Stress - The Devil Within

Written by Martin Avis


Stress takes many forms in our business lives. Exactly what it is very hard to define, but two statements seem to me to sum uprepparttar main cause and effect:

o The fear that more is expected of you than you can reasonably achieve.

o A feeling - real or imagined - that you are out of control and cannot regainrepparttar 115918 right track.

Who gets it? Everyone is susceptible, no-one is immune. However, some people deal with it more effectively. Overrepparttar 115919 years I have studied many people who seem to be able to thrive on stress - or have masteredrepparttar 115920 knack of shucking offrepparttar 115921 effects - and have formulated a ten-part plan to help others cope.

Why stress is so damaging?

o Health: long term stress can severely affect a persons health. The immune system is damaged,repparttar 115922 nervous system is impaired and susceptibility to minor (and sometimes major) illnesses increases.

o Emotions: when under relentless and unmanageable stress, a persons self-worth is impaired. Relationships suffer and positive planning becomes very difficult.

o Performance: of course, when under long-term stress at work,repparttar 115923 ability to function at peak levels diminishes. How can we be expected to give 110% if our minds and bodies are slowly shutting down through endless misuse? Typically, a highly stressed person, who is not managing it well, will subconsciously develop behaviors that attempt to minimize exposure to more stress:

o A fear to act - procrastination o Fear of failure o Avoidance ofrepparttar 115924 issues o Withdrawal from 'the cutting edge'

The result? You get sidelined and passed over forrepparttar 115925 next person who deals withrepparttar 115926 pressures better.

Not all stress is bad. Some can be beneficial, but only when kept inrepparttar 115927 right proportion.

Most people getting up to give a public presentation feel a high degree of stress. Those who are not paralyzes with fear often say thatrepparttar 115928 pressure gave their talk an edge. Thatrepparttar 115929 adrenaline pumping made them sharp.

How many business people do you know who write documents and presentations weeks in advance? Hardly any, I bet. Most prefer to leave things untilrepparttar 115930 last minute to 'be at their sharpest.' And it is true that when underrepparttar 115931 right amount of pressure,repparttar 115932 mind tends to clear and we see torepparttar 115933 very heart ofrepparttar 115934 problem.

People who manage stress best seem to be able to managerepparttar 115935 causes of stress, ensuring that too many situations do not develop at once. Because however positive some stresses may be, pile a whole lot of them up atrepparttar 115936 same time and you still are heading for a nervous breakdown.

Can it be beaten? Yes and no. Some stresses are in built - nothing can remove them. They are a part of each person's individual psyche. Some are a vital part of life - try crossing a busy road without a care inrepparttar 115937 world. Some things that wind us up like a spring are not stressful to others - public speaking is a good example.

But ... many stresses can be managed and others can be minimized or removed.

One key factor in dealing with your own stresses is effective self-management. Deal with your internal issues before you look to changerepparttar 115938 world outside yourself.

Here, then is my ten-part plan. Some ofrepparttar 115939 elements may seem trite - and on their own they may be - but they all combine to give you a powerful, workable strategy to begin to take back control of your life.

1. Get organized

However busy you may think you are, it is a sure bet that there is a half hour or so every day that is being wasted. Check out goal-setting techniques and time management strategies. They really help - and will show you how to get far more done inrepparttar 115940 same time than you ever imagined possible.

2. Preparation

Get in to work ten minutes earlier than usual to write yourself a list forrepparttar 115941 day. Consider what you need to achieve and point your day towards that end. As Seneca said inrepparttar 115942 3rd century BC, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Oops! I Did it Again! (That ol' Home Business Stress)

Written by Donna Schwartz Mills


I've had a busy couple of weeks. I updated my website, designed one for a client, began work on another site of my own, edited an eBook, launched a chapter of a local Moms group, put together an article syndicate... and came down withrepparttar flu.

Once again, I tried to cram too many projects into too little time. I skipped meals, slept poorly and paidrepparttar 115917 price with three days in bed. At my age, you would think I'd know better.

And I do know better. Back inrepparttar 115918 bad old days when I was an employee, I was able to pace myself. There were others with whom I could share tasks. There were scheduled lunch breaks. There was that guaranteed weekly paycheck. Sometimes it sounds like heaven on earth.

But in actuality, my old job was a long way from Eden, especially after my daughter was born. I spent my days obsessed with time -- mentally calculatingrepparttar 115919 point whenrepparttar 115920 L.A. traffic would make it impossible to get fromrepparttar 115921 office to our daycare provider before closing. And allrepparttar 115922 while, what I really longed to do was be at home and watch my little girl grow.

The idea of working at home was very appealing, if only forrepparttar 115923 stress relief.

Two years later, I have a growing home business -- but surprise! I'm still playing Beatrepparttar 115924 Clock - only now running against Megan's preschool schedule... and I'm just as stressed now as I was then.

"How can that be?" asks my incredulous husband.

For one thing, it's a different kind of stress.

Experts list money problems and uncertainty amongrepparttar 115925 things that cause anxiety in people, and if you really need to net x-amount of dollars from your home business, you can expect to experience both. Losingrepparttar 115926 comfort of that weekly paycheck is a major reason more people don't choose to be entrepreneurs, and I can assure you they have a point. I begin each month by staring at my revenue spreadsheet, wondering if this will berepparttar 115927 one when nothing comes in. Then, when I've made some entries and it starts looking sort of good, I worry thatrepparttar 115928 pace won't keep up -- or thatrepparttar 115929 next month will be a dud.

However, as nerve-wracking as that can be, if you feel trapped in a situation you hate (as I was in my former job), feelings of helplessness can set in... and that's not only stressful, but can plummet you into depression.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use