A Therapist-Turned-Agency-Owner’s Guide To Stress Management

Navigating the multifaceted environment of a marketing agency is a high-wire act that few can master. As an agency owner, you're the ringmaster of creativity, tasked with inspiring those around you to produce compelling graphics and copy that capture the imagination. 

Yet, this inherently creative endeavor is only one small piece of what you do. If we’re honest, it’s a constantly shrinking part of what you do, as the longer you’re in this leadership role the less time it feels like you have for creativity. 

There’s also the pressure to crunch numbers, dive deep into analytics, and harness a sharp business sense. All of this adds layers of complexity to an already challenging role. You're constantly toggling between the creative and analytical parts of your brain, striving to keep the lights on while fostering an environment where your team can thrive.

The responsibility doesn't end there. People management requires a delicate balance of offering praise and constructive feedback, ensuring employee satisfaction, and navigating the intricacies of hiring and retention. And when the agency’s most difficult clients are unhappy or when there are significant concerns about a client’s account? It's often you who steps in to help smooth things over. At best, it’s you who is there talking things over with staff, strategizing and silently supporting on the sidelines. 

In other words, you’re shouldering the weight of the most challenging conversations and decisions throughout your agency. If we do not manage our stress effectively as agency leaders, we risk our relationships falling apart, making mistakes at work due to burnout, creating a culture in our agency that leads to high turnover and poor work performance, or any number of other concerns. In short, stress management is a vital, though challenging, skill for agency leaders to learn.

As a licensed mental health professional and the owner of an SEO agency that caters specifically to mental health private practice owners, I've navigated these dual worlds firsthand. That said, I’ll be honest that I’m a recovering workaholic to whom stress management does not come naturally. 

My unique perspective has shown me the critical importance of effective stress management—not just for the sake of business success but for maintaining the quality of our lives outside of work. 

Today, we'll explore practical stress management techniques that acknowledge and bridge the gap between our professional responsibilities and personal well-being, ensuring that agency owners excel in their multifaceted roles without sacrificing what brings them joy.

First, A Hard Truth: You’re Human

As a leader in the marketing world, you’ve likely gotten to your current level of success by being hard-working and high-achieving. Realistically, you’re probably able to accomplish much more than the average person. Is some of it luck? Sure. But you also work hard, and you have some excellent skills. At the end of the day, you likely expect a LOT of yourself. You keep going even when others have long since thrown in the towel.

Yet, amidst this whirlwind of professional obligations, it's crucial to remember that agency leaders are, first and foremost, human. Many high-performers are excessively hard on ourselves when the going gets tough, often believing that this self-critical nature is part of what spurs our momentum. But it’s important to remember that even top performers make mistakes, need rest and recognition, and are allowed to take time to do the things that enrich their life beyond pushing the agency forward.

Recognizing Personal Stress Signals

In my practice as a licensed mental health professional, I often worked with high achieving professionals who were under a lot of pressure. We spoke a great deal about stress management. 

One thing I have often worked on with clients is recognizing their own personal stress signals–understanding and recognizing one's own early warning signs of stress is crucial for effective management. 

The key lies in recognizing what your stress looks like in different stages: 

• What does it look like when you’re a little stressed? 

• What happens if you keep going after that without addressing the early stress levels? 

• What about when your stress is completely out of control? 

For me, an initial indicator of stress is taking an unusually long time to compose emails, a task that typically requires efficiency and clarity of thought. This seemingly small signal is a red flag that stress is beginning to impair my cognitive functions.

If left unaddressed, my stress symptoms escalate to more severe physical manifestations, such as skipping meals due to a lack of appetite caused by stress, rather than a conscious decision to forego eating. 

Eventually, if I continue to ignore these signs, my body forces a shutdown through debilitating migraines, rendering me unable to work or participate in personal activities for days. This progression from subtle mental fog to severe physical incapacitation underscores the necessity of early intervention. Over time, I've learned that recognizing and addressing these early signs of stress is far less disruptive than dealing with the consequences of ignoring them. 

Most individuals will find that their bodies offer similar warnings, whether through physical symptoms like headaches or emotional signs such as irritability. The key is to identify these personal stress signals before they escalate to more serious health issues or impact professional responsibilities and personal relationships.

When I’ve asked high achieving clients before what they do to manage stress, they’ve often given me stereotypical answers, “I eat healthy. I try to sleep at least # of hours a night.” OR they tell me a single thing they do. As if that one thing fixes everything. For example, “I get a massage once a month.” 

