How busy entrepreneurs can manage stress for a more fulfilling life
Part two of our summary of the conversation from episode seven of the Enterprise Europe Network podcast "How to manage stress and find more joy in your business", an interview with Emma Ewing and Tammy Barter from Big Fish Training. For part one, click here.
Tammy is a wellness coach, nutrition expert, and certified Pilates instructor. As a busy working mum, she knows the value of time and energy. She has spent the last ten years learning the very best techniques from industry leaders to manage stress, build resilience, and keep both body and mind energised.
What stress management techniques can small business owners add to their business schedules?
The body is a fantastic instrument, and its sole purpose is to keep you safe. Any stress at all, whether that would be from a lion coming to attack you or a supplier emailing you saying the order is going to be delayed; Your body cannot differentiate between the two, so it will give you that stress response for both.
When this happens, your body produces stress hormones— cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline—because it wants to get you to a safe place. Whether that be fight or flight—either you fight the lion, or you run away from it—but it could also be flop. That's where you almost try to hide and put yourself in a ball and just try not to deal with it. These are all biological responses.
We are going to cover some quick and easy things you can incorporate into your work life that will help decrease stress. There's no point telling a super-busy person: 'You need to take time off and go on a detox retreat' because they just won't do that! It's the small things that will always give you the bigger wins.
Breathing
Whenever I talk to someone about stress and techniques they can use, the very first tip I always give them is breathing. When all of those stress hormones hit the body, your breathing will quicken, you'll get sweaty palms, and your heart will feel like it's racing. The mind starts to close down. You're less creative because your brain is saying, "Focus on this stress, we need to get away from here because it's dangerous."
Breathing is really powerful for bringing down those stress levels and telling the body, "We're okay, I've got this." There are lots of different ways to practice breathing, but the one I love is box breathing.
Box breathing does two things: it lowers the stress response, but it also distracts the mind. If you've got certain thoughts on a loop in your head, making you more and more anxious, it will help to stop that cycle. The box breath is simple, you just inhale for a count of four, hold the breath for four, and then exhale for a count of four. Just by doing four or five rounds, you'll feel all of those symptoms start to relax. Your heart rate will slow down, you'll feel less tingly in the body, and immediately you've started to suppress the stress.
Breaks and Micro-breaks
If you don't stop and give your body and your brain time to process and recover, your body will just say "enough".Business owners are always super busy spinning so many plates. It's go go go constantly. However, research has shown you have to stop. If you don't stop and give your body and your brain time to process and recover, your body will just say "enough". It normally manifests as illness; your immunity will end up on the floor and you'll pick up coughs, colds, and pretty much anything that's going around. Sometimes, it's not until your day off that you realise how drained you are. This is your body's way of saying, "Stop!".
Micro-breaks are a simple yet effective way to reset your mood and recharge your energy. It could just be 10 minutes, getting up away from your desk and making a cup of tea, or having a quick walk around the block to get a bit of fresh air in your lungs. Or, if you're into meditation, perhaps just doing a quick 10-minute meditation, and that will really make you feel refreshed.
Research also shows you should not wait till the afternoon to have a break, because if you leave it until you're really flagging, it's less restorative. If you do it earlier in the day, it will keep you going for longer.
Posture
As well as taking breaks, an often overlooked part of self-care in the workplace is posture. When we're at our desks, we tend to be hunched over our computers; giving us stiff necks and back pain. So many people I know are suffering from back pain, and a lot of it is because of this poor posture. One of the quickest ways we can fix this is with chair yoga.
It can literally be just a five-minute routine, and it is proven to help stress and relieve tension. There are loads of different chair or desk yoga exercises online, and they're usually simple and easy to do throughout the day. For example, stretching your arms up, rolling your shoulders back, getting your back and neck back into the right position. It's anything that would get the blood pumping back around the body.
What movement will also do is release more feel-good hormones, like endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin,What movement will also do is release more of these feel-good hormones that I spoke about earlier, like endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin, for example. They're all responsible for producing feelings of happiness and well-being, as well as relaxation. So again, it's a super quick fix that you can do alongside the breathing, micro-breaks, and planning. It's something that biologically will get your body working better for you.
Breaking it down
The next thing I recommend is for when you've got a daunting task to complete. When you're under stress, the brain finds it really difficult and overwhelming to deal with big, chunky things. So, I always say, "Right, how can we break this down?" Let's have a look at what needs to be done and put into place small things that we can do that chip away at the bigger piece of work.
There are two benefits to this. One, it will give you a plan, so it seems less daunting. You've actually got a framework to work to. And two, each time you complete a section, your body will receive a dopamine hit, and that will give you a sense of happiness, a sense of well-being, and a little more energy. You'll end up just energising yourself to keep going. And, as we know, when we're stressed, that's a big thing. So, anything we can do to help us get those good hormones flowing is always going to be a bonus.
Prioritise yourself
Lastly, you are no good to anyone, including yourself, your family, and your colleagues, if you're ill, burnt out, or your decision-making is impaired. You have to, at some point, realise you are but human. We're all human, and we need a little bit of self-compassion. I wouldn't expect my car to drive 200 miles without making sure there's air in the tyres, oil in the engine, and enough petrol. So why do I expect the impossible from myself? We need to make sure that our body and mind are rested and refuelled
I would say to any entrepreneur right now, it's important to remember that you don't have to choose between performance and stress. The two don't go hand-in-hand. It's very simple: when you feel better, you do better. So why wouldn't you prioritise lowering stress, balance, and rest?
The Enterprise Europe Network supports small and medium-sized businesses, helping them to innovate, grow, and enter international markets. The full episode featuring Emma and Tammy is available here for free, or search for 'The Business Wave' on your podcatcher of choice!
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