“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” Lou Holtz

Are you experiencing stress in your role as a manager and leader? Why is this?

Firstly let’s explore what stress is?

Stress is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain in response to adverse circumstances. 

It is how we react when we feel under pressure or threatened. It usually happens when we are in a situation that we don’t feel we can manage or control.

What are the common causes of stress in leadership?

• In internal imbalance where you know you are not living in sync with what is important to you – maybe work life boundaries are not in place and you’re not able to give yourself permission to nurture your interests or commitments outside work fully
• Juggling numerous deadlines and everything feels urgent – trying to do more and do it faster with unmatched resource 
• Experiencing employee issues, and your time is being taken up sorting issues rather than taking control of your own workload
• There is a lack of plan or structure so the temptation is to say YES to everything 
• Trying to control things that you cannot control 

If any of this sounds familiar, I want you to know that you’re not alone. AND it doesn’t have to stay like this.

What happens when leaders feel stressed?

Having established that stress on its own isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A stressor can be short lived and can promote action without lasting effect. Here we are talking about the feeling of being stressed, a longer-term, more chronic problem where stressors have overlaid one another over a period of time and led to the individual’s mental and physical health being impacted. Studies have shown that leaders who are under constant stress are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. They’re also more likely to experience physical health problems like high blood pressure and heart issues. Or at the very least a lack of sleep and changes to physical self care – exercise gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list, rest and relaxation often do too.

A stressed leader creates a stressed team, people will either join you in the overwhelm or bulk against it and you notice inertia.

What signals can you spot as early signs of stress?

• Take a look at your attitude, is there a change? Are you more negative than normal? Do you find yourself blaming others or yourself and feeling guilty? Do you feel overwhelmed?
• Examine your current productivity, is there a change? Are you finding it hard to focus and perhaps ruminating and procrastinating? Or are charging ahead on all fronts and trying to do it all (even if that means you work unusually long hours)? 

You might be reading this thinking “This is the price you pay for being a Manager.” But I disagree! It doesn’t need to be this way, and it shouldn’t be this way! 

So what practical measures can you put in place to reduce your stress levels, and what can be implemented amidst the day to day pressures you may face?

1. 1. Identify what is causing your stress. Recognising your stress indicators is the first step to making positive changes. It may be a combination of things, that’s fine, each one can be addressed.
   2. Don’t try to be perfect. Leaders often put pressure on themselves to be perfect, but this is an unrealistic goal that will only lead to more stress. Remember that everyone makes mistakes; you are only human, and there is no ‘perfect’!
   3. Say ‘no.’ An important part of leadership is to get crystal clear on the vision and plan and then getting really intentional about where your attention and effort is best spent. You can’t do it all, so knowing what to say ‘yes’ to also allows you to know where ‘no’ is the right response. If you say ‘no’ you can calmly and intentionally work with your team to help them thrive.
   4. Create boundaries. Focus on your present priorities (in and out of work) and create boundaries to ensure you have space to focus on those priorities. This is all about taking control of your time so that you don’t ignore what is important to you.
   5. Finally, I would encourage you to seek help when needed. If your stress levels are becoming too much to handle on your own, don’t be afraid to seek help. Sometimes all it takes is someone to talk to in order to get back on track and to have accountability.

If you’ve read this today and recognised you are experiencing stress with your leadership role. It doesn’t have to stay this way and looking after you is a priority if you are to help those around you. You deserve to thrive!

If you would like to discuss positive, tangible ways to move forward, please do get in touch with me. You can book a free, informal, 20 minute discovery call with me or drop me a line at jane.baggott@vistadevelopment.co.uk