Like many small business owners, I am not working with just one business or one client each day/week. I have to manage where my energy is used to generate the best outcome. Some weeks external factors create stress, and if not managed correctly stress can be the underlying cause to many negative impacts on our lives.

Stress is a feeling people have when they’re overloaded and struggling to cope with demands on work, relationships, finances, or other situations that pose real or perceived challenges or threats to a person’s wellbeing. Stress can be a motivator and it can be essential to survival. However, too much stress can decrease immune activity, slow down digestion, and prevent sleep.

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. According to the Cleveland Clinic, stress is a normal part of life that people experience – stress from the body, stress from thoughts, or stress from the environment.

Being aware of how you react to stressors can help reduce negative impacts and manage more effective strategies to cope with stress. As leaders, it is important to develop effective stress reducing strategies. Some strategies that help reduce or manage the impact of stress include: exercise, balanced nutrition, time for relaxation, breathing practices, mediation, and prioritizing what is important.