What causes stress in executives?

Executive stress is a term used for stress affecting executives within their work environment. The term executives refer to people within an organisation who hold executive positions, these positions come with high levels of responsibilities. decision-making and stress.

The pressure these individuals face on a day-to-day basis can be enormous, having accountability for whole companies and workforces, with critical decisions being made and a huge amount of accountability within the company.

If you are someone who is suffering from executive stress, you could always be looking for ways to deal with it.

The high levels of stress you are experiencing could be affecting your work and personal relationships, your happiness and most importantly your health.

Left without treatment, this kind of stress can cause a myriad of issues for you and can make your life unbearable.

What are the signs of executive stress?

No two people will ever suffer in the same way though there are common signs of executive stress that just can’t be ignored that are common to many.

The signs of executive stress to look out for are;

• Feeling overwhelmed

• Feeling unable to cope

• Depressed

• Irritable

• Lack of concentration and decision-making

• Angry

• Anxiety

• Feeling less optimistic about life

How do you deal with executive burnout?

If you are suffering from executive stress or burnout there are ways to deal with the situation.

Knowing what to do and being proactive in your treatment can help and is a really good coping mechanism until you get your feelings under control.

Below are seventeen different ways you can deal with executive stress. These are all tips you can begin applying to your situation today so you can start making the necessary changes straight away.

17 Powerful Ways

1. Watch out for the warning signs of stress

Become accustomed to the warning signs of stress building up within you.

Are you feeling more stressed or anxious? Are you feeling overwhelmed with everything or not experiencing any joy in your life?

Acknowledging the signs is the first step to bring about change and to deal with executive stress.

2. Incorporate decompression brakes into your working periods

To prevent stress from building up during your working day, make sure you incorporate decompression breaks into it.

Instead of spending long hours sitting at your desk, make sure you get up and move around. Practice some stretches, and breathing techniques or try and switch off for a bit by listening to your favourite music, reading or even taking a power nap if you are able.

Taking even short breaks can have a very powerful effect on how you are feeling and how you are coping with your working day.

3. Observe your reactions to stress-inducing situations

Get to know your body and how you are reacting to stressful situations. Some people are unaware of the effects stress and burnout are having on their bodies and consequently, damage is done before they are fully aware of what is happening to them.

When you can observe the reactions to stress your body is having, you will be able to put coping mechanisms in place to counteract the stress and prevent further damage from occurring.

4. Discover a quiet place where you can relax

Make sure you have a quiet place to escape when you feel stress and pressure beginning to build.

It could be a room in your house that is a place of peace and relaxation, a favourite spot to sit outside in nature, or lying in your bath.

The place is irrelevant as long as it is somewhere that you feel relaxed and calm. Try to make it a place where you won’t be disturbed and a place where you get great comfort.

5. Make exercise a priority in your life

Exercise is good for your mind as well as your body. The proven effects of exercise on mental health are amazing. As you exercise the feel-good chemical endorphins are released into your body helping to boost happiness.

If you exercise in the morning you will begin your day feeling invigorated and happy. If you exercise in the evening, it is a good idea to do something more relaxing such as swimming or yoga to aid in a good night’s sleep.

Try to exercise a few times each week. You must make exercise a priority in your life. Aim for at least three sessions a week and mix up what you do so you don’t get bored. Make taking care of your mental and physical health top of your to-do list.

6. Learn to delegate non-essential tasks

Where ever possible delegate non-essential tasks. Leave your time for doing the work nobody else can do. The sign of a good leader is not someone who does everything but someone who can delegate other jobs to the right people so the work gets done. If you take on everything yourself, you will end up feeling stressed and burnt out and risk missing important jobs.

7. Learn how to say no more often

One of the best tips for dealing with executive stress is learning to say NO to other people.

If you are someone who is a people pleaser or has difficulty letting people down, you could be prone to saying YES to everything, even things you haven’t got the time for or can’t commit to.

Just learning to say no more often could be a real game-changer for you when it comes to managing your stress levels.

8. Take a brief walk in a natural environment

Getting outside in nature is a very powerful and restorative practice which can transform how you feel. There has been much research undertaken into the restorative effect of nature on stress and burnout.

A study involving 406 participants across four countries, Spain, UK, Netherlands and Lithuania, used smartphone data collected over seven days to explore the relationships between exposure to natural outdoor environments and different indicators of mental health. Self-reported information, including psychological well-being, sleep quality, vitality and perceived stress, was collected, and analysis indicated that contact with natural outdoor spaces was statistically significantly tied to better mental health. The study concluded that exposure to natural environments facilitates stress reduction. cite :Triguero-Mas, M., Donaire-Gonzalez, D., Seto, E., Valentin, A., Smith, G., Martínez, D.,...Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. (2017).  Natural outdoor environments and mental health: Stress as a possible mechanism. Journal of Environmental Research, 159, 629-638.

