4 Ways to Tame Business Owner Anxiety
As a small or micro-business owner, you have likely experienced stress from time to time.
Glenn and I refer to this as Business Owner Anxiety. And, yes, we are aware that the acronym for this spells out B-O-A.
But this blog is going to help you tame that BOA! Think more feather and less constrictor.
Stress or Anxiety?
According to an article from the American Psychological Association there is a “ fine line between stress and anxiety.”
“Stress is typically caused by an external trigger. Anxiety, on the other hand, is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. ”
We did an entire episode on healthy ways we handle stress.
And while some coping mechanisms for both stress and anxiety overlap, this blog talks about to handle that nagging, persistent feeling of overwhelm, dread or fear that keeps you from functioning in your business at 100%.
So here are 4 ways you can try to tame Business Owner Anxiety.
BRAIN DUMP
Write it out.
Whether it’s a journal entry about how you’re feeling or a long list of tasks you just want out of your head, getting things on paper is a good way to handle anxiety.
I use both traditional journaling and its freestyle cousin the brain dump* often. Both help to calm my racing mind in different ways.
Journaling allows me to:
Safely express my emotions
Recognize patterns my conscious mind might not be aware of
Identify solutions when the stress has subsided
Brain dumps allow me to:
Free my mind of clutter
Relax knowing that my ideas won’t be forgotten
Wait until a later, more calm time to create action plans
Whichever you use, the idea is that you free your brain of negative or anxiety-inducing emotions as well as never ending lists so that you can find solutions.
*There’s a great article on Psych Central about “Using Brain Dumping to Manage Your Mental Health that includes a list of benefits and different types of brain dumps.
Look at Past Successes
Remind yourself that you CAN handle this.
Look to past awards, client or customer accolades and business wins.
You stare at a blank piece of paper awaiting that important proposal.
You find yourself ruminating on a bad sales day, week or month.
You lose track of your tasks because your responsibilities are overwhelming.
In these situations your brain has conveniently (or inconveniently, really) forgotten your history.
Unless you are new to small business ownership (and past employment counts too) you have a track record of getting things done, of doing hard things and of making things happen.
When you take time to look at your past successes you remind yourself that you have the skills, experience and talent to do great things.
(And even if you look at past failures, you see what went wrong and how you can improve.)
Don’t lose faith in what you are capable of.
Change Things Up
When anxiety strikes it might be a good idea to switch to a different task.
This is a go-to tactic for handling Business Owner Anxiety for Glenn.
The brain is an amazing thing. If you are having trouble solving an issue or handling a project, walking away might be the best thing to do. While you work on something else, your brain is still working to solve the issue - in the background.
“When I keep trying to get my mind around a problem with no results, picking up an unrelated task or leaving my work space makes a big difference. It uses a different batch of brain cells and gives new perspective to what I was struggling with. Works like a charm.”
A Natural Solution
Get outside - or as the kids say “touch grass” - to soothe that anxious brain of yours.
This is a good technique to do yourself or with your business partner/spouse.
You don’t have to go on a hike or mountain climb.
I’m not “outdoorsy.” I’m more of what you would call “outsidesy". That’s why I recommend going on a leisurely walk, sitting on your porch or enjoying a coffee or cocktail on a restaurant patio. The important thing is that you get out of your office and away from the stress.
If you enjoyed this blog, you might be interested in our post about Work-Life Blend.
Check it out here.
