Workspaces have always presented individuals with challenges. With more challenges comes a fair share of stress and tension. People tend to get overwhelmed by various workspace scenarios, leading them to experience high amounts of stress. The situation could be an argument with a colleague, not being able to meet deadlines or even an overload of work. Learning how to handle stress at work as a direct seller is very important.
In a venture like direct selling, individuals need to be proactive and on their feet to tackle situations. Just because individuals get to be their own bosses doesn’t mean they can slack off. In fact, there is a lot of work in coordination and presentations. There is no denying that all of this requires an enormous amount of work and dedication. Much like any other venture, individuals will have to face multiple challenges before reaping the rewards.
In this article, we will look at positive ways of how to handle stress at work as a direct seller. Before we understand the solutions, let’s look at a few common causes of stress.
What causes stress at work?
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First and foremost, direct sellers must understand that it is not a “get-rich-quick” scheme. No person can just lay back and expect themselves to earn money. Every individual must commit to the endeavour and be patient with their rewards.
Now that we’ve got this out of our way, the most common reason for experiencing stress is setting unreasonable expectations. Most individuals hope and almost expect things to magically work in their favour. They tend to set huge expectations without proper timelines. When expectations are not met, they naturally tend to feel debilitated. They tend to look for shortcuts to reach their goals before running into inevitable roadblocks.
Tied to these expectations are commitments. People tend to commit more than they can afford. They tend to take responsibility for things they cannot handle. Often when they take up a lot of load, they tend to feel burned out or always feel like they are running out of time. This leads to pressure and, ultimately, burnout.
Another major reason for stress is rejection. Naturally, when distributors make presentations, they are bound to face rejections. It is just part and parcel of the venture. Individuals will have to go through phases where they are not able to close any prospects. They might even feel like they were not meant for the opportunity.
We must acknowledge that there are many more reasons for an individual to feel stressed. However, they must continue to stride on their path if they truly want to become successful. Having said that, here are a few ways to handle stress as a direct seller.
How to handle stress at work?
Handling stress, or rather not getting affected by stress, is a skill that one must cultivate. It surely takes time. However, individuals can start by taking small steps to ensure that they are on the right track. Let’s look at a few important steps –
1) Plan and prepare
Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” This quote perhaps aptly explains every individual’s situation who complains about not being able to succeed. Individuals dive into the deeper end without understanding the needs to stay afloat. As a ground rule, individuals must understand that every task requires individuals to possess skills and cultivate work experience to succeed. Now, when individuals first come across direct selling, they assume that it is something easy. However, the truth is far from it. Individuals must plan for the endeavour, and understand their strengths, weakness, and opportunities. They must proceed only if they are confident enough to make it through.
If not, they must take a step back. Learn or grow or cultivate enough experiences to help them succeed. This way, they can reduce stress and ensure that they are on the right path to achieving their goals.
Now, this isn’t a sure-fire solution, as stress may still find its way during work. However, it is a positive method to control our actions and remain stable under uncertain times. Planning also gives an individual the opportunity to calibrate expectations and fine-tune or increase them as they go.
2) Accepting rejections
That’s right. One must know that rejections are as inevitable as the sunlight in the morning the next day. People often tend to forget that they are dispensable and tread while dodging rejections and failures. They are in search of a divine experience that would suddenly unearth riches.
The truth is that rejections are necessary for our journey. It provides us with the right feedback to help us understand what is necessary to achieve a goal. In direct selling, individuals are required to promote products to their contacts and also pitch the opportunity to potential prospects in order to grow the team. But not everyone is willing to buy the product or become a part of the team.
The opportunity is not meant for everyone, or the product might not be the right fit for everyone. It is just how things pan out. Individuals must have the fortitude to accept situations and move forward.
Sometimes, it could also be that the direct seller was not able to produce the best presentation, leading to rejection. Now, there is no point in getting stressed about it. The best that an individual can do is move forward and perhaps try to learn something from the previous pitch. In essence, accepting rejection as a necessary companion on the journey towards success.
3) Being open about stress and tension
Communication is perhaps one of the most important means for an individual to face a situation. Most people ignore mental health conversations and try to play it down as a normal situation. However, in recent times it has become increasingly important for individuals to be open about their mental health situation. Stress is a major part of an individual not being in the best mental state. Sometimes, the best solution is to talk to someone, usually those who are close to people that can be trusted. Being open about it and talking about the situation can lead to a solution. Perhaps, it can even help understand the root cause of the situation.
Another positive solution is to just take a break, step back and look at the bigger picture. In the end, it isn’t worth all the effort if it hinders a person from functioning well. But the key takeaway is being conscious and having an honest conversation about workspace stress and giving oneself time to overcome the challenge.
4) Staying positive
At a glance, this suggestion might seem preposterous. However, taking things lightly could make a difference to how something affects us. The truth is that we do not have everything under our control. So, there is no point in bickering with ourselves when there are extraneous circumstances. The best thing is to do our duties and let the rest take care of itself.
Most people overthink the situation and end up taking a lot of stress and anxiety. Their work becomes a burden. If that’s the case, then the person must again step back and look at it from a broader perspective. It is important to look at the brighter side of things. Perhaps, this opportunity was indeed not meant for the individual. Maybe, this was an important step to truly move onto the right calling. The perspective is multiple. However, it all depends on how a person views the situation.
In the end, a positive outlook goes a long way in helping a person adapt to the situation. Moreover, it gives them the necessary edge to gain perspective and look at things differently. This attitude also helps the person inspire others and establishes character and you to handle stress at work!
These were a few positive ways on how to handle stress at work. Direct selling is an endeavour with great opportunities for individuals to develop skills and grow as an individual. For more perspective on direct selling with QNET, visit QBuzz India – How to Start Network Marketing? How do I join QNET?
