Get a Better Handle on Leadership Stress

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2. Force yourself to take breaks

As a successful leader, you probably have little or no free time in your workday. But one of the keys to beating stress is to give your mind and body occasional chances to recharge. In other words, take a break once in a while. Here are a few ideas for creating a healthy balance:

Schedule daily mini-breaks. Plan several mental breaks throughout the day. For example, if you’re in front of a computer most of the day, schedule two or three daily three-minute walks. If you’re going to be locked in meetings most of the day, use your breaks to step outside, stretch, walk or listen to music. And if your job has you constantly on the move, schedule a five or 10-minute sit-down break every few hours. Balance is about not doing the same thing all day long.

Strike a better work/life balance. It almost goes without saying that vacation time is crucial to beating stress. And that means a vacation where you’re not attached to your Treo, cell phone or other remote device. Yes, it’s hard to get away from the office, but that’s the only real way to unwind.

Getting beyond vacations, make time to take stock of your personal priorities and the role that work plays in helping you achieve your objectives. Often, stress is caused by a feeling of being out of control. The simple act of putting things in perspective can help you regain control and have a very positive impact on your mental well-being.

Tune out at the end of the day. Most leaders take their work home with them each night. Whether you’re physically checking email or just thinking about issues at the office, there comes a time when you need to leave your work and leadership responsibilities behind. You need to set personal time boundaries and stick to them. For example, you may decide that you’ll turn off your cell phone as you walk in the front door each evening, or that you will not check email after 9 pm. To ensure that your work time is as productive as possible, you need to have time that is truly down time.

3. Maintain a positive attitude.

When your leadership stress is at its peak, you may feel down or even doubtful about your abilities. You may find yourself dwelling on the “shoulds” in your professional life—“I should be making more money,” “I should be handling this latest project better,” “My staff should like me more,” etc. This is just your stress wearing down your self-confidence and resolve. Don’t give in to it.

This is the time to refocus on something positive. One easy solution is to remind yourself of something pleasant in another area of your life, such as your daughter’s softball team’s big win last night or how proud you felt when you climbed Mount Rainier last month. Another solution is to write down a physical list of your assets and your accomplishments, and when you feel overwhelmed by stress, pull out the list and remind yourself of all the things you have done and the people whose lives you have positively impacted.

Certain stressors inherent to our industry will never disappear. In fact, they may become exacerbated with fluctuations in the economy and availability of skilled employees. Whether it’s the pressure of keeping up with industry standards or dealing with tight budgets, leadership stress can have a negative impact on not just your performance, focus and well-being, but that of the company as well. CEOs, senior executives and managers dictate the level of stress throughout the organization. If you delegate efficiently, maintain balance properly and think positively, you will be able to rise above leadership stress and take your team and the company with you!

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