running the business is getting to me. I'm starting to think that I'm not cut out to run my own business. Do you have any advice that might help me decide what to do?

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Here's what I do. Take a pencil and paper and list all the things that are causing you stress. For each item listed, ask yourself: Is there anything I can do about this? Is there anything I can do to change this from being a point of stress to a point of accomplishment? In other words, is this something I have control over?

Stressing over things you can't control is a total waste of time. Tell yourself that you're burning brain cells in vain and mark that item off your list. Some people don't have this ability. Some people are just natural born worriers who are not happy unless they have something to worry about.

They revel in worry. They work in worry like a great artist works in paint. Even when things are going great, they worry that the sky is about to fall. If you are a natural born worrier, then nothing I say will help you handle stress. Great, now you have something else to worry about.

Next, determine if each point of stress is something that has happened in the past, is currently happening or has not yet--or may never--happen. If the stress point is the past, there's not much you can do but attempt to rectify the situation causing the stress. If it's a current problem, formulate a plan to deal with the problem and eliminate the stress it's causing.

Finally, it's important to remember that working for someone else can be just as stressful as working for yourself. Sure, you don't have the stress (and responsibility) associated with running a business, but you will have other stresses that can be far worse--like impossible work deadlines, sales quotas you can't meet, a boss that learned his management skills on a chain gang, co-workers who don't pull their own weight, possible layoffs and so on.

So give yourself a little time to adjust, take steps to handle the stress and enjoy your success.

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3 Tactics for Dealing With the Stress of Running a Business

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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239160 1. Light a bonfire of ‘meh’ items If you were to build the proverbial bonfire, what do you think you would throw into it?

Overwhelm is nothing but your inability to find your priorities and focus on them through the day.

To make things manageable, it’s important to burn your to-do lists from time to time. Especially those that are full of items you have never once seen rise up the ladder of priorities for you. These are the ‘meh’ items, items that only elicit a lukewarm reaction from you at best but can clutter up your lists fast.

So what is it that you keep telling yourself you would like to do but haven’t made any time for over the past few years?

Strike it off your mind, at least for now, and proceed to burn it all at the stake.

If something keeps coming back to you, you know you want it on your list. Everything else, the “shoulds” primarily, need to be done away with to create for yourself the space to let your mind focus on things that are actually important for you and which resonate deeply with you.

Nothing works like getting back to basics.

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2. Set an intention before going to bed At night, when your head is about to explode due to endless mulling, just stop thinking entirely.

Don’t try to fight your way through this mess. Instead, go to bed setting an intention that, in turn, will set everything else right.

For example, if you have been driving yourself nuts over a new business idea, go to bed thinking: I’m going to wake up tomorrow knowing if I should pursue this or not.

That’s it. Don’t argue with yourself, don’t rationalize and don’t wonder if you are making sense.

Give your subconscious the right instructions, and doze off without another thought. It’s important not to second guess yourself.

You’ll be surprised at how you feel in the morning, and how the right idea, or at least the kernel of it, will have risen from the chaos. It will ultimately come to the surface and give you the direction you are looking for, if not the very next morning then in the days following soon. You will also feel a lot more confident and peaceful about your decision.

I can vouch for this. It has bailed me out on a number of occasions. This is the essence of lateral thinking -- you stop fighting that which is not working, sidestep all your mental gymnastics and declare to your brain that the right idea is around the corner. You will find it much sooner than you sups

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3. Redefine your circle of control One of the many brilliant ideas that Stephen Covey propounded in his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was defining our circle of influence vs. our circle of concern. We should focus our energies on things that are directly in our control and not get sucked into things that we have little influence over.

As entrepreneurs, most of us start off with a very good idea of what our circle of control entails.

But, as time goes on and we meet new people, this circle keeps changing. It may expand, or it may shrink, but it does not remain static. So you need to keep evaluating it from time to time.

When you are feeling hammered, and are struggling to keep yourself sane in the middle of your fast-growing business, it’s a good idea to take a step back and ask yourself, how much of that which you are contending with do you actually control?

Redefine your circle of direct control and reorganize your priorities. Let go of everything else. Build another bonfire if you have to.

These exercises will strip down your priorities and make things manageable again. Give them a go and let me know how it turns out for you!

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