5 Practical Ways for Business Owners to Beat Stress & Burnout

Stress is a huge issue for millions of people across the developed world. The unrelenting pressure often associated with being a high-level professional, CEO or business owner can lead to burnout. This condition which is now officially recognized as an "occupational phenomenon" disease by the World Health Organization, is characterized by physical and mental exhaustion, cynicism and reduced productivity. In Japan, they even have a specific term – "karoshi," which translates to "overwork death" and relates to sudden occupational mortality.

While professionals working in healthcare and human services have been treated for burnout for decades, more recently, people working in tech industries and customer service have sought treatment for stress-related issues, including burnout. However, people across various industries may have suffered from burnout for a similar length of time as those working in healthcare. Instead of burnout, they may have previously been diagnosed with work-related depression.

Another possibility is that people first suffered from burnout before they developed depression, but as burnout was not officially acknowledged or recognized until recently, nothing was done to help.

There has also been a vast amount of stigma attached to any mental health issues in the past. People often didn't want or don't want to be perceived as weak or not pulling their weight when those around them appear to be coping.

As touched on above, burnout has a number of symptoms which also include:

- Long term stress

- Sleep issues or insomnia

- Physical exhaustion

- Muscular aches and pains

- Digestive problems

- Depression & anxiety

- Loss of self-worth

In 2021, the internet is full of articles written about the issues related to burnout and how to solve them. However, because people with burnout typically work long hours and feel exhausted, they rarely have the time or energy to put any potential solutions into practice. More often than not, people endure and struggle until they eventually quit or become ill.

Adaptogens

Always consult a dietician or doctor before making any changes to your diet or taking any supplements.

Adaptogens are a type of herb that can help the body deal with stress – both physically and mentally. For example, Rhodiola Rosea significantly reduces fatigue and stress and has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Some preliminary evidence suggests Rhodiola Rosea may have neuroprotective properties and may even improve cognitive function. For more information on the scientific evidence supporting Rhodiola Rosea, Examine.com has created a table and article summarising published studies. Other popular adaptogenic herbs include ginseng and ashwagandha. Be aware that some of these herbs may interact with medications, so please consult a doctor before consuming any.

In terms of supplements, magnesium can also have a significant positive effect on stress levels and muscle tension. According to HealthLine.com – around 75% of Americans do not meet the dietary requirements for magnesium. This lack of dietary magnesium can lead to muscle tension, cramps, anxiety and fatigue. Dark chocolate and nuts are excellent sources of magnesium. Magnesium glycinate is the most efficiently absorbed supplemental form of magnesium and is best consumed before bed, as it can make you feel sleepy.

Cold Showers

Cold showers have many physical and mental benefits. Many people report increased focus and energy after having a cold shower or even an ice bath. Cold exposure should be done gradually, by, for example, adding a 10-second blast of cold at the end of your morning shower. The cold exposure causes a release of norepinephrine, which in turn has anti-inflammatory benefits. In one study, people who took a cold shower for 30 to 90 seconds each day reported a 30% lower number of sick-related absences from work than those who took showers at a warmer temperature. Cold exposure also releases "cold shock proteins," which may benefit the function and regulation of the nervous system.

If the cold isn't your thing, then saunas can also produce several similar benefits, thanks to "heat shock proteins," while infrared saunas provide a highly efficient way to relax tense muscles.

Outsource Call Answering & Email Filtering

If you are a business owner or CEO, you should be aware of the destructive power of interruptions. A single disruption or distraction, on average, according to scientific research, takes 23 minutes to "recover" from.

With this research in mind, if you wish to work out how much time a distraction costs, take the duration of the interruption itself and add 23 minutes. Over a week, this can run into several hours. Not only that, but interruptions increase errors and heighten levels of stress and anxiety.

With the number of spam and scam calls increasing in both the UK and the US in recent years, the phone can be somewhat of a paradoxical poisoned chalice. On the one hand, phone calls generate the highest quality of sales lead – if someone is willing to take the time and effort to call, they are usually in the mindset to buy. Yet, on the other hand, unwanted phone calls can cause a bottleneck in productivity which in turn increases stress levels.

Hiring a phone answering service can be a cost-efficient way to filter out unwanted calls. In addition, if you are attempting to focus on the work at hand, you can usually update a virtual receptionist using an app. Moneypenny has an excellent phone answering app that can automatically update depending on whether you are in your office. You can also caveat this instruction, however, in the case of a VIP call or a direct sales lead. Hiring a professional, 24/7 answering service can also provide an excellent brand touchpoint for your callers, who will get to speak to a polite and helpful receptionist regardless of the time of day.

Few of us are strangers to the stress that an email build-up can cause. One way of navigating the mountain of emails is to use an add-on such as Boomerang that allows you to send all your emails at a specific time of the day. You could check and respond to all of your emails first thing in the morning, but set them to send at 5 pm. That way, you don't get caught in a loop of back and forth emails. Alternatively, consider hiring a virtual assistant to filter out unwanted emails and even respond to basic queries. This can be highly cost-effective, especially if you take advantage of geo-arbitrage and hire someone overseas.

Connect with Exercise

Relationships and social connections are essential for mental health and wellbeing. In addition, exercise is also great for mental health and, in some studies, has been demonstrated to be as effective as an anti-depressant in terms of alleviating symptoms of depression.

Attending a fitness class can be a great way of combining the two. Taking up a sport can be even better as you can form real bonds and social connections if you compete in a sport as part of a team. If you don't have time to commit to a sport, then a circuit class or some type of community-spirited exercise class such as yoga or a running club can help alleviate stress and depression too.

If you want to combine the benefits of nature, exercise outdoors has been shown to produce greater benefits in terms of mental wellbeing and self-esteem than the same exercise carried out indoors. The effect of 'green exercise' was even more pronounced when there was a form of water, such as a lake, river or ocean nearby. This is possibly due to the effect of negative ions. If you don't have time to exercise outdoors, consider adding some plants to your office. Having your back to a wall but having a clear 180-degree view of the room in front of you can also help you feel more relaxed. This is related to our ancestors' desire to find spaces to live that provided "prospect and refuge."

Belly Breathing

Many of us have sat down for many hours each day since we started to attend school. Sitting down is bad for our physical and mental wellbeing for various reasons – it impacts our posture, digestion, and how we breathe.

Sitting down promotes breathing primarily using the muscles in the chest instead of using the diaphragm. In turn, this fosters shallow breathing, which increases levels of stress and anxiety. Practicing belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing for 5 minutes each day can retrain your body to breathe deeply from the diaphragm. For more information on how to do diaphragmatic breathing, please see this YouTube video.

Investing in a standing desk can also help in terms of breathing mechanics and overall well being. If you work remotely, then you can always use an ironing board with a box on top of it to place your laptop (that's what I'm doing as I type this).

Conclusion

Burnout is a significant problem, and unfortunately, despite the statistics, it still has a particular element of stigma attached to it. Burnout is not just a problem with being overworked; it can also be an issue with conflicting ethics or lack of meaning in your work.

For example, suppose you trained for years to be a journalist but have found that you are forced to create misleading headlines that act as clickbait for anxious parents. In that case, you might find yourself risking burnout, especially if you were hoping to bring important, meaningful and enlightening stories to the masses.

One major hope is that the rise in remote working may help alleviate some of the work-related stress issues. One study found that individuals with a commute to work that lasted over an hour were 40% more likely to get divorced. Hours on the road each day can mean less time with loved ones, less social connections and less time for exercise and home-cooked food. Working remotely or a hybrid working model can hopefully alleviate some of these issues and give people more time to enjoy life recreationally and take care of their health.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes