My realizations about stress
By: Nick Burd
Tags: Family, Nature, Stress Management, Self Employment

My realizations about stress

Some relaxation found on Cashel Lake in Ontario Canada — Fall 2020

I’ve been a self employed business owner for the majority of my career. For the better portion of 15 years I have been either working freelance or running a full-service design and development agency. I’m no stranger to stress and frustration in my daily life, and I happen to think that I manage it a little better than most (grey hair aside).

Recently, in working for an enterprise level corporation while dealing with lockdowns as a result of Covid-19, parenting, running my own business; I have made some great realizations and I want to share them with you.

Handling work related stress

I typically on any given day have on average 5 small to medium sized projects on my lap for my UI/UX Design business. This involves me working with my team to develop strategies and designs followed by developing functioning applications or websites. I am lucky to have such a great team, but at times it can be a bit more difficult to juggle the few projects and multiple client updates or emails that are coming in (also, did I mention I work full-time as a UX/UI Developer as well?).

I spend my early mornings, evenings and the odd break through the day managing my clients and projects. I send multiple emails, update Notion and then get back to my work designing other user experiences and layouts for my full-time job. Things get very busy but it doesn’t need to be stressful.

How do I stay calm through the day with my workload?

Plan : I make a schedule on Sunday’s. I plan out my week the best I can using blocked time in iCal. These blocks are always changing but if I can fit in the priority items I’m doing good. When those additional update emails come in, I just fit them where I can and delegate to my team to get them done.

: I make a schedule on Sunday’s. I plan out my week the best I can using blocked time in iCal. These blocks are always changing but if I can fit in the priority items I’m doing good. When those additional update emails come in, I just fit them where I can and delegate to my team to get them done. Music : My headphones are always bumpin! Music calms me, it helps me focus and it is therapeutic. Spotify is a great invention, and Youtube never fails me.

: My headphones are always bumpin! Music calms me, it helps me focus and it is therapeutic. Spotify is a great invention, and Youtube never fails me. Talk it out : I have a couple great friends that do very similar work. We chat out and strategize our problems, structure them into digestible tasks and get things completed without stress. This helps us all stay grounded and realize that we’re not the only ones working with this sort of pace when it comes to work.

: I have a couple great friends that do very similar work. We chat out and strategize our problems, structure them into digestible tasks and get things completed without stress. This helps us all stay grounded and realize that we’re not the only ones working with this sort of pace when it comes to work. Coffee: Loads of it. Never too much coffee.

Home Related Stress

We all have that home related stress, wether we realize it or not. We have bills and responsibilities that might weigh on us, but regardless if my bills are paid on time (which normally they are), my kids are behaving, I’m sleeping well and my Wife is happy… There’s always that anxious feeling like I am forgetting something or not working hard enough.

Anxiety can be a crushing stress factor, but here we are again with literally very little we can do other than ensuring we are making the best decisions to handle our daily lives as possible.

Some ways I manage my homelife:

Calendars : My Wife and I share an iCal together. We put in our appointments, meetings, kids activities, birthdays and get-togethers in the calendar with alerts to remind us. It’s a life saver.

: My Wife and I share an iCal together. We put in our appointments, meetings, kids activities, birthdays and get-togethers in the calendar with alerts to remind us. It’s a life saver. Spreadsheets : My bills, are in spreadsheets. When did I get my bill, how much is it, when is it due, and when it is paid. This helps me visualize what is there and what needs attention.

: My bills, are in spreadsheets. When did I get my bill, how much is it, when is it due, and when it is paid. This helps me visualize what is there and what needs attention. Scheduled payments : If you can schedule automatic payments with your bank, do it. It will resolve any issues you might have remembering to pay your bills. They come out of your balance automatically when they’re due. Typically if you use certain banks you would get an email letting you know that a payment has been made to update the previously mentioned spreadsheet as well.

: If you can schedule automatic payments with your bank, do it. It will resolve any issues you might have remembering to pay your bills. They come out of your balance automatically when they’re due. Typically if you use certain banks you would get an email letting you know that a payment has been made to update the previously mentioned spreadsheet as well. Get outside!: Rent a cottage with friends, go hiking, take your kids to the park, read a book or go for a walk on a trail somewhere. Nature is amazingly rehabilitating and a great way to reset. Adding friends and/or family to the mix only makes things better.

But in the end…

Stress is a relative feeling based on your mental state or the random events in your life. Everyone has some form of stress or anxiety that hits them now and then, but the ones who manage it effectively are the ones who are going to continue to prosper.

If you find you’re still having issues, perhaps seeking someone to communicate with about it on a frequent basis or getting an animal to keep you company and take your mind off things could be another way to help.

I personally feel like I’ve made strides this year. Covid be damned. 2021 is coming up quick and I have a hope that I continue to learn and grow just as much as I feel like I have this year. I’ve already got some accomplishments I’ve set my sights on and I have great support in my family and work life that will help me accomplish them.