As we progress through our lives, some of the most stressful events occur when we become self-employed. This is entirely different for each of us, as we have our own ways to define stressful. With the potential for so much at stake, no person is completely stress-free and we each must be able to identify the time and place when our stress levels may feel highest.
To further determine the sources of stress and identify solutions to them, let’s first spend a little time considering the degree of stress a person is experiencing.
The following questions will help you gauge your stress levels:
o On a scale of 1-10, 10 being high, how does your stress level correlate with the following: life, work, family, friends, finances, significant other, significant health, sense of purpose, etc.?
o What are the major symptoms of stress, and, if so, how do they affect your life? Do you recognize any of these symptoms or others?
To better comprehend your own stress levels and to identify the sources, the following questions will help you gain an understanding of your situation:
o What stresses you the most in your life?
o What stresses you the least?
o What activities energize you? And, what energize you?
o What activities deplete your energy? Indeed, who energizes you, and why?
o How much time with family and friends is realistic and healthy on a consistent schedule?
o Whether you’re healthy, both mentally and physically, and do you experience very few aches or pains, are you in great shape? Do you have confidence in your health and well-being?
o Do you feel an emotional connection with friends and family, thus providing support and emotional responses to your everyday life?
o Are you attending to your very best at work, and in everything else you do?
o Do you like what you do for a living; do you simply do what you do?
o Are you feeling healthy and in control of your life?
o Do you have the ability to get your work-related duties and other tasks done in a timely and organized fashion based on your level of self- reliance and responsibility?
Obvious, these are questions that are easy to answer if the questions have already been answered. The difficulty lies in having the opportunity to answer questions about the sources of your stress. It will likely be impossible to answer why or how something happened in order to create stress, unless you have able to directly reduce or eliminate the cause of the stress.
Finding a person who can respond to some or all of these questions in terms of pointing to the sources of your stress is an invaluable asset. You can then go to that person and discuss the issues and the solutions with the goal of achieving the desired results. This meantime, however, will almost certainly take you back a step further into the uncertain reality of your current inability to eliminate the cause of your stress.
Using either of these two approaches will certainly increase the level of knowledge you have about your self, your immediate world and the true causes of your stress. It does create a better opportunity for you to understand your personal stress triggers and then to be able to adapt to them in such a way that you are not caught by the proverbial ” feathers” of worry. You will more easily be able to learn how to recognize your current stress level and efficiently re-respond to both career and personal pressures. You will also be better educated in a general sense of understanding the workings of your own mind and body.
This knowledge of your own personal stress triggers is only the starting point to reach a positive solution to a stressful life. So, if you believe you do not feel you engage in these good practices or are able to implement positive coping strategies, then look for suitable counseling or professional help to effectively attempt to learn what works for you and how to prioritize your thoughts and actions to improve your life.
