Anybody else feeling the megadose of stress out there lately?

There’s chaos in the cosmos, my friends, and stress levels are at all-time highs.

As if the cumulative stresses from the pandemic weren’t enough, we’re dealing with political challenges, and uncertainty in the financial markets, all layered on top of normal, everyday responsibilities.

Many of my clients are finding themselves in a place where they need to calm the nerves of their clients, and their employees, all while carrying massive amounts of stress on their own shoulders.

Stress is something everyone deals with, and high-achieving execs are particularly susceptible to the perils of stress because of that constant drive, never-enough feeling propelling us.  That’s all well and good to a point but can overtake us if we allow it to.  Read that again… Allow it to.

Good news:  you can do something about it.

A staggering percentage of ER visits and doctor visits every year are attributed to… You guessed it, stress.

Left unaddressed, stress will kill you.  It’s the root cause of disease in the body, and ultimately it takes years off of our lives.  It weakens the immune system, so we get sick more often, and it lowers the quality of our life experiences along the way.

It’s not only felt at the individual level but also has company-wide implications.  Employees who are stressed are less engaged and less productive, and that ultimately impacts the company’s financials.

Living with ridiculously high levels of stress shouldn’t be “just the way it is.”  We aren’t meant to go through life treating everything as a fire drill, feeling pressured and exhausted.  There are things we can do on a daily basis to stay in front of it.

When we actively work to keep stress at bay, we start to feel better all around – we have more energy, feel happier, more productive and fulfilled.

Here are 3 powerful ways to kick-start your stress management.  I have several more ideas, so grab a time here and I can help you.

1. Acknowledge the Stress, and Ask for Help.

This can be difficult for leaders to do because they’ve long been conditioned to feel like they need to show up having it all together.  Gone are those days – we’re entering a new model of leadership, authentic leadership, which invites leaders to showcase their human side, which is how they build trust and earn the respect of those around them.

2. Embrace a Holistic Lifestyle.

Taking a holistic approach to life has so many benefits and an endless list of options.  Any activity that nourishes your mind, body, or spirit fits the bill.  Notice I used the word lifestyle…it’s not a program or a class, it’s a way of life.  A way of life that prioritizes you so that you can get the most out of life for years to come.  Leaders who take a holistic approach to their life thrive in and out of the office.

3. Evaluate How You Currently Deal With Stress and Identify What Isn’t Healthy.

Many of the current go-to activities to deal with stress may in fact be making the problem worse.  They’re short-term, quick fix, shot-in-the-arm type attempts to ease our stress and anxiety, but we may not even realize that the behavior is just masking the real underlying issues.  Alcohol, gambling, drugs, and emotional eating are a few examples of unhealthy ways to deal with stress.

When you identify the coping mechanisms that aren’t productive, go easy on yourself and remind yourself that you’re learning every day.  The goal here is not to beat yourself up over it; it’s to bring awareness and start to make the shift towards healthier ways of dealing with stress.

Remember, the goal is not to totally eliminate stress, as it’s part of life.  Keep making choices that nourish your mind, body, and spirit, and over time you’ll start to experience less stress and more calmness, ease, and peace.

Are you dealing with high levels of stress?  Do you need help designing a new lifestyle that helps you feel better and attract better?

Grab a time with me here. I’d love to help.