10 tactics to reduce your stress levels that you wouldn’t find in a text book

Is stress just your constant companion as a business owner, the thing you’ve stopped noticing because it never really goes away? Do you tell yourself you’re fine, even though your body is sending you signals you’re choosing to ignore? If the pressure of running your firm keeps building and you don’t have a proper way to deal with it, this episode is for you.I share what happened to me when years of unmanaged pressure caught up with me, and the coping strategies I’ve built since to protect my health while still growing my business. In this episode, I talk about my own decline through Covid into burnout and a Fibromyalgia diagnosis, what my Oura ring data showed me about my body long before I noticed anything myself, and the practical boundaries I now use every week to keep the pressure at a healthy level.What you’ll learn in the podcast episode:- Why the pressure on a business owner grows as the business grows, not the other way round.- The importance of being truly off work when on holiday- Why letting someone else manage your diary protects your time better than you can protect it yourself.- How tracking a simple biomarker can show you the true state of your stress when your own judgement can’t be trusted.- Why one fully switched off day a week can be the difference between burnout and thriving- Why a serious hobby outside your business gives you the perspective that keeps the pressure in proportion.Related episodes:Everyone talks about scaling up. Nobody talks about scaling down. https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/everyone-talks-about-scaling-up-nobody?r=l8khyWhat I did next when my rheumatologist told me I was broken https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/what-i-did-next-when-my-rheumatologist?r=l8khyThe strategy I never wanted to learn - how to stop running yourself into the ground https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-strategy-i-never-wanted-to-learn?r=l8khywhy we feel the compulsion to overwork (and how to stop) https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/7-reasons-you-are-overworking-and?r=l8khyHow to stay mentally strong when your business is under pressure https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-stay-mentally-strong-when?r=l8khyThese 4 beliefs that made you and firm successful are now sabotaging your firm’s growth https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-real-reason-you-cant-let-go-of?r=l8khyHow to make a clear decision even when your brain’s in panic mode https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-make-a-clear-decision-even?r=l8khyAI and LinkedIn broke my marketing (this is what I did next) https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/ai-and-linkedin-broke-my-marketing?r=l8khyUseful links:- sign up as a paid subscriber and use this link to get 20% off an annual membership of Start Up To Grown UpEach episode of the Start Up To Growth Up Podcast is based on my weekly Substack Article on the same topic. Head over to my substack to subscribe https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup so you never miss an article or episode again.About Heather TownsendHeather is the leading business coach for accountants (and other professionals) who want to grow their business. She is the founder of The Accountants Growth Club, who specialise in helping accounting firm owners grow their accounting business profitably and sustainably.She is also the founder of How To Make Partner, the global experts in helping professionals in practice make it to partner, and when they get there, stay that. Get the confidence, the skills AND the time to focus on the right things and move your career forward with Progress to Partner Academy. Get full access to Start Up To Grown Up at startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe