How to deal with professional stress: effective tips for entrepreneurs

Stages and types of professional stress

Most people regularly experience stress at work. First of all, those with the corresponding inclinations fall under attack. Due to their individual psychological characteristics, they are very susceptible and react sharply to criticism, problems, and conflicts. In the safe zone there are employees who are stress-resistant, of whom there are much fewer.

Professional stress is a phenomenon that manifests itself in psychophysiological reactions to difficult situations associated with direct professional activity. Translated from English, the term means tension, pressure. These phenomena are a consequence of long-term intense influence of extreme, emotionally negative factors.

There are several types of work stress:

• emotional. It arises from all kinds of conflict situations. Associated with personal experiences, feelings of resentment, anger, guilt, injustice caused by contradictions in the team. Accompanied by the destruction of values, personal beliefs regarding the profession, position, dissatisfaction with the results of activities;
• communicative. Becomes a reflection of problems in business relationships. The reason is difficulties in communicating with colleagues, inability to find the right approach, resist manipulation, and communicative aggression;
• informational. Appears due to high mental stress, strict time frames for completing tasks, information overload or lack of information. Stress syndrome is aggravated by an increased level of responsibility.

This condition borders between health and illness. It includes two components - stress factor and stress reaction. The first implies an external source of influence, the second - a non-specific response. Essentially, a stressor activates negative reactions. In response, physiological systems are mobilized to help the body adapt to new conditions.

According to one concept, a stressful state develops in three stages:

1. Anxiety. An unfavorable factor affecting the body causes a feeling of fear and anxiety. As a result, mental stress rapidly increases, reaching a peak.
2. Resistance. The fight begins. By launching internal forces, the body tries to fight the negative impact. Adaptation occurs, adaptation to the changing reality. Addiction sets in, causing complete immersion in stress.
3. Exhaustion. In the absence of necessary measures, the condition becomes chronic. The body's resources are depleted, which results in health problems, often leading to serious illnesses.

Under the influence of stress factors, physical and emotional changes occur. Thoughts, behavior, and well-being change. The problem is often closely related to subsequent professional burnout and loss of motivation.

Analyze your work

It often happens that a person does not have time to do anything. He is surrounded by a lot of unnecessary things, colleagues and bosses are constantly asking for something. Systematic overtime and extra hours are especially dangerous. If you don't have time to do something, then think about why this is happening. Main reasons:

• you don’t know how to refuse, and your colleagues take advantage of this;
• you are unable to structure your activities, that is, everything happens spontaneously and unorganized;
• you are not in the right place - and does this position correspond to your desires, needs and life goals.

The discrepancy between a position and expectations often leads to stress; this can last for many years, and the person does not even notice what the problem is. Sometimes a change of job or a transfer to another department helps to cheer up and understand what was the real cause of stress.

It’s not enough to survive stress; you have to learn to fight it and prevent it from developing. In order not to look for how to cope with stress at work, strengthen your nervous system, play sports, and have other hobbies besides professional activities that allow you to switch your attention.

Causes of stress in the workplace

Stress syndrome is the result of exposure to external stimuli (stressors). Let's look at the main stressors common in entrepreneurship:

• communication. The “person-to-person” sphere is considered the most stressful. Interaction with the team, communication with clients and partners requires special skills, considerable effort, and the right approach. Tension grows due to the need to manage personnel, “difficult” subordinates, “problem” customers, criticism from employees;
• inflated demands. Unrealistic expectations, multitasking, conflicting tasks, an excessively high list of requirements reduce work efficiency, creating stressful situations;
• incorrect prioritization. Sacrificing strategically important issues in favor of short-term goals complicates the process of achieving the goal and causes further dissatisfaction with the results;
• lack of time. Working under tight time constraints is not the best way to complete a task efficiently. Many companies provide time management training to teach employees how to use their work time effectively. However, constant haste and fear of not being on time certainly develops stress syndrome;

• high responsibility. Entrepreneurship involves high financial risks, which increases stress;
• insufficient income. The goal of entrepreneurial activity is to make a profit. Dissatisfaction with earnings worsens mood and affects self-esteem;
• uncomfortable working conditions. An inconvenient workplace, poorly equipped office space, and spending a long time at the computer are also stress factors;
• overcrowded work schedule. High loads and a critically fast work pace greatly deplete internal resources. Without proper rest, the body quickly reaches a critical point and becomes stressed;
• monotony of work. Sometimes overly routine activities lead to stress. Active specialists who cannot stand monotony suffer.

