Due to the high demands placed upon agents, having a real estate business and career can be stressful. And, since it’s Stress Awareness Month, there’s no better time to assess the stress in your life. And, most importantly, make positive changes for increased wellness.
Why You Should Pay Attention to Stress
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, states that job stress, now more than ever, poses a threat to the health of workers — and the health of organizations.
Stress also occurs when the situation has high demands and a worker feels as if they have little or no control over it. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury. But, not all stress is bad. Learning how to deal with and manage stress is critical to emotional and physical health.
When you are at capacity, stress shows. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Apathy
- Negativism/cynicism
- Low morale
- Boredom
- Anxiety
- Frustration
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Alienation
- Anger/irritability
- Physical problems (headaches, stomach problems)
- Absenteeism
Manage Stress to Increase Wellness
Some organizations offer programs to help employees manage and reduce stress. At Keller Williams, KWWellness works closely with Wellness ambassadors in market centers to help bring activities and health education to agents around the world. Keller Williams associates interested in becoming a Wellness Ambassador can learn more by clicking the link below.
Tips to reduce your stress include:
Start with You
Your health is not disposable and if you don’t take care of yourself, you cannot sustain your career. Even small things can lift your mood, increase your energy, and make you feel like you’re back in control.
Start with small steps by making more positive lifestyle choices, taking care of a nagging health issue, putting aside time for exercise and choosing to eat more wisely. Once you start giving back to yourself, you won’t feel so drained. Remember: You cannot pour from an empty cup.
Ask for Help and Leverage Yourself
If there are certain areas of your role that aren’t time conducive, that could be delegated or you’ve grown out of, ask for help. You don’t have to do it all. Sometimes eliminating even one task can make a real difference in your stress level.
Talk it Out with Someone
We don’t want to burden our families and friends with our troubles, which leads to bottling everything inside ourselves. A counselor, coach or a mentor are excellent sounding boards and listeners. Make the investment to employ an attentive listener to help get you through. It’s where having a KW MAPS coach can really help you as well. Working with a coach to keep your business and professional development on track can reduce your stress by helping you see the big picture and work at your goals piece by piece.
Exercise and Diet
There is no getting around it, there are no quick fixes, and there is no magic pill – exercise and diet are the cornerstones to feeling better. It’s advised to get at least 30 minutes of activity a day that elevates your heart rate and makes you break a sweat. Once you make a point to exercise a little more, it becomes an easier habit.
Low blood sugar makes you irritable and anxious and eating too much can make you lethargic. An easy fix is to eat multiple small meals throughout the day. This will maintain your blood sugar level, keep your energy up, focused, and avoid mood swings.
Check with your market center KW Wellness Ambassador about upcoming events and get involved.
Sleep
Stress and worry often lead to insomnia, and lack of sleep makes you vulnerable to even more stress. Try to improve the quality of your sleep by setting a sleep schedule and aiming for seven to eight hours a night. You can also download sleep cycle apps to help you evaluate your sleep patterns.
Leverage Workplace Strategies to Relieve Stress
Analyze your schedule
Analyze your schedule, responsibilities and daily tasks. Try to find more balance between work, family life, social activities, hobbies, daily responsibilities and downtime. No one has a schedule that is set in stone, schedules can fluctuate. By listing these out and re-prioritizing, you begin to take control of your day.
Don’t over-commit
If you've got too much on your plate, distinguish between the "shoulds" and the "musts." Move tasks that aren't truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.
Give yourself time
Being late adds to stress levels. For one week try leaving 10-15 minutes earlier than you normally do; this will give yourself time to ease into your day.
Take breaks
Set your calendar to remind you to take a break. Even a 10-minute reprieve will clear your mind, and help reduce stress. Make a point to go away from your desk for lunch. Getting away from work to briefly relax and recharge will help you be more productive.
Prioritize tasks
Make a list of the “musts” and prioritize them. Do the high-priority items first, and get the things you like to do least over right away. The rest of your day will be more pleasant as a result.
Break it up
If a project is overwhelming, break it up and make a step-by-step plan to tackle it. You’ll find that once you’ve acknowledged your stress, managing it starts to unfold.
We hope this blog is helpful toward making those first few steps to say "good bye" to stress and "hello" to a healthier and more productive life. Do you have ways you relieve stress you want to share? Please share them below in the comments.
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