Running a startup or small business is riddled with stresses that
demand your attention and drain your energy. You can't eliminate stress
completely, so instead aim to boost your ability to cope with stress, which will help you face bigger challenges with confidence.
Each person has an optimal level of stress that they actually enjoy.
It makes work exciting and engaging. But when we pass that level, stress
becomes detrimental, leading to physical pains and poor decisions.
The amount of stress you can handle without getting overwhelmed is
what psychologists call your stress tolerance. "It's the ability to cope
with stress or adversity and bounce back," says David Ballard,
psychologist and head of the American Psychological Association's Center
for Organizational Excellence. The higher your stress tolerance is, the
easier it will be for you to find your daily stresses invigorating.
Ballard recommends these three strategies to help you raise your stress tolerance:
1. Find opportunity in the challenge.
Stress makes us single-minded, so negatives loom large and positives fly
under the radar. "Stress is designed to focus our attention or energy
so we can overcome the threat," Ballard says.
That intensity works for time-sensitive, high-stakes issues, but most
stressors are less immediate. In those cases, focusing on the problem
exclusively is overwhelming and unproductive. Instead, look for new
opportunities that this stressor creates, such as ways to make your
company more efficient or improve communication.
Finding the silver lining helps you maintain hope. "People who have
trouble bouncing back often see that challenge as completely
insurmountable," Ballard says. An optimistic attitude will help you
tolerate a lot more stress with ease.
2. Look at the bigger picture.
When you face one stressor after another, the constant demands can drown
out the greater purpose. Remembering why you care about your work
creates a buffer that prevents the stress from overwhelming you. "It's
important to step back and think about what it is you're trying to
accomplish," Ballard says.
Ask, what function or purpose does this particular stressor serve?
How will resolving it help me accomplish my goal? By putting the stress
in context, you restore your will to persevere, and you make better
choices about how much time and energy to dedicate to the problem. It
may deserve less attention than you're giving it right now.
3. Build in recovery time.
Our bodies evolved to tolerate stress in short bursts; to put all our
energy toward a threat, then relax again when it's gone. Breaks between
stressors allow us to recover, but few people take them today. "Many
workplaces function in a state of chronic stress," Ballard says, leaving
us depleted and short-fused.
Stress-induced smoking, drinking, overeating, or Internet surfing
only compound the problem. Those activities feel stress-relieving, but
they don’t reset your system. To unwind effectively, try active hobbies
such as sports or volunteer work, tech-free relaxation like meditation,
yoga, or reading, and sleep at least six hours a night. The more you
choose those activities, the better you'll cope with stress.
Nadia Goodman is a freelance writer in Brooklyn, NY. She is a former
editor at YouBeauty.com, where she wrote about the psychology of health
and beauty. She earned a B.A. in English from Northwestern University
and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. Visit her
website, nadiagoodman.com.
