If you don't find ways to let go, the stress that builds up for you can impact your happiness and your health. With this in mind, the following stress busters can help you maintain your sanity and keep going.
1. Gather for Team Lunches
A sales life can be lonely. You call on clients and work one on one most of the time. To counter this, get together with other members of the sales team and have lunch or even coffee together. The camaraderie can help you fend off stress that builds up when you are in isolation. Together, you can joke around and commiserate about similar sources of stress in a mutually supportive and enjoyable environment.
2. Turn Off Your Phone
Just as you need to step away from your isolation, sometimes you need to move away from being constantly connected to work. Technology allows you to work from anywhere—but with that comes the downside of being able to work from anywhere. Plan for some time in the evening and on the weekend to turn it off, or at least avoid looking at it.
3. Exercise
Sometimes you just need to let off steam. Scheduling regular exercise into your week helps your stress level on two levels. First, it gives you a chance to let go of the pressure that builds up during your work life. Second, it improves your overall health, which is critical to your ability to handle stress well. The more you do to ensure regular exercise, the better you can manage the rest of your work life.
4. Eat Better
Similarly, you need to make sure you eat regular, healthy meals. Living on snacks and fast food can sustain you for a day if it must, but over time it will leave you lethargic and tired. If your energy level is flagging, managing your stress level only gets more challenging.
5. Schedule Time for Yourself
Above all, you need to make sure that your work does not consume your entire life. Everyone needs some time to step away, to relax and focus on what matters to you. Whether that means time with family and friends, enjoying time with a book or a television show, or just getting off to a vacation, find ways to do it. The longer you put it off, the more time your stress has to break you down.
Over time, stress affects everyone. In a sales career, it comes with the territory. Rather than succumbing to its effects, though, take the time to find outlets that help you cope. It can provide the key to a long, successful sales career.
