29 November 2013
Stress has become part and parcel of modern times. The breakneck speed of life, intense competition and a cranky economy contribute a lot to a stress ridden life. The sad thing about stress is that many of us don’t understand the real danger behind this invisible disease.
Stress isn’t just a psychological phenomenon that makes you grumpy and moody all day long. Yes, it does make you feel like an empty vessel, but it comes with physical side effects too.
The irony is, stress is actually a mechanism conceived by nature to protect us. Stress response, when working properly helps you rise above challenges. When you’re in danger, an optimal stress response kicks in turning you into high gears to deliver the ultimate ‘fight or flight’ response.
According to a research conducted by American Psychological Association, 77% of respondents admitted that stress causes physical pain and symptoms. The interesting thing is only 73% of them reported about the psychological symptoms of stress. So, you are under attack from two different fronts.
You don’t need a statistician to tell that money and work are leading causes for stress. But, if you are still in denial, 76% of people have categorically stated their career as a primary source of stress in their lives. A work-life balance is fast becoming a novelty when you are focused in the moving up the corporate ladder.
A cynic might suggest that it has become fashionable for people to claim that their lives are stressful to show how busy and happening their life is. To an extent, it’s true in the world of sales. Impossible to reach targets, hounding managers, intense competition, difficult customers, a long winded sales process - there is hardly an escape from stress over here.
Stress is considered to be an occupational hazard for a salesperson. Well, it isn’t and it shouldn’t be. There is hardly any point in being touted as the next rainmaker, only to blow your gasket before you reach 35 and opt for a different line of work altogether, right?
There is no easy way to suck joy out of your life. The Work - Life balance goes for a toss making you feel lousy all round. Here are some of the obvious and least known dangers of stress:
Physical Ailments
As noted earlier, many presume stress to be invisible and something that exists only in their minds. It’s definitely isn’t and that’s why I’m bumping this to the top of the list. Our genes, lifestyle, food habits etc. make us vulnerable to certain diseases. Stress does a bang up of job of making those diseases surface early on.
It starts with small hormonal imbalances leading to high blood pressure and gaining body weight. Stress puts undue stress on your heart constricting blood vessels leading to heart attacks. Add to this the effects of increased stress eating that clogs up arteries with fat.
And, that’s not all. Stress had been linked to cancer, diabetes, obesity, lung disorders, ulcers, liver disorders among other diseases that take a toll on your health. High stress levels have the potential to weaken immune systems and make you vulnerable to infections more often than ever.
Psychological and Cognitive Toll
There aren’t many surprises over here. Stress impairs your judgement. You lose control over your emotions taking you down the road of fear and anxiety. Meaning, you won’t be the cool cucumber under challenging circumstances or sport a poker face during a tough negotiation. And, those are the two key weapons in a salesman’s arsenal.
Mood swings and lapse in memory will become the norm. When you are already walking the thin line between yelling at a customer or challenging your boss for a fist fight, stress is a trigger that you don’t want to have. Depression, anxiety and overall feeling of unhappiness are other psychological side effects.
Stress impacts your mind, body and soul. A career and reputation that has taken years of hard work to achieve crumbles when you are incapacitated by unhappiness and anxiety. Getting rid of stress from your life altogether is a three pronged strategy that needs to be executed in tandem for the best results.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the proven methodologies to beat stress from all walks of your life.
Acceptance
It’s the first important step. You’ll have to admit that you have a stressful life in the first place. You should be in a position to tell the difference between living a fast paced life and feeling overwhelmed all the time. There is no point in feeling miserable all the time without acknowledging that you have a problem and accepting it as a lifestyle choice.
It’s easier than you think to find if you are under too much stress or not. Ask your self a few questions:
Are you easily irritable?
Can you let go of your anger in a short span?
How long does it take to calm yourself down?
Are you comfortable talking to others to help you cool down when agitated?
How often do you experience mood swings?
Those are just a few. If you check a few from this list, you need to work on stress therapy.
Meditation
Not a very interesting solution, I know. It definitely is a chore to sit down, focus the mind and meditate. The best way to get good at meditation is to start practicing it day in and day out. You don’t need a guru or spiritual advisor to test the waters. Find an empty room that’s quiet, close your eyes and lose yourself.
Try playing soothing music, sound of ocean waves or anything that helps you loosen your muscles. Maintain a comfortable posture and take deep breaths. Remember, you are not meditating to summon the God and don’t worry about good meditation right from day one. It’s art that you’ll master over time with consistent practice. The watchword here is “consistency”!
Start at 10 minutes a day and eventually you’ll be able to stretch it to 30 minutes. Personally, meditation works better for me than mentally picturing myself on a beach or some other happy place!