If you feel your stress levels starting to rise get outside and get a dose of fresh air, breathe and feel yourself starting to relax.

9. Build stress-relieving activities into your daily and weekly plans

As we all know prevention is better than cure so if you know you are going to be having a stressful week at work, make sure you plan some stress-relieving activities into your daily and weekly plans.

Booking time to go the gym, meeting up with friends and family, setting aside some self-care time or planning a day trip into nature are all ways you can build stress-relieving activities into your life.

10. Improve your sleep regime

Your body will be able to cope far better both mentally and physically when you have had a good night’s sleep. Sleep is fundamentally important to your holistic well-being therefore you must make sleep a priority in your life.

You will know all too well how bad you feel when you have slept poorly, and how it can affect everything from your mood to levels of concentration. Developing a good sleep routine means going to bed and rising at the same time each day. Avoiding caffeine, alcohol and other stimulants before bedtime, sleeping in an environment you find relaxing and comfortable and leaving your mobile phone or other electrical devices in another room so you aren’t tempted to reach for them if you wake in the night.

11. Keep yourself thoroughly hydrated

It’s amazing how a lack of fluids can make you feel. Hydration is vital for the overall working of your mind and body.

A lack of fluids will leave you feeling groggy, tired, irritable and unable to function to the best of your ability.

Make sure you have a bottle of water with you at all times and sip it throughout the day.

Staying topped up is far better than getting to the stage of feeling dehydrated.

12. Learn to develop a broader perspective on difficulties

The higher you climb up the company ladder, the broader your perspective needs to be on all matters. Being able to evaluate the difficulties and problems in other areas means you are far less likely to be tripped up by problems further down the line.

Even if it isn’t something to do within your working remit, having a broader perspective will future-proof you for any situation you may come up against. This will help to protect you against any stressful situations that may arise.

13. Accept yourself and avoid perfectionism

The only person you can ever be is you and comparing yourself to other people or striving to be perfect is always going to be a recipe for failure.

You will have got to the position you are in within your company because of who you are and therefore striving for perfection and creating stress for yourself is not needed. Accept the person you are and focus on the strong points you have in your skillset.

14. Practise deep breathing techniques to calm the mind

Deep breathing is an almost instantaneous way to calm your mind and body. Whenever you feel stress, anxiety or any other negative emotion starting to stir in your body, start to breathe slowly and deeply.

This is something you can do anytime and anywhere and will help to calm you in any situation.

Practice deep breathing techniques so you always have them on hand. Breathe in for the count of four, hold for the count of four and breathe out for the count of four.

This simple yet highly effective tip can be a real game changer when you are feeling under stress.

15. Live in the present to avoid catastrophizing

Many stressful situations arise because of catastrophizing what MAY happen in the future. No one has a crystal ball where they can see exactly what is going to happen in the future and yet so many times you can conjure up many scenarios of disaster in your future.

Learn to stay in the present moment and focus on what is happening in the now. This is the only way you can ever live as the only moment we ever have is now. There is no good to come from projecting into the future and seeing disasters, it will only ever bring stress and anxiety.

16. Reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake

Alcohol and caffeine can add to stress and anxiety. As they are both stimulants they will only ever act negatively on your nervous system. Often you may feel like reaching for an alcoholic drink to calm you down and relax you but after the initial relaxation effect you may get from it, you will then have a negative reaction within the body.

If you do have a drink make sure it isn’t directly before you go to bed as the chances are it will keep you awake and wherever possible opt for caffeine and alcohol-free beverages.

17. Employ a life coach to implement your de-stress plan

Working with a Life Coach can be a major advantage for anyone who is suffering from executive stress. Life coaches are trained professionals who can aid in helping you to implement a de-stress plan.

They can offer you the support and guidance you need to make changes in your life to reduce stress and they can give you the tools and tips that will help you make long-lasting changes in your life.

A life coach is only ever going to be there to support and aid you. There is no judgement, only help and understanding of your situation and of the changes you want to bring about.

Final Thoughts

Executive stress is a real and present condition in the working world. Too many people are affected by professional burnout because they don’t have the resources or information to hand to make changes in their lives to prevent stress from building up.

You can have a successful career and a happy stress-free home and work life if you follow the simple tips above.

Taking care of your mental and physical health should be a priority for you so you can enjoy every aspect of your life, and get as much enjoyment and satisfaction from your working life as well as outside of work. Start taking your mental and physical well-being seriously and begin to implement change today.

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