How can you help clients struggling with work-related stress?

I've had many conversations with our clients who feel stressed. It's good that they can talk to someone who understands and empathies with them. Business owners need to stick together! No matter how high up you are, how well you are doing. Stress is part of that growth. Talking talking and more talking. Finding the solutions together. I'm a great believer in a problem shared is a problem halved. You can only do this with the right listeners though, so watch for that!

Indeed I suffered from it and it was induced by self-limiting beliefs and PTSD. Allowing others in and letting a key few that you are struggling. The key is finding someone you trust and has experienced what you are going through. Empathy and compassion are key factors for the person you interact with. If you font address it, it will be detrimental to your health, your family, and your career. A counselor helps not finding someone that has a vested interest in you is a differentiator.

No. 1 is really key in getting under the hood of stress. But whilst it is generally believed to be a result of our external world and our perceived ability to handle it, I believe the answer is much simpler. It is our own view of who we are, what we do and how we feel. All internal Factors that have been learned. Which means what has been learned can be unlearned. Courage and willingness are one of the first steps on the journey to resolve. But so not be fooled by the simplicity of it - it requires effort to make the changes, some of which will not always be easy

99% of the time, my clients have identified the source of their stress for themselves. The scale can go from business owners just wanting the “credit control” task off their desk so they can focus their time to less fortunate ones who are paralysed by negative cash flow. Having been in that situation with a construction related business in post recession years, I can totally empathise and support that group. It’s a genuinely awful place to be. It’s enormously satisfying when that changes though and to see them not only survive but grow…for me that makes it all worthwhile.

One of the ways I help my clients cope with the stress of out of control debtors is by removing them completely from the credit control process. I have witnessed business owners become emotionally compromised when chasing overdue debts and once that happens you are less likely to negotiate a positive outcome.

It's important to get to the root cause of why the trigger is so stressful. We can't relieve all stress in our lives and we do need to have techniques to manage it, but if the stress is intense, constant and affecting us long term, no level of coping mechanisms will help. In some cases, it's more about 'removing' the stressor. This could mean speaking up and getting help to get rid of it, leaving to a new environment, completely changing careers or working with a coach or therapist to understand the trigger so it no longer affects you. It's important to help clients see that they're empowered to make the necessary changes and to build their confidence to do what's needed to improve their lives.

I've found two things to be helpful here: 1) Taking a few moments to celebrate the "microwins" as they occur during the day. 2) Briefly writing down at the end of the work day three things that went well that day - they don't have to be big. The positive impact of doing these aggregates when you do them consistently.

Support them in recognizing and building resilience. Recognizing and celebrating successes, no matter how small they are contributes to building resilience. Clients learn to focus on their strengths and the progress they've made, even in the face of challenges, and gives them a sense of confidence and proof of strength for when they won!

Stress operates on a simple principle: reality doesn't match our expectations. Escaping stress involves letting go of all expectations, a challenging feat initially. However, with increased awareness, it gradually becomes achievable. The key to managing stress in any task is to stay focused on the activity itself, not getting carried away by expectations or outcomes. While supervisors, clients, patients, and society may have diverse expectations, your primary task is to immerse yourself in the process and find enjoyment in it. The only certainty lies in the present moment; everything else is uncertain. By shifting your focus away from expectations or results, stress is likely to diminish.

Deal with the Stress first, then the Stressors Stressors are deadlines, intense workload or conflicts with colleagues. Stress is headache, anxiety or negative thinking. Prioritise managing the stress and you will become effective at handling the stressors