Travel
Max out your vacations days. Take off to a place that you have been planning visit for long and have some serious fun. Change of scenery does wonders to your mood. When you are in stress, it’s better you pack and leave to anywhere you have a ticket to. There is no such thing called a perfectly planned stress healing vacation.
Go to a place that’s starkly different from your current environment. Living in a place with a foot of snow everyday? Try the Caribbean. Get used to a new environment and find some interesting people to mingle with. And, leave your mobile phones and laptops behind for better results.
Reading and Entertainment
Not a fan of fine arts? Well, it’s time to suck it up and start appreciating that opera that you hate! Start appreciating arts and literature for your own good. Pick up a literary work of your choice and start reading it cover to cover. The thicker the book, the better you’ll get at keeping calm.
A pillow sized great American novel isn’t your cup of tea? How about going to a stand up comedy act? Or some karaoke? The idea is to step out of the rut and start having some fun. It’s always better if you actually participated in things that interest you.
For instance, watching a basketball game isn’t a stress buster. But, playing an actual game definitely is. Graduate from being a spectator and start exploring your hobbies with you at the center. Start by taking baby steps and always keep in mind that you are trying to have some fun and not planning to play for the Chicago Bulls!
Exercise and Yoga
Hitting the gym isn’t fun. But, with proper motivation and consistency, it sure can be fun. As a matter of fact, it’s not necessary that you go to a gym in the first place. Jogging in your neighbourhood or pushups and situps in your living room will do the trick. The goal is to burn calories and stress at the same time!
Practising Yoga complements both your mind and body. It’s needs some professional guidance when you start and after a few weeks you should be good to go on your own. It isn’t particularly easy like learning to run on a treadmill, but yoga is one of the best ways to feel whole all over again.
Balanced Diet
Researchers from the University of California and the University of New York have concluded that improved dietary habits and exercises are individually, additively and interactively related to controlling stress.
Unhealthy eating habits contribute to increased stress levels. Interestingly, the converse is also true - if you are stressful, you’re bound to binge eat and fatten yourself up. A craving for food high in fats and sugar, the unhealthy kind of the lot, is a clear indication that you need to rein in your stress levels.
Stress eating is a common mistake and it’s usually junk foods that find a place in your menu. Skipping meals is equally bad and when all these happen at the same time, you’re fast tracking yourselves to Mt.Stressmore.
Cut down your caffeine intake at the earliest. Skipping fast foods and processed food help a lot as well. It’s better to keep off all the items that give you a short energy rush or high - coffee, sugars and alcohol. A diet that’s rich in vitamins, protein and iron in their place is a recommended cure for stress.
Working hard is fast becoming an option for many in this connected world. Gone are the days when it was touted that it’s hard work that pays. Today, it’s smart work that counts and is something that’s profitable for you and the company. I’m not talking about developing an IQ that of a rocket scientist. Smart work is as simple as using the right tool or person to get the job done. Here are a few ways to do it:
Delegation
You don’t have to do every single thing yourself. Yes, it’s absolutely satisfying to be the guy who lifts his own wait juggling a ton of things. But at the end of the day, you’ll be drained physically and mentally.
Delegate the tedious job of creating a quote or a proposal. Find someone to validate the lead and to help fix appointments with the right contact. Take a subject matter expert along with you instead of cramming stuff you aren’t well versed in.
Remember, it isn’t called passing the buck if you entrust work to someone else who can do a better job than you.
Time Management and Communication
Attaching a timeline to every stage in the sales process is a first right step when it comes to time management. Every deal in your sales pipeline has to have a self imposed deadline. A time bound task helps you figure out if the deal is worth pursuing further. When a deal goes bust, it goes bust. You win some and you lose some. Just move on to the next lead in your list.
When dealing a tough customer or a hounding boss, there isn’t anything better than open and candid conversation. They must have their reasons to be annoyed. Figure that out and get it fixed. Remember, there are solutions to many of the problems you face.
Not able to get hold of quality leads? Try sending personalized cold emails. Can’t close a single lead? May be you should try customer profiling. Finding it harder to build rapport with a customer? Give active listening a shot. By doing things differently, you can keep stress out of your boss and customer relationships.
Technology
If you cannot delegate to another person in your team, delegate it to a software. Technology can do a lot heavy lifting for you and cut down your workload. Automate every possible task that you do. In particular, look for redundant, tedious tasks in your routine and find an app to get them done for you.
Use a quote generation app to create quotes, proposals and invoices in a few minutes instead of whipping them up using a word processor. Take charge of your cluttered schedule with a task management app that promptly reminds you when things are due.
Start using a CRM to keep track of all sales outreach efforts. That way, you won’t miss out on the next follow up date or an important note that should be added to the proposal. Staying organised is a sure fire way to make your life at office stress free.
We are largely responsible for making our lives miserable. In short, stress isn’t inevitable. With consistent efforts and some healthy habit building, you don’t have to worry about stress any more! What do you think?