Positive and negative effects of stressful situations

There are often debates about the harm of stress. Some argue that in a tense state, employees work much more efficiently. We can talk about the positive impact of stress factors at the first stage of the development of the syndrome, when there is a possibility that the body will shake itself up, perk up, receive an incentive to work, and mobilize strength to overcome difficulties.

What is important is the situational nature of this influence. Stress is a defensive reaction to tension. It protects against a nervous breakdown and is of a warning nature. However, everything is useful in moderation. Constantly staying in this state is definitely fraught with negative consequences.

The consequences of professional stress manifest themselves in the emotional and physiological sphere. Stress factors lead to changes in behavior, causing a whole range of negative manifestations:

• goals are blurred;
• life guidelines are lost;
• relationships with the team and family deteriorate;
• the feeling of irritability does not go away;
• excessive temper becomes noticeable;
• apathy and depression develop.

Even more dangerous are the health consequences:

• the risk of cardiovascular diseases increases significantly;
• the body’s defenses lose ground, immunity decreases;
• skin and hair suffer;
• back pain occurs;
• sleep is disturbed;
• undesirable changes occur in the central nervous system;
• there is a sharp loss or excess weight gain;
• The functioning of the digestive system is disrupted, and ulcers develop.

The above list is far from complete. It’s not for nothing that there is an opinion that all problems are in the head. In most cases, the nature of diseases is explained by psychosomatics.

Primitive subconscious reactions of our brain

Stress also greatly impairs the functioning of the cognitive system.
During work, we cannot do without brain cells. Therefore, you should be alarmed by the fact that stress can actually lead to a decrease in gray matter volume. Particularly susceptible to damage is the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher functions such as reasoning, decision-making, planning and coping. Of course, it will take some time for this to happen.

However, remember that under stress, the prefrontal lobes cannot do their job properly. At the same time, the more primitive but faster parts of the brain will work at full capacity. Consequently, available coping strategies are limited to simple and not always adaptive procedures. It is possible that you will often throw tantrums, fly into a rage, and become uncommunicative or withdrawn. In addition, emotional stress reduces serotonin levels, which can lead to depression and neurotic behavior.

Severe stress can affect your emotions and logical thinking in a variety of ways. You can expect:

• absent-minded attention and inability to concentrate and remember something (read about how to improve your memory here);
• obsessive thoughts;
• deterioration of emotional state indicators (both yours and other people);
• feeling of loss of control;
• feeling of emptiness in the head.

More importantly, long-term stress itself can become a problem. You focus on your difficulties rather than on your work responsibilities. Problems continue to accumulate and the vicious circle becomes more intense. The worst thing is that your brain will look for simple solutions to this problem - chocolate instead of a nutritious meal to restore energy levels; alcohol or something worse to calm the nerves; as well as other ways to let off steam that destroy your body. A little gloomy, isn't it? So what to do? There are several ways to change your stressful life!

Signs of development of chronic “work” stress

Accumulating in the body, the syndrome is reflected in various negative signs. You can prevent the problem by recognizing the first “alarm bells”:

• work becomes a burden and does not cause pleasure;
• loss of sense of humor;
• frequent headaches occur;
• Fatigue quickly appears during the working day;
• the ability to concentrate and concentrate decreases, thoughts disappear;
• memory deteriorates noticeably;
• attention is scattered;
• Errors are often made in the work process.

The degree of response to external stimuli is determined by sensitivity to various influences, psychophysiological constitution, and characteristics of the emotional-volitional side. To protect yourself from stressors, you need to develop stress resistance. To do this, you should cultivate useful qualities in yourself, develop self-control, become accustomed to discipline and organization, and strive to overcome obstacles. Persistence, the ability to make decisions, and rationally comprehend one’s own actions are important.

Effective techniques for dealing with stress

Preventing stress allows you to minimize the risk of adverse symptoms. At the initial stage, when the body barely noticed the threat, you can easily cope with the situation and avoid danger . Various techniques should be used to eliminate the psychological and physiological aspects of stress. It is better to use them comprehensively.

Physical exercise

Include feasible physical activity in your daily schedule - running, martial arts, fitness, cycling, walks in the fresh air, yoga. If you are short on time, a regular five-minute exercise will do. The main thing is to keep the body in good shape and not let it get bogged down in surrounding stress factors.

Any workout gives a kind of boost of endorphins, brings a feeling of peace and tranquility, moving away from the sources of stress. Don't slouch or lower your gaze: face difficulties directly and confidently, breathing deeply.

Task distribution

The main problem of entrepreneurs is the habit of taking on too many tasks. Excessive responsibility and a huge to-do list lead to a decrease in work productivity and negatively affect the emotional and physical state.

