Mortgage professionals are no strangers to stress. With busy schedules and many moving parts, it’s understandable that their stress levels can run high from time to time. Elevated stress levels can be a hindrance to both efficiency and overall performance. And it’s not only your stress level that you need to navigate to operate optimally, ensuring your team members are managing stress successfully will help you function at a higher level, too. Whether you’re looking for better ways to manage your own stress or you’re thinking about the entire team, here are a few solid strategies to consider:
Get Rid of Bad Habits
If stress has become a normal part of your day-to-day, it may be time to take inventory. Start by looking at your habits. Many of your daily habits will seem insignificant at first glance, but the cumulative effect they have over time can be considerable. If you’re skipping meals, consistently working late, bringing your work home, and staying constantly connected, these will all lead to increased stress levels when done regularly. Pay attention to all of your actions throughout the day, and after a short while, you’ll begin to see the areas that need attention.
Take Time-Outs
If the average pace of your workday could be described as frenetic, you’re likely setting yourself up for stress. When you’re in a constant state of go-mode, it’s only natural that stress creeps in, making you less efficient and causing you to rush even more. There’s a simple antidote for this — take a time-out. A few pauses throughout the workday does wonders to slow your pace to a manageable level and increase your focus. Making time in your day for a couple of mini breaks can be a terrific way to make sure that you’re not operating in overdrive.
Don’t Be Afraid to Disconnect
Of course, you want to be available for your clients when they need you — it’s an important part of the job — but you need to go about it mindfully. Intentionally disconnecting from work (and technology) keeps you from depleting your reserves. Set some boundaries that make sense for you and stay committed to them. Again, pay attention to your daily activities and patterns will begin to emerge.
Find a Stress-Relief Outlet
If stress becomes a chronic condition, we need to take a very close look and immediately make any necessary adjustments. Stressful days are going to be in your repertoire, there’s no way around it fully. And when they’re not a regular occurrence, it’s usually nothing to worry about. If we know what we need to release that stress and recharge, we can keep it from impacting our performance negatively. We all need to decompress after a particularly stressful day — it could be something physical, like sports or exercise, or it might be something calming and relaxing. Whatever works best for you to relieve stress should be on your priority list and done as often as you need it.
We can’t operate at the best of our ability when our stress levels are consistently high. Paying attention to your current habits and working to add some healthier strategies can give us a strong foundation to manage stress.
If you’d like to talk more about any of these ideas, or if there’s another issue I can be of assistance with, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always happy to block out some time to connect.
Don Riggs
VP – Retail Market Leader
NMLS 132702
303.249.8274
