Stressing over emotional stress will just escalate an already stressful situation.

Another unexpected emotional stress comes many times from feeling of isolation and loneliness that business owners may experience. Business owners many times are unprepared for time they now find they spend alone within parameters of their home-based businesses. A home-based business owner, while relieved to leave workforce, sometimes does not realize that workforce provided social opportunities that are now missing from their lives. Many hours may be spent alone each day, which can lead to loneliness and even depression in some cases.

The best approach to combating this type of isolation is to actively plan social opportunities. Planned outings with family and friends should be made regularly. Business owners may also join community groups that expose them to other business owners or others within community. The local Chamber of Commerce and other volunteer groups are a great way to make connections for business and also enhance social experiences of business owners. No one can exist in a void, so social aspects of a business can't be ignored.

Finally, owning and operating your own home-based business brings with it some purely physical stresses. Like most office jobs, a home-based business can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, as owners may spend most of their days in running of business, either slumped in an office chair, or hunched over a computer, depending upon requirements of business. Because of long hours involved in any business, business owners may also eat "on run", grabbing whatever is at their disposal, rather than planning meals, which compromises their nutrition. The sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits can lead to weight gain and other physical ailments associated with poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles: high cholesterol, lack of energy, loss of muscle tone, and a deficiency of vitamin D from being indoors more than usual.

The sedentary lifestyle is easiest however, of stresses to avoid or to change. All it takes is a dedication to an exercise routine that includes some form of daily physical exercise, and an adherence to a diet that is well planned and nutritious. Just some planning is needed and some will power in order to stay focused on achieving physical activity daily and good nutrition. It would be beneficial, if at all possible, to join a gym or health club, as physical and emotional stresses can be avoided by belonging to one, as a gym also provides social opportunities. Even a simple walk each day can increase exercise, exposure to sunlight, and create social opportunities.

A tendency to do too much each day, is a syndrome many business owners fall prey to also. Overwork can leave anyone run down, and open to many diseases as immune system becomes compromised. A business owner is of course, very excited and energetic about business, which can lead into this syndrome of overwork. A schedule should be maintained to combat this syndrome, with set hours for "doing business" and set hours for "relaxation" included in each day. Trying to do too much all time just leads business owners into a decrease of productivity, rather than an increase of productivity.

As you can see, having a home-based business, while very rewarding in many ways, can have many deleterious effects on physical, mental and emotional states of business owners. Many business owners fail to plan for these changes, and yet, if planning is done, negative effects can be minimized to a great degree.

If a business owner takes care of themselves and their own needs, overall, business will also profit from this positive behavior! A happy, healthy business owner means a happy, healthy business!

My other friend was Cathy. Like Janet, she was jilted only a couple of weeks before her wedding was due to take place; with impeccable timing her fiancé chose to dump her on very day her wedding dress was delivered. Cathy was a charming, sweet girl but, unlike Janet, she was also extremely pretty and outgoing. Cathy had many friends and, with her good looks and bubbly character, was very attractive to men. She bounced back from rejection and had a new suitor within a matter of months. I thought her new boyfriend was much nicer in every way than former fiancé and that jilting had been a blessing in disguise.

The last time I spoke to Janet she was blissfully happy. She had met and married a lovely man and was living by coast with him and their two gorgeous children. Cathy never married; she hanged herself at age of 26. We were all utterly shocked: we had not realised that Cathy was hiding deep depression behind her pretty smile.

Could I or any of Cathy’s friends have saved her if they had known symptoms of depression? We will never know but 80% of people who seek treatment for depression are treated successfully. Could you help to save a life? Could you comfort someone who has been bereaved through suicide? Advice and details of resources are available free from: http://www.preventsuicidenow.com . If you have a website of your own, please offer a link exchange to this not-for-profit site and help to raise its profile. It will cost you nothing but a little of your time.

This is one of a series of articles published by author, Elaine Currie, BA(Hons) at http://www.Hunting Venus.com The author’s monthly newsletter is available free from mailto:networkerhvm@ReportsNetwork.com