To say the last few months have been stressful would be an understatement. Ever since the news of tariffs hit mid-March, the amount of uncertainty and concern has been high.
What does this mean for my business? How (should?) I adjust my prices? What are my suppliers going to do? How will this end? These are questions to which there are no definitive answers, as the situation remains fluid (for the latest, as well as details on peer reactions, see pg. 42 in the May/June issue of VOWS). And while we have no control over that, there is one thing you can control: your reaction to it.
During times of stress – regardless of the cause – it’s particularly important to protect your mental and physical health so you can remain at the top of your game.
Here are some of my favorite tips:
Stick to a routine. This doesn’t mean you have to rigidly schedule every moment of your day, but there should be at least one item you do consistently every day. This introduces calm and predictability, helping you feel grounded. For me, this is a workout. It’s not a question of if I will work out, it’s a question of when. It’s not always at the same time nor is it the same activity every day. But doing something active for at least 30 minutes daily is non-negotiable for me. Even on my worst days I have the satisfaction of knowing: I accomplished that!
Enjoy little treats. When things feel chaotic, I treat myself to small luxuries, like driving a bit out of my way to get the coffee I love, reading a new book, enjoying a favorite meal or getting a foot massage at the mall. Never fails to bring a smile!
Prioritize sleep. SO much easier said than done! But sleep is important because stress hits harder when you’re exhausted. I learned a long time ago that the worst thing I can do when my mind is racing is to try to force myself to sleep. Instead, I take a quick walk on the treadmill and/or write in my journal to kill adrenaline before trying to settle down. It almost always works.
Limit news exposure. There’s a fine line between staying informed (which is important) and doom-scrolling for hours about all the possible what ifs, discussed by outlets whose goal is to get you to click on alarmist headlines. Personally, I limit myself to 30 minutes of news a day, and make a point to check out a variety of sources to see what commonalities exist.
Talk to someone. Sometimes, just vocalizing your stress makes it seem much more manageable, as bottling things up tends to breed more stress. A quick call to a friend or a coffee date with a peer can make it feel like a load has been taken off your chest.
Remind yourself of this. One of my favorite pieces of advice comes from my dad: don’t worry today about what might happen tomorrow. Granted, this is not easy to do but it is a good reminder that many of our worst-case “what ifs” never materialize. When I play the “what if” game I force myself to mentally go down both paths – the potential bad and good scenarios – which is a reminder that sometimes change and uncertainty that seems scary can end up leading to some pretty awesome results.