If possible, hire assistants, transferring some of the tasks to them:

• customer service manager;
• accountant;
• content marketing specialist.

If the tasks are set correctly, attracting additional personnel has a positive effect on the overall dynamics of the company's development.

Drawing clear lines between work and rest

When exhausted, the body loses productivity and does not allow one to complete work tasks 100%. It is necessary to clearly delineate time for work, sleep and rest. Taking breaks throughout the day can help prevent productivity decline.

The lion's share of problems that provoke stress syndrome lies in the lack of healthy, full sleep. To fall asleep peacefully, try not to work late into the night. It is useful to perform special breathing exercises before going to bed, listen to relaxing music, meditate, tuning into a positive mood. For normal functioning of the body and maintaining performance, you need to sleep at least 8 hours . As a last resort - at least 6. Turn off your phone at night and on weekends.

Focus on the positive

By focusing on negative factors, we look at the world through “black” glasses and do not notice the colors. Sharp remarks, criticism, breakdown of negotiations, unfounded claims from clients - you should not react to this too sharply. Constantly replaying the unwanted events of the day creates negative thinking and drags you into a state of stressful tension. As a result, a habit develops of expecting threats from every corner.

Fight this phenomenon, develop the skill of positive thinking . Thoughts shape reality. At the end of the day, take stock and think positive thoughts. Psychologists advise keeping a positive diary, regularly writing down on paper several positive events that happened today. This approach helps to shift focus in the opposite direction, form a new outlook, become happier and protect yourself from all kinds of stressors.

Control over the situation and emotions

In entrepreneurship, maximum concentration, self-discipline, and organization are important. Be responsible for the situation, take the initiative. However, do not go too far: excessive self-flagellation in case of mistakes harms the common cause and deepens the stress syndrome.

Find a middle ground between the victim position (blaming others) and a sense of hyper-responsibility. Periodic failures in business are normal. Some unpleasant situations occur regardless of the entrepreneur. Don't take all mistakes personally.

Control your emotions with self-hypnosis and life-affirming phrases. Try to react to stimuli calmly. In an impulse to express sharply negative emotions, stop, take a few deep breaths. If you notice a panic attack beginning, perform a light acupuncture massage.

Eliminate distractions

During the day, business people receive endless streams of emails, SMS, messages from instant messengers, and phone calls. This is often annoying and distracts from work. Make a personal plan and respond to distractions according to certain criteria. For example, answer letters in order of importance of the messages, and deal with messages at specific times. A great option is to use special applications for sorting letters.

Choosing the right diet

Poor nutrition creates a serious additional burden on the body's systems and increases sensitivity to stress factors. Nutritionists recommend giving up bad “office” habits in the form of fast food and a variety of tonic drinks (energy drinks, coffee, tea). It is advisable to include fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals, and protein products in your diet. Plan your menu for the day in advance. The main rule is balanced fractional meals without long breaks between meals.

Exception of suspiciousness

Looking at other people's opinions is the reason for constant frustration over trifles and the inability to concentrate on work. Eternal thoughts about the likely assessment from the outside inevitably expose the body to stress. Concentrate on work tasks without being distracted by extraneous thoughts. This is a recipe for high results that become the subject of admiration among others.

Prioritization

In order to perform tasks productively, sort them according to the Eisenhower matrix:

1. Strategically important, urgent matters that cannot be delayed - urgent negotiations with partners, technical failures in the online store website system, current innovations, urgent problems with key clients.
2. Important, not urgent tasks are assessing results, planning new projects, prospects, establishing relationships with customers.
3. Urgent, unimportant matters - phone calls, meetings, answering letters, working with documents, planning meetings with subordinates.
4. Non-urgent, unimportant tasks. Ordinary routine work, distracting little things.

Summarize

Stress always depends on the perception of a particular person - while a small amount of sweets will do virtually no harm.
The general recommendations are quite simple: listen to your body, learn to understand its reactions, and make as informed decisions as possible when trying to overcome difficulties. Try to enjoy life both at home and at work! What strategies do you use to deal with stress?

PS We recommend another useful article on the topic of working on yourself - 25 productivity tools (and which ones you should not use).

The author of the translation is Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of the TESTutor company.

Developing a plan to deal with stress

Having recognized the obvious presence of stress syndrome, take immediate action:

• identify the source of the problem;
• determine the nature of negative feelings - anger, confusion, irritation, frustration;
• analyze the pros/cons of the situation;
• choose effective methods of overcoming the problem to relieve tension;
• write down tasks in a notepad;
• Monitor your results regularly.

Sometimes it can be difficult to cope with current circumstances on your own. In such cases, it is more advisable to contact a psychologist .