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Busy Professionals: Reduce Stress and Achieve Your Goals

By: Julie Morris of juliemorris.org. on May 9, 2019 9:48:09 PM

Insider Business

It’s easy to feel like we need to please everyone, and to think it’s okay to sacrifice our own mood and even state of mental health by making sure we take care of others. That can be even truer for busy professionals — especially those who run their own businesses and/or have a family, meaning they have people in both their professional and personal lives depending on them.

Instead of caring so much about being everything to everyone and constantly putting up a front of success and happiness, it can really help to focus on our own needs. Rather than trying to do everything for everyone at all times, stop and realize that in the end, it’s better to embrace life for its ups and downs, eases and complications. Doing so will help you meet your goals naturally and with less stress.

Prioritizing your wellness over that of others is often easier said than done when you’re a busy professional. Our guide will help you get started.

Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource

Many career-minded people have it in their heads that they have to be everything at all times to succeed. The truth is, when you spread yourself too thin, you make it impossible to improve at anything else.

Instead of worrying about being the perfect person at home, work, and everywhere else, realize that it’s okay to outsource tasks so you can focus on the things you’re passionate about.

If you’re clocking in mad hours at the office, it’s okay if you’re not home enough to do a deep cleaning, mow your lawn or walk your dog (you’ll generally pay between $15 and $17 for a 20-minute walk) as much as they need it. Find professional help with these chores so you can come home to a relaxing environment without worrying about all the things you need to do around the house.

Set Boundaries

Even when you’ve learned the sacred art of asking for help, it’s just as important to establish boundaries between your personal and professional life. Once you’ve clocked out and gone home for the day, avoid taking work-related calls or replying to emails — rarely will there be an issue so pressing that it can’t wait until tomorrow.

If you work from home, create firm office hours when your family isn’t allowed to disturb you; then, once your work day is done, close the door to your office and commit to being done working for the day. Allowing the lines between work and family life to become blurred is a quick way to being stressed out, so draw a hard line between the two.

Save Money Where You Can

Whether you’re an established businessperson or just starting out, cutting costs is never a bad idea. Methods can range from deciding how and when to outsource work or looking for ways to cut down on supply usage and cost.

Another way to save money is to work from home, as long as it’s feasible and makes sense for your business.

Instead of paying rent for office space, take that cash and hire someone to transform a room/area in your home into a functional workspace, complete with a comfortable desk, supportive chairs, and built-in shelves. Handymen in Lafayette charge between $265 and $791 on average, which is still lower than office rent.

You can also save money of term life insurance for business owners. Learn more about term vs whole life insurance.

Take Care of Your Health… in Moderation

Doing things like eating right and exercising help balance the body and support overall physical and mental health. When you consume healthy meals, you give your body the nutrition it needs to operate at its highest level. Exercise is the antidote to our overly sedated lifestyles and can help beat stress by releasing feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones throughout the body.

While you should definitely be proactive when it comes to taking care of your health, you don’t want to go overboard. Everything should be done in moderation — including moderation. Cook healthy meals most nights and hit the gym for a sweat session on a regular basis, but don’t forget that we live in an imperfect world. Expecting perfect health behaviors from yourself 24/7 is unrealistic.

Allow yourself to have a break from the gym if you’re really tired of the smell of treadmills and the bad music videos that blare on the televisions. Pamper yourself at a drip infusion bar or eat a greasy burger with your friends when you feel like it despite its high saturated fat content. Let yourself live in a way that you’re enjoying yourself because you only have one shot at life.

Practice Gratitude

When you’re a goal-oriented professional, it’s easy to get caught up keeping your eye on the prize. However, you don’t want to let the fact that you haven’t achieved what you want quite yet stop you from appreciating what you have.

Everyone has things they can be grateful for, whether it’s good health, a loving family, or simply the fact that we still wake up every morning. Practice gratitude daily for the things you have, or else you’ll feel a supreme sense of dissatisfaction by the time you actually reach your biggest goals.

When you’re a busy professional, it’s easy to get too caught up caring about pursuing whatever arbitrary measure of success you’ve chosen. What many people don’t realize is that by caring too much, you’re setting yourself back.

Instead of striving for perfection, ask for help when you need it, accept that even moderation should be done in moderation, and practice gratitude for what you have in this world.