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Stress Less!
Welcome to the Monday Morning Wake-Up Call! I hope you had a great weekend! According to EnSite Solutions CEO Toby Thomas, entrepreneurial stress is like a man riding a lion: “People look at the man and think, ‘This guy's really got it together! He's brave!’ And the man riding the lion is thinking, ‘How the hell did I get on a lion, and how do I keep from getting eaten?’”
While it’s widely accepted that managing stressful challenges comes with the territory of running your own business, what’s lesser known is that stress can hit entrepreneurs harder than most.
In 2013, the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index showed that entrepreneurs were more likely to be worried and stressed than other workers. Entrepreneurs have innate character traits that put them at higher risk of experiencing stress and mood swings. People who are energetic, motivated and creative are more likely to be entrepreneurial and more likely to have more stress. Does that sound to you like the description of a real estate agent?
When you push yourself and abuse your body, you trigger mood swings. Even though you’re bound to encounter stress as an entrepreneur, you can overcome its detrimental effects with the right tools.
Stress is actually normal; it’s critical for our survival. The core element of stress is fight or flight syndrome. Without fight or flight, we would not survive as a species. However, today our stress response, which used to be triggered only occasionally, now gets triggered more frequently – sometimes far too much – which can have a disastrous impact on our health and mental well-being. There are several triggers that can activate stress, but let’s just look at a few.
The most fascinating fact is that we can transfer the stress we feel to others (or pick up someone else’s). A 2014 study found that seeing someone else experience stress is enough to activate our own stress response. 26% of people in the study who were just observing others under stress took on that stress themselves. There was no difference between genders in the study, but the closer the observer was (emotionally) to the person under stress, the more he or she exhibited an empathic stress response. Being around a highly stressed friend, partner, spouse or co-worker can affect your body just as much as it affects theirs. One solution is to control whom we spend time with, when possible. Spending time with successful, positive people helps you feel more positive and less stressed.
Another solution is laughter. Laughter has been proven to reduce stress and promote a healthier life, but did you know that the anticipation of laughter has been found even more effective when it comes to reducing stress?
Researchers found that anticipating watching a funny film decreased three stress-response hormones. Participants who weren’t anticipating the funny film didn’t see a significant decrease in their stress hormones. The great thing about this finding is you don’t even need to find anything to laugh at to see a benefit – simply anticipate something positive and fun, and you’ll feel less stressed.
Another solution is exercise. Galanin, which has been proven to reduce the effects of stress, is released in your brain when you exercise – meaning the more we exercise, the easier we’ll be able to handle stress and bounce back from it. If you want the stress-diminishing benefits of galanin, exercise is your answer.
My favorite stress reducer is to hug someone. A study published in Psychological Science found that greater social support and more hugs “protected people from the increased susceptibility to infection associated with being stressed and resulted in less severe illness symptoms.” The study questioned 404 healthy adults about their levels of social support. The participants had phone interviews 14 nights in a row to assess how often they had interpersonal conflicts and how many hugs they were getting. Finally, participants were exposed to a common cold virus and kept in quarantine for observation of their symptoms. Those who felt supported and received more hugs remained healthier than those who were not supported and did not receive hugs. So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, hug your stress away!
And in times of woe, when all else fails, you also can hug the nearest dog. Multiple studies point toward the health benefits of dog ownership. Dogs listen without interruption, love unconditionally and do not judge. Therapy dogs are used to reduce depression and anxiety. They also are used in nursing homes and in some hospitals where patients are terminally ill.
Something to Think About
Stress is something that we all deal with on an ongoing basis. You can’t escape stress, but you can lower it; you can reduce it, you can control it. Make this the week you take control!
Weekly Activity
When you’re feeling stressed this week, try one of the techniques listed above.
Words of Wisdom
“Letting go helps us to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. It allows others to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations that do not belong to us. This frees us from unnecessary stress.” – Melody Beattie
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James
“Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.” – Marilu Henner
“There's a lot of stress out there, and to handle it, you just need to believe in yourself; always go back to the person that you know you are, and don’t let anybody tell you any different, becauseeveryone’s special and everyone’s awesome.” – McKayla Maroney
“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye
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