Founding a company: Ensuring stress does not get out of hand

Partner Post –  Zurich Insurance

Company founders work a lot, need to get to grips with lots of new topics and have to master thousands of unknown situations: This can all be very exciting! But what if there’s too much excitement and too much stress?

 When setting up a company, everything is new and fascinating: You experience pride and pleasure when you gain a new customer or make your first delivery. However, there will also be lots of things that you did not expect. Day after day you have to react quickly, act flexibly and make important decisions for the future of your company. This can be stressful. And stress can make you ill. That’s why it’s important to identify it early.

What exactly is stress?
Stress is our body’s natural reaction to risks and threats. Nowadays, we experience stress when things get out of hand or become too much for us – a feeling that every company founder will have experienced at some time or other. A fluid threshold between work and private life also poses a risk, for example due to constant availability via telephone and e-mail. However, stress can also be something positive when, for example, we are working on an exciting task, fall in love or watch a soccer match featuring our favorite team. This kind of stress can be endured for a long period of time.

“Good stress increases motivation, attention and performance.”

A company founder who “finally goes their own way” hopes to experience lots of positive stress. However, being self-employed also has a dark side – and this can cause negative stress: All of a sudden you are responsible for everything. Orders may come in slowly at the beginning, and finances can become a little tight. What’s more, the permanent strain and lack of sleep can also cause problems in relationships or family life. In such a case, stress levels need reducing as quickly as possible, before health issues appear or burnout occurs.

Expert tip How you can reduce stress
As a self-employed person, you will be subject to strain each and every day. Try to retain a balance nevertheless and ensure you have enough time for your private life and relaxing activities, even when you have an excessive workload. A fixed weekly plan, which includes time for sport and friends, can help. In your professional life, separate the unimportant from the important. Find a person with whom you can talk when it comes to making decisions regarding your company. With respect to insurance, we will take care of everything for you

Copyright: Zürich Versicherung

Indications of burnout

Behavioral changes:

• Making work the main purpose in your life
• A sense of being indispensable and irreplaceable at work
• Hyperactivity and restlessness, going to work despite being ill
• Irritation, often quick-tempered, aggressiveness
• Social withdrawal, breaking into tears about every little thing, nail-biting
• Eating while standing, constantly late

Physical:

• Stomach problems, racing heart, difficulty breathing, sleeping disorders
• Back pain, tinnitus, dizziness

Emotional:

• Despair and depression, negative thinking, low self-esteem
• A sense of helplessness, brooding, problems finding the right words, impaired concentration, decision-making difficulties, forgetfulness
• Panic attacks, insecurity, loneliness, anger, resignation, continuous sadness, over-sensitivity, lack of drive or motivation

Want to know more? You can find out all about the topic “Remaining healthy” at zurich.ch.