Dealing with Family Stress

Today . . . I am thinking about this question that came in from one of our readers about how to deal with family stress.

If you have a small business question that you'd like for me to answer, let me know.

Q: "Susan, since starting up my business, the stress level in my family has sky-rocketed. We don't seem to have the time anymore to sit down and talk about what's going on in everybody's life. Do you have any suggestions about how to deal with family stress?

A: Yep. Starting up a business is stressful for most women entrepreneurs I know, and anyone who tells you differently is fibbing!

Please know that even a happily family goes through stressful periods, from time to time. Take heart! Here are two, very easy and fun things you can do right now to open up the lines of communication in your family and relieve the the stress.

1. Communicate differently.

Use refrigerator magnets, a cork board in the kitchen, a white board in the front hall... whatever works for you. Create a central place where family members can share thoughts for the day, post messages, or display school papers and artwork.

2. Make an appointment for enjoyment.

Busy families sometimes feel as if they are losing touch with each other. Make a date for a picnic, a bike ride, or tossing a Frisbee in the backyard. Attend a ballgame or school play together as a family. Or, simply take a walk in your neighborhood together, as a family, to reconnect and spend some quality time together.

Let me know how this goes for you.

Do you have any other suggestions? If so, leave a comment and let us know. And, if you have a small business question that you'd like for me to answer, let me know.

Susan L. Reid
Inner Samurai Business Expert

Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success