Stress – how are you coping?
Physiologically our bodies are still designed for running across the plains hunting our food, fighting off sabre tooth tigers or defending our tribe. Our physiological response to this is the flight or fight where by adrenaline is released in our bodes to prepare our muscles for this – the stress of it basically!
The sabre tooth tigers have fortunately taken a different form in that the everyday challenges we face are those stressors we now have to deal with. Unfortunately our bodies have not caught up with in their response to these stressors and because we are not running from the dangers to use up the adrenaline released, the build up can actually do us harm if not dealt with. Stress can lead to ill health, depression and potentially business failure amongst other things. The issue of stress and its consequences can be a taboo subject though thankfully it is more widely recognised than it used to be.
Running a business can be very stressful. Whilst it can present us with challenges we might also enjoy, especially when things are going well, there are times when things beyond our control or even from great success, can leave us feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. Every individual feels stress at some point and the good stressors are the things that motivate us , help us to achieve. The point at which someone reaches the inability to cope is entirely individual, there is no set level, it could be from a combination of things that have slowly built up, or equally a single event such as a trauma
Symptoms of harmful stress might include:
Tearfulness
Poor concentration
Poor appetite
Poor sleep patterns
Irritability
Feelings of guilt and everything being “my fault”
Hyperactivity – a feeling that you cannot stop working or everything will fall apart and equally opposite a complete lack of motivation to do anything.
Feeling that everything is out of control
When someone is running a business these effects can begin to have knock on effects such as, missing deadlines for important things, record keeping going awry, creditors building up, lack of response to calls and communications, customers being ignored, leading to financial problems, issues with statutory agencies and potential fines/prosecution. The downward spiral is set unless someone can help step in and stop it.
Getting help is important and something no one should be ashamed of seeking. Support is vital to the recovery process, whether this be through your GP , family or friends or empathetic business support. If you recognise any of the above symptoms in yourself , see your GP as the first step or confide in someone. Prevention is even better, which I will talk about at another time.
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