The truth is, we all need a full tool box of stress management tools. Different types of stress require different tools. And to make it more challenging? The tools that work best for one person might not work best for another person.

Building Your Toolbox of Stress Management Techniques

When I’m helping a new client build their “toolbox”, I warn them it’s going to take some trial and error. You have to try some different things to figure out what truly helps reduce YOUR stress level–not your spouse’s, not your friend’s, not your employee’s. Your stress level.

Also, this customization of tools isn't static; it evolves. Over time, you might find that a technique which once worked wonders has lost its efficacy. It's a journey of discovery, where some tools may be used daily for minor adjustments, while others are reserved for those moments when everything seems to be collapsing, and a more drastic intervention is required.

With this in mind, let's explore some specific stress management techniques, categorized by the intensity of the stress they're best suited to address. From quick, everyday fixes to comprehensive strategies for tackling deep-seated stress, my goal here is to give you some things to try, and encourage you to find what works best for you. 

Agency Leader Quick Fixes for Immediate Stress Relief (Hammers)

Just like a hammer, these tools are meant to be stress management techniques you’ll use on a really regular basis. You may have more of these in your toolbox and use them pretty frequently. 

Agency Leader Strategies for Intermediate Stress Levels (Sledgehammers)

These are the things you’ll do when you start to notice some of those earlier signs that you’re pretty stressed. It’s good to know a couple of these things that you can do when needed.

Agency Leader Major Interventions for High-Level Stress (Bulldozers)

These are the things to do when you realize your stress has reached the point or is near the point of exhaustion, physical or mental health concerns, or burnout. Some people will reach this point and still try to just use some of those techniques above, but they’re no longer enough. It’s time to use “bigger” stress management tools. Here are a few:

Encouraging a Culture of Agency Wellness

In the demanding world of agency leadership, the onus falls upon us not just to advocate for wellness but to embody the principles of stress management and work-life balance. 

My journey as both a mental health professional and an agency owner has taught me that the ethos of self-care and wellness we promote is only as credible as our practice of it. While I've always championed self-care among my employees, emphasizing the importance of work-life balance for optimal performance, I realized that my actions often contradicted my words.

For years, routine audits of my time revealed a staggering 60+ work hours a week, frequently extending into the wee hours, compromising my sleep and personal time. Whenever an employee faced challenges, I was quick to take on their tasks, perpetuating a cycle of stress and overwork. 

I believed this was my way of supporting my employees, of being a good leader. However, I clearly remember a conversation with my employee where they explained the stress it put on THEM to see how stressed I was. They pointed out that despite my verbal encouragement of self-care, my actions—emailing at all hours, working while sick, and rarely disconnecting—sent a conflicting message. My behavior not only fostered a stressful atmosphere but also set an unrealistic standard of overcommitment and self-neglect.

This realization was a turning point. It underscored that fostering a genuine culture of wellness starts with leaders modeling the very behaviors we want to see in our teams. Over the past two years, I've committed to not just managing my stress but visibly practicing self-care. 

I clearly communicate my "off work" times, openly take sick days, and ensure that if I must work late, I schedule emails for the next day to avoid setting expectations for round-the-clock availability. I proudly share with my team when I'm prioritizing family time, reinforcing the message that setting boundaries is not just permitted but encouraged. These changes have made a tangible difference. 

The true measure of success came this summer when I noticed that every employee had taken their vacation time—a testament to the culture of wellness we've cultivated. This shift didn't just happen overnight. It required a conscious effort to align my actions with my advocacy for wellness, demonstrating that managing stress is not only crucial for our well-being but also enhances our work performance.

Fostering Resilience in Agency Leadership

In navigating the complexities of agency leadership, we've explored the necessity of assembling a diverse toolbox for managing stress, from the daily-use "hammers" to the "bulldozers" reserved for more challenging periods. 

This journey through understanding stress, identifying personal stress signals, and adopting various management techniques underscores a broader theme: the integral role of wellness in sustaining both our personal well-being and professional efficacy. 

As agency leaders, our commitment to practicing what we preach—by openly modeling stress management strategies—cultivates a culture of wellness that empowers each team member to prioritize their health and find their unique path to stress resilience.

As we continue to navigate the demands of the marketing industry, remember that the strategies for managing stress are as varied as the challenges we face. Whether it's through mindful walks, strategic delegation, or setting boundaries, the goal remains the same: to lead with resilience, compassion, and a deep-seated commitment to wellness. 

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