Stress Awareness Month

We will all experience stress at some point in our lives. But if that stress starts getting in the way of professional and personal goals, that’s when we need to make significant changes to our mindset. Join us for an honest conversation on work-related stress this Stress Awareness Month! 

The theme of this year’s Stress Awareness Month is hope, not simply as a feeling, but as a positive action we can take to further our goals, whatever they might be. 

But how can we remain hopeful and motivated when stress is crushing us down? 

First things first, we have to accept that feeling stressed, from time to time, is part of being human. 

However, when that same stress starts becoming a regular part of our workday, that’s when we need to take a good look at ourselves and our mindset.  

Following an inspiring conversation with coach Andrea Morrison, our latest Business Scale Up podcast guest, we’ve rounded up some of the highlights (plus some precious words of advice) to help you better manage stress at work. 

Recognise the signs  

The first step is to learn how to read the signs your mind and body are sending you, so you can tackle the stress before it gets worse. 

Some of us might not be able to recognise that our stress follows a pattern, or we might even struggle to recognise we’re feeling stressed in the first place. 

Many signs of stress are physical: a random headache or stomach ache might not be random at all, but a way for our body to tell us that something is wrong.  

Other times, stress manifests in brain fog, lack of concentration, or easily avoidable mistakes.  

Still, recognising your individual tell-tale signs of stress doesn’t necessarily mean you will be able to prevent stress altogether. 

In the words of our guest Andrea Morrison, sometimes stress can’t be prevented, because life is rarely that predictable!  

Instead, the goal should be to recognise how we react to stress and feel confident knowing that we have all the tools to not let it hold us back. 

Pinpoint the root cause of stress 

Next, we want to identify the root cause of consistent stress, whether it’s something in our personal life or professional life. 

There’s no denying that business owners have plenty of reasons to feel stressed these days. The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed our approach to taking risks, since we have trained our minds to expect the unexpected. 

The Cost of Living crisis and Cost of Doing Business crisis have also put a dent in many of our ambitions, making us more conscious than ever. 

Excessive risk aversion is not only one of the main barriers to success but also a potential cause of stress. Avoiding risks out of fear can lead to even more negative thoughts and worries about the future, since we feel like something is holding us back. 

A lack of work/life balance can also contribute to higher stress levels. 

You might think that working harder and longer will lead to better outcomes, but if we look at how our brains work, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In many ways, the key to productivity is having the right state of mind: the calmer and more relaxed you are, the more productive you’ll be! 

Take action with the right mindset 

According to Andrea Morrison, lack of confidence and resilience are at the root of most of our professional worries and issues, including stress. 

It’s when our daily stress gets neglected for too long that we start experiencing heavier mental loads, and at worst, burnout.  

If you want to cut through this mental load and start approaching your work in a more relaxed, confident way, you’ll need to nurture a different mindset. 

For example, if the cause of your stress is a lack of confidence in your ability to achieve something, you’ll want to work on getting rid of limiting beliefs about yourself and your skills. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help 

Of course, changing our mindset and the way we view ourselves is much easier said than done. 

You might feel like you need extra help to fully work through self-defeating thoughts and improve your confidence. That’s where the experts come in: holistic business coaches like Andrea Morrison can give you the tools to improve your mindset, so that stress can’t get in the way of your success. 

And if you feel like you’re juggling too many things at once and struggling with your work/life balance, we can also offer expertise-led support. 

Book a consultation today to see what we can do for you. 

It’s going to be a challenging journey, but you have what it takes to get to the finish line!